Staff Recommendation

The City of Knoxville South Waterfront Department recommends adoption of the ordinance amendments.
MPC staff recommends approval of the proposed amendments.

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The purpose of the proposed ordinance amendments are to add street sections needed for final plat approval of the River Road / Lincoln Street public improvements, thereby satisfying conditions of MPC approval of the Concept Plan for the project in time for scheduled Final Plat approval.

The Knoxville South Waterfront Form Based Development Code (SW Code) was adopted by Knoxville City Council Ordinance O-29-07 on February 27, 2007, and became effective on March 16, 2007. This ordinance is the first application of a form based code in Knoxville, and its newness prompted City Council Members to require annual reviews of the code to determine the effectiveness of this land use tool.

Until recently, there have not been any major projects proposed in the South Waterfront that have been affected by the new code. The first major application of the SW Code began in June 2008, with MPC?s approval of the Concept Plan for the street and lot layout for the general area between Barber Street and Lincoln Street, extending southward from the Tennessee River to Sevier Avenue.

MPC?s approval of the Concept Plan included the following condition, among a total of eight conditions:


4. Approval of the proposed street sections that are not in compliance with the Knoxville Waterfront Form Based Development Code streetscape standards and specific designation on the Regulating Plan (see comment below) will be subject to either Knoxville Board of Zoning Appeals variances or amendment to the Form Based Development Code. This action must be taken prior to approval of the Design Plan for the subdivision.

The MPC staff report commented further:

Five (River Rd., Lincoln St., Phillips Ave., "E" St. and Langford Ave.) of the eight proposed street sections for this concept plan are not in full compliance with the Knoxville Waterfront Form Based Development Code streetscape standards and specific designation on the Regulating Plan. The Code does not clearly identify a process for modifying the proposed street sections. Approval of the proposed streetscape sections will be subject to either variances from the Knoxville Board of Zoning Appeals or amendments to the Form Based Development Code. This action must be taken prior to approval of the Design Plan for the proposed streetscape sections.



Streets Impacted by the Proposed Ordinance Amendment


Concept Plan approved by MPC on June 12, 2008 (6-SC-08-C)

The South Waterfront Department considers an ordinance amendment to be the more appropriate way to address condition #4 above (as opposed to seeking variances).

The proposed changes are specific to the new or existing streets currently under final design. A very detailed series of discussions and analyses involving city consultants, City Engineering, KUB, KCDC, and the private developer has led to revisions that will improve the impacted streetscapes in several ways:
1. Travel lanes and curve radii have been modified to make sure that KAT vehicles can travel to and from the SW park.
2. Two street sections have been modified to avoid condemnation or ROW construction that would adversely affect adjacent houses.
3. River Road no longer provides bike lanes since it is so close to the proposed Riverwalk in the adjacent park. On-street parking has been substituted instead.
4. The widths of travel lanes for some streets have been narrowed from 11 feet to 10 feet to introduce traffic calming into the street design.
5. The street section on Barber Street in front of the South Knoxville Elementary School has been modified to allow for ADA parking spaces and a drop-off area for disabled students.

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Disposition Summary

The City of Knoxville South Waterfront Department recommends adoption of the ordinance amendments.
MPC staff recommends approval of the proposed amendments.