The Knoxville Knox County Planning Commission on Aug. 14 approved amendments to the City of Knoxville zoning code — including changes to Article 4.6 on middle housing — after an extended public discussion about lot widths, townhouse and multiplex definitions, and how the code would affect small urban lots. The measure passed after a motion by Commissioner Midas and a second; commissioners voted to approve the package. The amendments update middle-housing dimensional standards and related elements to reduce ambiguity in how townhouses, triplexes and other forms are regulated.

The changes, described by planning staff as clarifications that ‘‘create additional clarity in the zoning standards and will generate better consistency with the surrounding neighborhoods,’’ were supported by commissioners who said the code must balance greater housing options with neighborhood context. Commissioner Nick Gill said the staff work ‘‘was responsive’’ and acknowledged leftover edge cases that will require future tweaks. Commissioner Midas, who moved approval, said the changes reflect needed guardrails while keeping missing middle as a pathway for ‘‘gentle density.’’

Opponents — including local architects and developers who work with the code — urged additional changes before adoption. Architect R. Bentley Marlowe warned the revised minimum lot-width standards and the elimination of a staff-level 20% variance risk making many vacant lots impractical for townhome construction. Parker Bartholomew, who has both built and supported missing-middle projects locally, said some provisions risk ‘‘gutting missing middle’’ by preventing townhome building forms that were previously feasible. He also raised concerns that building-code definitions adopted at plans review could be applied inconsistently against the zoning code, altering what lot widths and unit types are permitted.

Commissioners traded several proposals for narrow follow-up edits during discussion. Commissioner Gill urged staff to assess corner lots in RN4 neighborhoods, where two structures could front both streets under earlier practice; staff agreed to further study RN3/RN4 corner-lot language and return with suggestions. Planning staff said consultants’ baseline recommendations were refined downward to reflect local context and that countywide future zoning work will continue under the unified development ordinance process.

The commission approved the amendment package with no roll-call dissent recorded in the meeting minutes. Commissioners and staff stressed the changes should be treated as living code that will be adjusted as the city and county finalize the Unified Development Ordinance and as more design-review and code-interpretation questions emerge.