Council approves change to one‑year plan allowing duplexes inside neighborhoods after heated debate

The Knoxville City Council voted to approve an amended 2025 one‑year plan that removes location restrictions that had limited where duplexes may be built in the city.

Supporters said the change would expand housing options and help address local affordability issues; opponents said the move risks altering neighborhood character and reducing owner‑occupied single‑family housing.

Proponents framed the vote as a modest, necessary step to increase housing supply. "Approving the one year plan without the duplex location requirements would be a great first step toward that," said Maria Mikhail, who spoke to the council representing the East Tennessee Realtors. Drew Harper, vice president of YES Knoxville, told the council, "This proposed one year plan is a modest but meaningful step towards solving a real problem."

Speakers who opposed the amendment said…