Council upholds BZA denial, rejects sign variances for proposed Midway Road truck stop 8–1

The council voted to deny an appeal by Tom Hopkins of the Ferber Company seeking five variances to increase allowable sign height and area for directional signs at a proposed truck stop near Midway Road and I‑40.

Hopkins, representing the Ferber Company, said the company’s hardship is topography and visibility on a steep access road and described the proposed directional signs as necessary for safe traffic flow within the site. Kevin Murphy, speaking for Scenic Knoxville, opposed the variances and pointed to the East Knox community plan and the city’s zoning standards, arguing the variances would conflict with the community plan’s intent and that the applicant had not shown the necessary hardship.

City counsel reviewed the variance standards in zoning code section 16.3, emphasizing that variances are permitted only where special circumstances such as exceptional topography or narrowness produce unnecessary hardship and that any variance must be the minimum adjustment needed. Councilmember Reiter moved to deny the variances, noting the Board of Zoning Appeals had previously denied them, and the motion to deny carried 8–1.

The council’s action leaves the BZA decision intact and denies the applicant’s request to enlarge directional signage beyond code limits for that parcel.