Knoxville planning commission: key approvals, postponements and withdrawals from Dec. 11 meeting

The Knoxville Knox County Planning Commission on Dec. 11 handled a mix of routine and substantive land-use business: it approved postponements and withdrawals, passed a consent agenda, approved a final plat and variance for a James Loveday property, and approved Shepherd's Landing subdivision plans and associated variances.

Early in the meeting the commission approved automatic 30-day postponements (items 7, 13 and 16), moved items 28 and 36 to 30-day postponement and agreed to a 60-day postponement for item 14 after a request from counsel. The commission also approved withdrawals including item 6 (Salamanca, Gilberto Cortez) and removed item 1 (Car Connection Complete Auto Repair) from the table by motion. The consent list, which included multiple routine plats and cases, was approved without discussion.

On agenda item 5, staff recommended and the commission approved a variance to allow the subdivision plat to be accepted without surveying the remainder of Lots 16 and 17 and approved the final plat to create a single lot in the RN2 district; applicant representative Steven Nabb confirmed city engineering had reviewed the hardship justification.

For Shepherd's Landing (item 33), the commission approved a staff-recommended variance to reduce the K value at Road A/East Emery Road from 25 to 17, approved the concept plan subject to six conditions and approved the development plan for up to 51 attached dwellings and two detached dwellings with a reduced peripheral setback. The developer Robert Campbell said the project had been approved by this body about three years earlier and was being restarted; Knox County Engineering said it had reviewed and supported the variance based on the applicant's justification.

The commission adjourned at the end of its agenda. Many approvals by the commission will be forwarded for final action by Knoxville City Council or the Knox County Commission where required.