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Knox County approves Worley Builders rezoning with requirement to widen South Gallaher View Road
Summary
After neighbors warned an 18-foot dead-end section of South Gallaher View Road would hamper emergency access, Knox County commissioners approved Worley Builders’ planned-residential rezoning with a condition that the road be widened to 20 feet before lots are plotted.
Knox County commissioners on Monday approved a rezoning requested by Worley Builders for a residential subdivision at the former Holston Gases site on South Gallaher View Road, but only after adding a condition that the narrow, dead-end portion of the road be widened before lots are plotted.
The developer’s engineer, Scott Williams, described plans for single-family homes on the site and said the proposal would fit surrounding development. Neighbors said the existing dead-end stretch — the West Prong of South Gallaher View Road — is only 14–16 feet wide in places and that the county-recommended 18-foot width could leave insufficient clearance for emergency vehicles when cars are parked.
"If the road's only 18 feet wide and we have two vehicles parked on either side, that would only leave about 6.4 feet for passage," said Melanie Schrack, speaking for the Westland Station neighborhood. She added that a fire truck is about 8 feet wide and an ambulance about 6.8 feet, and urged the commission to require a 20-foot minimum.
The developer said widening the road is feasible but would require relocating utilities and careful staging; he agreed to perform the widening during initial dirt work and utility relocation to minimize neighborhood disruption. Staff engineer Dr. Snowden said the county also preferred the road be widened before lots are platted to avoid prolonged construction traffic on the neighborhood street.
Commissioner Russell moved to approve the rezoning as presented with a modification requiring the road to be widened to 20 feet prior to the plotting of lots. The developer agreed to that timing; the motion passed by voice vote.
The condition requires the widening and related utility work to be completed before the final platting step, and the developer said construction access would instead be taken from the improved east prong of South Gallaher View Road until the widening and dirt work there are complete. The commission gave no timetable for county inspection or final sign-off beyond the platting requirement.
The project will next proceed through the county’s development plan process, where the applicant must submit engineering plans showing how the road widening and utility relocations will be carried out.
