Knox County’s Advance Knox moves to drafting a Unified Development Ordinance

Knox County’s Advance Knox initiative has moved into its final phase with work underway to create a Unified Development Ordinance, a single document intended to combine zoning, street and subdivision rules with stormwater and building and fire codes.

The announcement, delivered by an unidentified speaker, said the UDO will update the county’s zoning code to define allowable uses for properties, such as homes or businesses, and to set development rules including setbacks, building size and shape, and landscaping requirements. The draft also will include updated street standards that govern how streets are designed, constructed and connected to adjacent land.

Officials also intend for the UDO to revise subdivision regulations—how property may be divided into lots, blocks and streets—and to clarify when roads, drainage systems, utilities and open space are required. The proposal will combine those components with stormwater regulations and existing building and fire codes into one consolidated resource, the speaker said, with the stated goal of making the county’s standards easier to understand and use.

Advance Knox framed the consolidation as a tool to guide future growth and economic development and to support quality-of-life goals for Knox County. The speaker directed listeners to advancedknox.org/udo for more information on the UDO draft and next steps.