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Farragut residents press planning commission on rezoning bid for 11830 Kingston Pike
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Summary
At a March 19 workshop, the Farragut Municipal Planning Commission heard divided views on a request to change the future land use designation for 11830 Kingston Pike from very low-density residential to office/light industrial; the applicant said he plans to repurpose the existing house for a small office and urged outreach to neighbors.
A planning commission workshop on March 19 drew a mix of resident concern and applicant assurances over a request to reclassify 11830 Kingston Pike from very low-density residential to office/light industrial.
The request, from Marsoff Investment, would move the parcel’s future land-use designation to match nearby office properties along Kingston Pike. Planning staff said the northernmost lot in a previously subdivided tract historically housed an insurance office and now sits between single-family homes and a church parking lot. Staff noted Office-1 districts require a 25-foot buffer where they abut residential property.
The applicant, Jeff Marsoff, told the commission he plans to reuse the existing 1960s house for a small financial-planning office and said the proposal is practical given the lot’s narrow configuration and limited parking: “The only way this project really works for me is if I can use the existing house,” Marsoff said, adding he expects no more than about five employees and low client turnover.
Neighbors questioned the long-term implications. Resident Mary Ellen Brannon asked about a joint permanent access easement and stressed that the tract’s narrow frontage could create traffic or access issues if redeveloped differently. Another resident raised the common concern that approving one rezoning could set a precedent for more commercial conversions in residential areas.
Commissioners stressed the difference between the current applicant’s stated intentions and the possibilities that rezoning would allow later. One commissioner said the issue is “about the potential” and warned that a future owner could raze the house and build a larger office building permitted under the zoning. Staff reiterated that any redevelopment would be constrained by the parcel’s size and shape and by buffering and parking requirements.
A commissioner recused himself from the discussion after saying the property owner is an affiliate broker of his real estate company; the recusal was noted before public comment began.
Mark Shepley, planning staff, reviewed the approval process: a future land use designation change can be handled by the planning commission; a zoning map amendment would proceed to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and require two readings. Staff recommended that the applicant meet with the Farragut Crossing HOA before the item returns to a formal agenda so neighbors can have further input.
The item remained a workshop discussion; the commission did not take a final vote on the map or a rezoning at the March 19 session. Next steps would include neighborhood outreach and, if the applicant proceeds, a separate rezoning application and public hearings before the commission and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
