Board overturns county staff, clears way for pediatric dental site’s smaller parking setback

The Knox County Board of Zoning Appeals voted 8–1 in June 2026 to uphold an appeal by KNC Management and allow a reduced parking setback for a proposed pediatric dental clinic at 0 Beexill Drive.

The board’s decision reverses a Codes and Planning staff interpretation of Section 3.51.08B of the Knox County zoning regulations, which staff had read to require a 35‑foot setback for parking lots where a nonresidential zone faces and adjoins a residential zone on the same block face. The board concluded that the ordinance’s two conjunctive conditions — the parking lot being on the same block face and contiguous to the residential zoning — were not both met after the subject parcel was subdivided from the larger commercial tract.

"Once the parcel was subdivided it became its own tax parcel and is no longer contiguous to the residential zone; the enhanced 35‑foot setback therefore does not apply," Taylor Forester, the applicant’s representative, told the board. Forester argued the proposed parking would be roughly 225 feet from the nearest residentially zoned property and therefore should meet the standard 10‑foot setback for a CN (neighborhood commercial) property.

Heidi Adams, a commercial real‑estate broker representing property owners Chris and Karen Weatherall (KNC Management), described the plan as a 3,100‑square‑foot pediatric dental practice selected to be compatible with neighboring commercial uses. "A pediatric dental practice is a low‑intensity commercial use that operates primarily during normal business hours and creates a predictable traffic pattern," Adams said, arguing the design minimizes impacts on nearby properties.

Knox County Commissioner Shane Jackson (4th district) urged approval, saying the practice — to be operated by Dr. Carolyn Lambert as Treehouse Pediatric Dentistry — would bring closer access to specialized pediatric dental and sedation services for families near Al Lots and Bluegrass elementary schools. "Within just a few miles of this location, there are more than 1,500 children attending nearby elementary schools," Jackson said, noting parents must remain on site during sedation procedures and therefore the business needs additional parking.

Planning and Codes staff had asked the board to interpret the ordinance and confirm whether the enhanced 35‑ft parking setback applied. After questions from members about the ordinance’s wording and the site history, a motion to overturn the staff recommendation passed, recorded by the chair as eight votes in favor and one opposed.

The board’s action allows the applicant to treat the parking area as subject to the standard CN zoning setback (10 ft) rather than the 35‑foot enhanced parking setback staff had sought to enforce. The applicant may proceed with revised site drawings consistent with the board’s ruling; no building permits were recorded during the hearing. The board returned to the rest of its agenda after the vote and adjourned at the meeting’s close.