Knoxville preservation commission delays ruling on circular driveway at 720 Scenic Drive

The Knoxville Historic Assembly Commission on July 18 postponed a decision on a request to install a circular driveway at 720 Scenic Drive, saying the applicant must provide additional engineering documentation and neighborhood outreach before the commission will consider an exception to its design guidelines.

Staff told commissioners that the commission’s design guidelines generally prohibit front-yard circular driveways except in extraordinary circumstances and that collector-street regulations require a turnaround so vehicles do not back onto the roadway. "If there is a driveway, placing a new circular driveway in the front of the house will result in the majority of the front yard serving as parking, which does detract from the design guidelines' recommendation of maintaining lawns, plantings, and semi‑wooded areas," staff said.

Applicant Allison Geek, who identified herself and gave her address as 720 Scenic Drive, told the commission the household is seeking only a safe way to turn around and not additional parking. "We are not seeking parking for this address. We just need a safe way to be able to turn around," Geek said, describing constraints in the rear yard that she said make a backyard turnaround infeasible.

Commissioners and neighborhood representatives pressed for precise, written evidence that rear-yard options had been exhausted. One commissioner said she would feel more comfortable granting an exception "if we follow the guidelines, meaning we recognize there are no other options" and asked for a survey or engineering letter showing the backyard cannot accommodate a turnaround. Staff and multiple commissioners asked the applicant to submit an accurately scaled, dimensioned site plan and photos and to document any neighborhood support or objections.

After discussion of alternatives — including a branch (T‑type) turnaround or minimal two‑track wheel runs — the commission moved to postpone the application for 30 days to allow the applicant to provide the requested survey, clearer site plans and neighborhood outreach; the motion passed. The commission said that if the applicant later demonstrates that branch‑type or rear‑yard alternatives are not viable, it may consider granting a variance or exception consistent with the guidelines.