BZA approves church setback variance, denies small impervious increase

The Knoxville Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance to reduce the minimum front setback for a proposed roughly 4,000-square-foot addition to a place of worship, citing hillside protection that constrains buildable area. Staff had told the board the project would add 380 assembly seats and the application calculated an average block-face setback of about 70.6 feet; the applicant requested a setback of approximately 41 feet.

During deliberations, staff and board members emphasized that much of the property lies in a hillside-protection zone, which pushed the proposed building toward the front of the lot and limited alternative layouts. The applicant, Charles Pilgrim, said the church bought the property about four years ago and "have grown such that they need to expand" and that a substantial portion of the lot is in the hillside protection zone. Board members voted to approve the setback variance on that basis.

Board members then considered a separate request to increase impervious surface coverage from 40% to about 41.1%. Discussion focused on whether minor design tweaks'notably adding or reconfiguring pervious pavers or reducing a new concrete strip'could eliminate the 1.1% overage. The applicant acknowledged the concrete band was largely an aesthetic choice and said they would remove or narrow it if required. After clarifying that the setback approval was based on topography and hillside protection, the board approved the setback variance and denied the impervious-surface variance.