Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory
Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory – Vol. 8, No. 23 – Tuesday July 7, 2015
PDF Version: http://bit.ly/NeighborhoodNewsletterVol8No23
1. National Night Out Set for Tuesday, October 6
2. Gibbs Drive Faces Rezoning Request at MPC Thursday
3. Agenda Available for July BZA Meeting
4. Get Moving, Visit Public Art, Take Selfies, Win a Gift Basket
5. UT Offers Youth $100 for Transit Camp
6. CAC Seeks Volunteer Drivers
7. Correction: Election Dates
8. Neighborhood and Government Calendar
Published by the City of Knoxville’s Office of Neighborhoods to report news important to Knoxville’s residential neighborhoods. News & calendar deadline: 5 p.m. Mondays.
1. National Night Out Set for Tuesday, October 6
It is not too early to begin making plans for National Night Out, which the City of Knoxville will observe on Tuesday, October 6.
During National Night Out, neighborhood groups host potluck suppers, picnics, and other events to celebrate the strength of community and send a message to would-be thieves and con artists that neighbors keep an eye out for them and watch out for one another.
This is a nationwide effort promoted by the National Association of Town Watch (www.natw.org), which suggests that the event be held either the first Tuesday of August or the first Tuesday of October. Due to the likelihood of thunderstorms and hot temperatures in August, the Knoxville Police Department observes the event in October each year.
You can register your event with the KPD Safety Education Unit by notifying Cheri Intveld at 215-1510 or cintveld@knoxvilletn.gov. This will ensure that KPD schedules officers to attend your event. Be sure to give the name and phone number of your contact person and organization, the time your event will begin and end, and the exact location.
2. Gibbs Drive Faces Rezoning Request at MPC Thursday
A request to rezone a residential property at the end of Gibbs Drive is among the items on the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) agenda at the July meeting that starts at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, July 9, in the Large Assembly Room of the City County Building.
On the western end of Gibbs Drive, Smith-Lindsey Development LLC, 2230 Duncan Road in Knoxville, is asking that land at the corner of North Broadway and Gibbs Drive be rezoned from R-1 (low-density residential) to C-3 (general commercial) “for any use permitted by C-3 zoning.” Sector Plan and One Year Plan amendments are also requested.
Gibbs Drive is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The MPC staff recommendation is to rezone to office, not commercial. Citing a long history of litigation on the property, Connie Cavanaugh, president of Historic Gibbs Drive Neighborhood Association, said that the organization has accepted the reality that the corner parcel cannot stay residential and therefore supports the recommended rezoning to office.
MPC staff’s reasoning for the office recommendation is contained in these excerpts from the “Plan Amendment Report” that is part of the MPC agenda package:
“This site is at the southwest corner of Gibbs Dr. and N. Broadway. All properties along Gibbs Dr. have remained zoned R-1 and developed with residential uses. Properties to the north, south and west, fronting on N. Broadway are developed with commercial uses under C-3, C-6 and PC-1…
“Staff recognizes that the property is not desirable for residential uses, but allowing commercial uses would place non-compatible commercial use across from and next door to established residential uses. Office uses would be more compatible with adjacent residential and are not as likely to generate as much traffic or have late business hours.
“Offices would be an appropriate transitional use between the adjacent commercial and low density residential uses. A request for an office One Year Plan designation was recommended for approval by staff in 1990, but denied by MPC, and a request for a commercial designation was denied in 1991, consistent with the staff recommendation. There have never been any sector plan amendment requests on this site…
“The current sector plan proposes low density residential uses for the site, consistent with the current R-1 zoning. This designation has been retained over the years, despite a One Year Plan update each year and several updates to the North City Sector Plan.
“The current LDR designation is appropriate and is not an error. However, staff recognizes that the site, as currently zoned, has been vacant for many years and is likely not desirable for new residential use. The recommended office plan designation will allow the applicant reasonable use of the site, while minimizing the potential negative impact on adjacent residential uses.”
See http://agenda.knoxmpc.org/agenda.pdf for the full MPC agenda package.
3. Agenda Available for July BZA Meeting
The agenda for the July 16 meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals includes variance requests for ten properties in five of the six City Council districts.
Under old business, the addresses are 1215 Snowdon Drive, 937 N. Broadway, and 5316 Kingston Pike. New items involve 3725 Speedway Circle, 5316 Kingston Pike (again), 317 Ogden Street, 708 Washburn Road, 1992 Pinnacle Pointe Way, 5810 Middlebrook Pike, and 1717 Alcoa Highway.
If any of these locations are in or near your neighborhood, you may wish to look further.
The BZA agenda is posted no later than the Monday prior to the BZA meeting:
Click to access agenda_bza.pdf
Established by city ordinance, BZA hears appeals of denials of building permits by the city’s Building Inspections Department. The board, consisting of five citizens appointed by the Mayor, meets at 4 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month in the Small Assembly Room of the City County Building. See http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/Boards and click on Board of Zoning Appeals.
Keep up with how the BZA might impact your neighborhood. Watch for the black and white signs indicating that there is a pending decision on a particular piece of property. Most signs are for Metropolitan Planning Commission issues — which are also important — but signs with the word “variance” are BZA items.
A neighborhood group that keeps track of BZA will request and study the paperwork on a particular appeal, decide whether to take a position on the appeal, and then attend the BZA meeting to voice the group’s support or objections.
Decisions of the BZA can be appealed within 15 days of the BZA decision to Knoxville City Council. Appeals of a City Council decision are made to Chancery Court within 60 days of a City Council decision related to BZA.
4. Get Moving, Visit Public Art, Take Selfies, Win a Gift Basket
July is National Parks and Recreation Month, and in honor of that, Knoxville’s Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring a contest called “Selfie with a Statue”.
The contest runs through the end of July. The idea is to take a picture of yourself or a group with outdoor public art pieces in Knoxville, and then post the photos to the Parks and Recreation’s Facebook page. The person with the most posts wins a gift basket from Mast General Store.
“We are looking for new ways to get people moving outside, and this contest is a great way for people to have fun while also appreciating our public art,” said Joe Walsh, Director of Knoxville Parks and Recreation.
See https://www.facebook.com/KnoxvilleRecreation for the contest rules.
5. UT Offers Youth $100 for Transit Camp
As reported last week, the University of Tennessee is providing a three-day “transit camp” for high school students (rising freshmen through seniors) — but instead of having to pay $99 to attend, each participant will now receive a $100 gift card to participate.
The event — staged by the Center for Transportation Research within the College of Engineering — will include three full days of information and experience regarding public transit systems. Students will tour the KAT bus facilities in Knoxville, participate in a city-wide scavenger hunt on the transit system, and take a trip to Atlanta, Ga., to ride MARTA.
The event takes place Wednesday through Friday, July 29-31, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., but the last day is longer. Lunch is provided each day, and dinner is also provided on the third day. For more, contact Tammy Enix at 974-4621 or tenix@utk.edu. To register online, see http://ctr.utk.edu/CTRk12/transit_camp.html.
6. CAC Seeks Volunteer Drivers
CAC — the Knoxville/Knox County Community Action Committee — is seeking volunteer drivers in its “Volunteer Assisted Transportation” program, which assists Knox County seniors and people with disabilities who require aid and assistance to travel safely.
Volunteers transport seniors to medical appointments, shopping trips, beauty appointments, and other activities. They also assist with communication challenges, filling out paperwork, helping the rider in and out of the vehicle, etc.
Volunteers drive agency-owned, hybrid sedans or wheelchair accessible mini-vans and receive training to include First Aid & CPR certification. Volunteers are needed for weekdays, evenings and weekends. For more information, please call 865-673-5001 or email nancy.welch@cactrans.org.
7. Correction: Election Dates
An article in last week’s issue incorrectly stated the dates for the upcoming city primary and general elections. As noted correctly in the calendar below, the primary will be held Tuesday, Sept. 29, and the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
8. Neighborhood and Government Calendar
Include your neighborhood-related event or meeting in this space. Call 215-3456.
Visit http://knoxvilletn.gov/calendar for a complete list of meetings of various city boards and commissions.
If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to attend a City of Knoxville public meeting, please contact Stephanie Brewer Cook at scook@knoxvilletn.gov or 215-2034 no less than 72 hours prior to the meeting you wish to attend.
Tuesday, July 7 — 4:30 p.m.
Dandridge Avenue Neighborhood Watch (First Tuesdays)
Beck Cultural Exchange Center, 1927 Dandridge Ave.
Lawrence Washington, 524-4498
Tuesday, July 7 — 6 p.m.
Mechanicsville Community Association (First Tuesdays)
Fairview Recreation Center, 1628 Dora St.
Charles Wright, 637-1802
Tuesday, July 7 — 7 p.m.
City Council (Every Other Tuesday)
http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/citycouncil
Agenda: http://knoxvillecitytn.iqm2.com
Wednesday, July 8 — 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Food Policy Council
(Second Wednesdays but check website for confirmation)
Knox County Health Department, 140 Dameron Avenue
http://www.knoxfood.org; info@knoxfood.org
Wednesday, July 8 — 11:30 a.m.
Community Forum (Second Wednesdays)
Bearden Branch Library, 100 Golf Club Road
Sue Mauer, 690-0269
Thursday, July 9 — 1:30 p.m.
Metropolitan Planning Commission (Second Thursdays)
http://www.knoxmpc.org
Agenda: http://agenda.knoxmpc.org
Thursday, July 9 — 6 p.m.
Lonsdale Homes Resident Association (Second Thursdays)
Community Building, 1956 Goins Dr.
Phyllis Patrick, 323-7224
Thursday, July 9 — 7-8 p.m.
Colonial Village Neighborhood Association
(Second Thursdays except December and January)
South Knoxville Church of God, 5623 Magazine Road
Terry Caruthers, 579-5702, t_caruthers@hotmail.com
Friday, July 10 — 7:45 a.m. and 8 a.m.
North Knoxville Business & Professional Association (Second Fridays)
Breakfast at 7:45 am, Meeting at 8 a.m.
Open to North Knoxville Residents, Neighborhood Groups, Business Owners
Meeting location varies. Check Website for location. http://northknoxvillebpa.org/
Becky Dodson, becky.dodson@hma.com, 545-6750.
Friday, July 10 — 6 p.m.
Beaumont Community Organization (Second Fridays)
Community Room, Solid Waste Transfer Station, 1033 Elm St.
Natasha Murphy, 936-0139
Saturday, July 11 — 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Lonsdale Multicultural Community Market (Second Saturdays)
Pavilion, Lonsdale Park, 1317 Louisiana Avenue
Latino Task Force and Lonsdale United for Change
Emma Cosigua, 201-207-8801, or Rosie Noriega, 865-405-0931
Monday, July 13 — 1:30 p.m.
Montgomery Village Residents Association (Second Mondays)
4600 Joe Lewis Rd. #175
Ronnie Thompson, 604-6492
Monday, July 13 — 3 p.m.
Northgate Resident Association (Second Mondays)
Social Hall, 4301 Whittle Springs Rd.
David Wildsmith, 219-0417
Monday, July 13 — 5-6 p.m.
Cold Springs Neighborhood Watch (Second Mondays)
Michael Meadowview Neighborhood Watch (Second Mondays)
CAC East Neighborhood Center, 4200 Asheville Hwy.
Michael Meadowview: Marian Bailey, 525-5625
Cold Springs: Terrell Patrick, 525-4833
Monday, July 13
Fountain City Town Hall (Second Mondays)
Board Meetings: 6 p.m. Monthly
General Membership Meetings: 7 p.m., April, September, November
Church of the Good Shepherd, 5337 Jacksboro Pike
Daniel Dunn, 387-6390, daniel.dunn06@yahoo.com
Monday, July 13 — 6 p.m.
Lyons View Community Club (Second Mondays)
Lyons View Community Center, 114 Sprankle Ave.
Mary Brewster, 454-2390
Monday, July 13 — 6:00 pm
Vestal Community Organization (Second Mondays)
South Knoxville Community Center, 522 Old Maryville Pike
Katherine Johnson, 566-1198
Monday, July 13 — 6:30 p.m.
Community Potluck
Historic Fourth & Gill Neighborhood Organization (Second Mondays)
Central United Methodist Church, 210 Third Ave.
Liz Upchurch, 898-1809, lizupchurch1@gmail.com
Monday, July 13 — 6:30 p.m.
Historic Old North Knoxville (Second Mondays)
St. James Episcopal Church, Parish Hall, 1101 N. Broadway
Andie Ray, 548-5221
Monday, July 13 — 7 p.m.
Belle Morris Community Action Group (Second Mondays)
City View Baptist Church, 2311 Fine Ave.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Belle_Morris
Rick Wilen, 524-5008