The preliminary plan for the Belltown Planned Development in Karnes (4515 W Emory Rd) will be presented at County Commission this Monday, Jan 23, 7PM, where Commission may approve, approve with conditions, or deny it.
If Commission approves (or adds conditions) to the Preliminary Plan, then that probably is the last opportunity for public input. The next step is for a Final Plan, and if the Final Plan substantially complies with the approved Preliminary Plan, then it won’t need to go back to Planning Commission. There will be a Concept Plan application to subdivide the lots – that application is for compliance with the Subdivision Regulations and is primarily an engineering review.
Where we are in Process
The Belltown Planned Development goes through a two-step approval process for the Preliminary Plan. The Belltown preliminary was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission at their Dec 8th meeting. The case file available prior to the meeting had recommended postponement to January, but at the meeting the applicant requested that it be heard, and Planning Commission voted to recommend for approval with 11 conditions.
The final step is for the preliminary plan to be presented at County Commission this Monday, Jan 23, 7PM, where Commission may approve, approve with conditions, or deny it.
If Commission approves (or adds conditions) to the Preliminary Plan, then according to the process approval flow, that probably is the last opportunity for public input. The next step is for a Final Plan, and if the Final Plan substantially complies with the approved Preliminary Plan, then it won’t need to go back to Planning Commission. There will be a Concept Plan application to subdivide the lots – that application is for compliance with the Subdivision Regulations and is primarily an engineering review.
How to Engage
- Contact the Applicant (Smithbilt) through their website or at 865-694-8582 to ask questions about the proposal or offer suggestions or opinions
- Contact Planning Staff with questions about the proposal and the process. Go to the Contact webpage and click “Contact Staff” or email [email protected]
- Contact County Commission with opinions, suggestions, and information.
- You can submit comments (list “Belltown PD” as the agenda item”),
- eMail [email protected] to reach all commissioners, or
- Contact them individually by email or phone calls.
- Sign Up to Speak at the Jan 23rd 7PM Zoning meeting. (list “Belltown PD” as the Agenda Item/Topic)
- Attend the 7PM Mon Jan 23rd County Commission Zoning Meeting. It will be held at the Main Assembly Room of the City-County Building, 400 West Main Street. There is some parking available on Main Street. There is also parking at the Main Ave Garage (550 W Main S, entrances on Walnut St and W Hill Ave) or Dwight Kessel Garage (900 State St, Knoxville TN 37902). Parking is free after 6PM. The agenda will be posted later this week, usually by Thursday.
Information Available
Belltown Project Website hosted by Smithbilt with:
- There is a summary page
- The applicant has posted answers to questions submitted
- A number of opinions were submitted
Planning Case Webpage – contains links to all of the information available, including:
- Preliminary Plan – the narrative, illustrations, conditions, etc. This is what’s up for approval.
- Case Summary – action taken by Planning Condition, with the 11 conditions added at the Planning Commission meeting
- Preliminary Concept Plan – deals with lot subdivision and grading
- Transportation Analysis – the engineer’s report and recommendations regarding road
- Video of the discussion at Planning Commission
- Public comments submitted to Planning Commission