The plan will serve as a guide for growth, and for making zoning and subdivision decisions for the Northwest City Sector in the next 15 years.

Several small changes have been made to the sector’s Proposed Land Use Map. In some cases, the change was made to reflect existing zoning conditions. In other cases, changes were made based on more accurate information on floodways and slope constraints. Market conditions, planned road improvements, traffic volume and adjacent land use are other reasons for changing land use.

This plan will be incorporated into the General Plan for Knoxville and Knox County, and will be updated approximately every five years. The General Plan is a 30-year comprehensive plan, outlining the long-range vision and development policies of Knoxville and Knox County. It can be found on MPC’s website.

The most significant changes in land use are proposed for the following areas:

1. Expansion of the light industrial area north of Midpark Road.
2. Undeveloped property along I-40 in West Hills, from Low Density Residential (LDR) to Medium Density Residential (MDR).
3. Papermill Drive - expanded office area (previously proposed as MDR) near Coleman Road and Kalmia Road.
4. Created Mixed Use Light Industrial/Commercial area east of Hollywood Drive. The current zoning found along this corridor includes O-1, C-1, C-3, C-6, I-2 and I-3. At the intersection of Papermill and Hollywood, in the western part of the corridor, the intent is to create a more vibrant neighborhood-serving commercial area. There should not be any light industrial type uses within approximately 500 foot of the intersection. Light industrial uses are appropriate for the eastern part of the corridor, near I-640 and Liberty Street.
5. Western Avenue: Expanded MDR along corridor, which is scheduled for improvement to five lanes.
6. Merchant Drive: Expanded office near Norwood Elementary School

Some areas within the sector are proposed as Mixed Use Office/MDR, allowing both office and medium density residential uses. Recommended zones for these areas include: R-1, RP-1, O-1, O-2, and TND-1. Because these sites are often found in areas of transition between differing land uses, compatibility is important and zones requiring use-on-review are recommended to achieve the best possible site planning.