Pinehurst church rezoning for homes on city agenda
By Mike Steely
Senior Writer
steelym@knoxfocus.com
When the Knoxville City Council meets Tuesday it will take up a first reading of a zoning proposal involving the almost four acres and former First Friends Quaker Church at 4325 Pinehurst Drive. The zoning change request, from Knoxville Habitat for Humanity, was postponed from last month with the idea of getting the applicant and neighborhood together.
The former church and parking lot could become a 12-unit housing development for 24 total residences. Habitat said a local minister is interested in acquiring the abandoned church. Some nearby homeowners have questioned the increase in traffic on the narrow city street.
On the agenda for second and final readings are rezoning 100 East Inskip Drive from neighborhood commercial to general commercial, and changing 7057 Pine Grove Road from C-H-1 highway commercial to C-H-2 highway commercial. A similar zoning change is before the council for 901 Kermit Drive. The commission will also consider changing 6521 Vance Road from single-family residential to RN-2, single-family residential neighborhood.
A portion of Patton Street, between Willow and East Summit Hill Drive, may be renamed Willow Avenue.
Vice Mayor Tommy Smith wants to create a task force to study the Rules of Procedure and to consider the creation of a charter review process by naming the members of that group.
Rogers Group Inc. may get a $130,760 increase in its agreement with the city, bringing the Resurfacing Phase II Project to $3.7 million. Southern Contractors may also get an increase, of $47,823, bringing the total for the Augusta Quarry Amenities Phase II Project to $3.6 million.
Cornerstone Government Affairs Inc. may get a contract agreement with the city, at $180,000 for the year, to provide lobbying relations with the state government.
Volunteer Landing could get additional funding in a request for federal funding of $500,000 and the Lonsdale Neighborhood Revitalization Project may get approval for a similar request to the federal government.
The council may also vote to give $75,000 in Historic Preservation Program funds to SRJ Investments LLC for improvements to the historic property at 310 13th Street. The police department’s Records Management System could get $27,582,300 in an agreement with Avon Enterprises Inc.
Several appointments and reappointments are on the agenda: Megan Brown to the Animal Control Board, Jay Price to the Solid Waste Board, Cynthia Manning-Dirl to the Civil Service Merit Board, Kevin Parks to the Tree Board and Dusty Brock to the City Audit Committee.
