Board approves reduced parking requirement, halves bike-parking variance for Oklahoma Avenue reception facility

Amy Cheryl, chair of the Knoxville Board of Zoning Appeals, presided as the board approved modifications to parking requirements for a reception facility expanding on Oklahoma Avenue.

Staff said the proposal requires a recalculation of required parking because the reception facility plans to occupy an adjacent vacant tenant space, increasing gross floor area and triggering a change in off-street and bicycle-parking requirements. The staff memo said the property had been rezoned from C2 to CG2 during a city recode, which created the current parking obligations.

Applicant Daniel Shu, who gave his address as 111 East Anderson Avenue, told the board the businesses have operated for five years ‘‘and we don't have the need for [additional parking]. There's plenty of on-street parking around there and quite honestly, a lot of people arrive to these events in Uber these days and never on bicycle.'' He said expanding into the vacant space is what triggered the recalculation.

Board members probed alternatives. Members asked whether the applicant had pursued shared-parking agreements nearby, whether bicycle racks could be sited on the lot without sacrificing vehicle spots, and whether city-provided bike parking on the same block (about 100 feet away) would meet the code intent. Engineering staff said two public racks exist on the block in front of a nearby cinema and that an area adjacent to grease interceptors might be technically acceptable for private racks, but cautioned that placement can affect other vehicle spaces and customer access.

A board member moved to approve the vehicle-parking variance and to reduce the bicycle-parking variance from eight racks to four; the motion carried. The board's approval allows the facility to proceed with 58 off-street vehicle spaces and a total equivalent of four bicycle spaces (two racks), subject to standard plan review and permitting.

The board noted that any final installation will still be reviewed through the city plans process, including engineering checks of circulation and sidewalk impacts. The applicant was advised that the approval addressed the zoning variance only and that building and sign permits remain separate requirements.

The meeting record shows this item began during the new-business portion of the agenda and concluded after board discussion and the vote. The applicant acknowledged the board's decision and the opportunity to comply with any plan-review requirements.

The board moved on to other agenda items after the vote.