Disposition Summary

Approve the variance to reduce the width of the flag stem of a flag lot from 25 ft to 20 ft, based on the following evidence of hardship.

Approve the final plat to create one additional lot and an exempt tract in the A district because, with the
approval of the variance, the plat meets the standards of the Subdivision Regulations.

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Staff Recommendation

Approve the variance to reduce the width of the flag stem of a flag lot from 25 ft to 20 ft, based on the following evidence of hardship.

Approve the final plat to create one additional lot and an exempt tract in the A district because, with the
approval of the variance, the plat meets the standards of the Subdivision Regulations.

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1. The requested variance is required to provide access to landlocked parcel 109IG002.
2. The landlocked situation is unique to the property, and it primarily arises from Dooley Street being
unpaved, as described in the Comments section of this report. The condition of Dooley Street was not created by anyone who has an interest in the property.
3. Approval of this variance will not be detrimental to public safety, health, or welfare because the flag lot is near the terminus of Baldwin Ave, a local, dead-end street with no through-connectivity and low volumes of traffic.

Approve the final plat to create two lots in the RN-2 district.

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BACKGROUND:
There are four parcels adjacent to Dooley Street, which was recently closed by City Council (Ordinance # O-123-2024). Dooley Street was a 40-ft public right-of-way that provided legal access to the two rear parcels (109IG002 and 109IH017). Because the street was unpaved and never built, it did not provide access to these parcels, and the parcels were essentially landlocked. The closure of Dooley Street will allow 20 ft of the former right-of-way to be transferred to the adjacent parcels. The first 20 ft will transfer to a property owner who is uninvolved in this plat request. The other 20 ft will be merged with parcel 109IG002 to create lot 8R.
The final plat involves a land exchange between adjacent property owners. Parcel 109IH107 will be merged with parcel 109IH016 to create lot 26R. Parcel 109IG002 and 20 ft of the closed street will create lot 8R, which is a flag lot. The flag stem of lot 8R will only have a width of 20 ft, which cannot be increased due to the 50 ft minimum lot width requirement of the RN-2 zoning district that applies to lot 26R. The proposed lot layout with the variance request is the optimal solution to provide access to these landlocked parcels.

VARIANCE REQUEST:
Section 3.03.B.1 of the Subdivision Regulations requires the width of the flag stem (linear strip of land with frontage on access road) to be no less than 25 ft. The minimum width requirement is intended to restrict multiple access points within a close distance, particularly prohibiting a series of flag lots with very narrow flag stems. The requested reduction of 5-ft is not expected to create any unsafe conditions here as this property is near the terminus of Baldwin Avenue, a dead-end local street.

The City of Knoxville Engineering Department supports the variance request.