Knox County, TN (WOKI) – Knox County and Knoxville-Knox County Planning have released a second draft of the proposed zoning map associated with the county’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and are encouraging property owners to review the changes and provide feedback.
The updated map follows concerns raised by residents earlier this year regarding agricultural zoning, preservation of property rights and the potential impact of zoning changes on rural landowners. Officials say revisions were made in response to public comments received after the release of the first draft map.
Currently, Knox County uses a single Agricultural (A) zoning district across much of its rural area. The designation covers a wide range of properties, from active farms to residential tracts. County officials say more than 27,000 of the properties currently zoned Agricultural are five acres or smaller, while nearly 10,000 are less than one acre.
Under the proposed UDO, the existing Agricultural zone would be replaced by three separate districts intended to better reflect the character and development patterns of rural Knox County:
- Rural Residential (RR): One-acre minimum lot size, or as determined by the county’s Growth Policy Plan.
- Rural Preservation (RP): 2.5-acre minimum lot size.
- Agricultural Rural (AR): Five-acre minimum lot size.
Planning officials say the new districts are designed to provide greater flexibility and allow zoning to more accurately match existing land uses and community goals.
For the second draft map, all properties currently zoned Agricultural have initially been placed into the Rural Residential district. Officials say that approach was chosen because RR most closely resembles the current Agricultural zoning designation and preserves existing property rights.
Property owners who prefer stronger preservation measures can voluntarily request that their property be designated Rural Preservation or Agricultural Rural. County officials say those choices would establish larger minimum lot sizes and could require future rezoning if an owner later wishes to subdivide property.
Officials emphasize that farming and agricultural activities will continue to be permitted in all three proposed districts. They also note that Tennessee’s Right to Farm Act prevents local governments from prohibiting lawful agricultural operations.
In addition, county leaders say the proposed zoning changes will not affect Greenbelt status or property taxes because those programs are based on land use rather than zoning classification.
Property owners interested in selecting the Rural Preservation or Agricultural Rural designation can submit a request through the Rural/Agricultural District Opt-In Form available on the Advance Knox website. Officials have also removed the previously announced August 31 deadline, allowing additional time for public review and participation.
Planning officials say future revisions to the map will identify properties that have requested the Rural Preservation or Agricultural Rural classifications before the proposal moves forward in the review process.
Residents can review the draft map and submit comments through the Advance Knox UDO website as county leaders continue work on what will become the county’s new comprehensive land-use and zoning framework.
