Knox Planning Staff Backs Nash Road Industrial-to-RN-2 Rezone (10-E-26-RZ)

Update (Oct. 5, 2026): 10-E-26-RZ was heard by the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission on Oct. 1 as item 28 on the consent approval list, where staff-recommended items are taken up under one motion. Planning’s case page now lists Knoxville City Council readings on Nov. 10 and Nov. 24, 2026. The recorded vote will appear in the approved Planning minutes; the zoning is not final until Council acts.

A homeowner on Nash Road in East Knoxville tried to put up a shed and could not get a permit. That small denial is now Knoxville-Knox County Planning case 10-E-26-RZ. David and Dena Morgan asked Planning to rezone 337, 339, 341 and 355 Nash Road, about 2.88 acres north of Nash Road and south of I-40, from I-G (General Industrial) with the HP (Hillside Protection) overlay to RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood), keeping the HP overlay. Staff recommended approval for the Oct. 1, 2026, Planning Commission agenda.

The houses are not new. According to the staff report, the parcels were developed with single-family dwellings in the early 1950s. The zoning map simply never matched what was on the ground.

Why homes sat in an industrial zone

The report explains the problem directly. Single-family dwellings are not permitted in the I-G district, and they were not permitted in the older I-3 General Industrial district that came before the current zoning ordinance. That makes the existing houses nonconforming uses.

Nonconforming status sounds like paperwork, but it touches everyday ownership. Staff writes that the request started after one of the property owners could not obtain a permit to place a shed because of the current zoning and the nonconforming status of the residential use. Staff says RN-2 would allow accessory structures to be built, help preserve the residential character of the neighborhood, and protect against continued industrial encroachment.

For a seller, nonconforming zoning can show up at the worst moment. A buyer’s lender, appraiser, or insurance agent may ask whether a house could be rebuilt after a loss, or whether a garage or addition can be permitted. On Nash Road, the honest answer under I-G has been complicated. RN-2 would line the zoning up with the houses.

What staff found

The staff recommendation reads: approve RN-2 because it is consistent with the sector plan and surrounding development, with the HP overlay retained. The report adds several supporting findings:

• The current I-G designation is inconsistent with the long-established residential use of the property and the surrounding area.
• Nash Road consists of single-family dwellings on small and medium sized lots.
• The downzoning is consistent with the General Plan’s Development Policy 8.4, which encourages protecting residential neighborhoods from encroaching commercial development and other incompatible uses.
• RN-2 is consistent with the One Year Plan and the East City Sector Plan’s LDR (Low Density Residential) classification.

Staff also notes that industrial development has taken place to the north in recent years, while Nash Road itself has stayed residential. That contrast is the whole case.

10-E-26-RZ at a glance

What this means for East Knoxville sellers

This file is a downzoning. It does not add lots, units, or traffic. Staff says no adverse impacts are anticipated because RN-2 uses are less intensive than what I-G allows, and the report lists the traffic impact estimate as not required.

The value question is about clarity, not density. A house that is legally conforming is easier to finance, insure, improve, and explain. If you own one of a handful of homes caught in industrial or commercial zoning elsewhere in the county, this case is a template: show the residential history, show the plan designation, and ask the zoning map to catch up.

Location context helps buyers, too. The report places Chilhowee Park, Zoo Knoxville, and Muse Knoxville about 0.7 miles to the southwest, with retail along Rutledge Pike and Asheville Highway and industrial uses off Spring Hill Road to the north and east.

Planning has handled similar small residential rezonings recently. Knox Planning Approves Sylvan St RN-2; Council Set for Oct. 13 and Knox Planning Approves Sullivan Rd AG-to-RN-1 (9-E-26-RZ) followed the same Planning-then-Council path. Larger Oct. 1 files, like Fort Sumter PR Rezone Heard Oct. 1 After Knox Staff Urged Denial (8-H-26-RZ), are about new density instead.

A seller’s checklist for nonconforming homes

Nash Road is one street, but the situation is common in older parts of Knox County where industrial or commercial zoning was drawn over existing houses. If you are not sure how your lot is zoned, check before you list rather than after a buyer’s lender asks.

• Pull the zoning. Look up your parcel on KGIS and compare the zoning district to what is actually built. A house sitting in an industrial or commercial district is the first red flag.
• Ask about permits early. If you have been told no on a shed, carport, fence, or addition, write down when and why. That history matters to a buyer and, as this case shows, it can be the start of a rezoning.
• Talk to your lender and insurer contacts. Buyers often learn about nonconforming status through financing or insurance questions. Getting ahead of it keeps a contract from stalling.
• Price with the facts you have. Until a rezoning is final, market the house under the zoning it has today. Do not describe Nash Road-style homes as “rezoned” before City Council acts.
• Watch the calendar. A Planning recommendation is not the last word in the City of Knoxville. Council votes are where the zoning map changes.

The good news for owners on Nash Road is that the file moves in the direction most buyers want: toward residential zoning that matches the houses. That makes the next sale easier to explain, whether the house goes to a first-time buyer, an investor, or a family member.

The HP Hillside Protection overlay stays on the property under the request, so any future work on steeper parts of the lots would still be reviewed with that overlay in place.

Knoxville dates to watch

• Oct. 1, 2026, 1:30 p.m. — Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission, Main Assembly Room, City County Building (10-E-26-RZ was heard as item 28 on the consent list).
• Nov. 10, 2026 — Knoxville City Council, first action if Planning approves.
• Nov. 24, 2026 — Knoxville City Council, second action if Planning approves.
• Appeals — If Planning denies, that action is final unless appealed to City Council; appellants have 15 days.

Own a home with a zoning question hanging over it? Get a free home valuation that accounts for it, or request a cash offer if you would rather not wait on the calendar.

What is Knox case 10-E-26-RZ?

It is a request by David and Dena Morgan to rezone 337, 339, 341 and 355 Nash Road, about 2.88 acres, from I-G General Industrial to RN-2 Single-Family Residential Neighborhood, keeping the HP Hillside Protection overlay.

Why are houses on Nash Road zoned industrial?

The homes were built in the early 1950s, but single-family dwellings are not permitted in I-G or the older I-3 district, so the houses became nonconforming uses.

What started the request?

Staff says one of the owners could not get a permit to place a shed because of the I-G zoning and the nonconforming status of the home.

What did Planning staff recommend?

Staff recommended approval of RN-2 because it is consistent with the sector plan and surrounding development, with the HP overlay retained.

When would Knoxville City Council act?

If the Planning Commission approves, the report says the item goes to Knoxville City Council for action on Nov. 10 and Nov. 24, 2026.

Source links

• Knoxville-Knox County Planning — Rezoning Report 10-E-26-RZ (337, 339, 341, 355 Nash Road)
• Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission — Preliminary Agenda, Oct. 1, 2026

More from Kings of Real Estate

Related local news:

• Knox Planning Approves Sylvan St RN-2; Council Set for Oct. 13
• Knox Planning Approves Sullivan Rd AG-to-RN-1 (9-E-26-RZ)
• Fort Sumter PR Rezone Heard Oct. 1 After Knox Staff Urged Denial (8-H-26-RZ)
• Knox Planning Posts Gallaher View PR at 1 du/ac (10-G-26-RZ)

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