When would Knoxville City Council take up 10-D-26-RZ?

The staff report says that if Planning approves, the case goes to Knoxville City Council on Nov. 10 and Nov. 24, 2026. If Planning denies, its action is final unless appealed to City Council within 15 days.

Knoxville

Knox Planning Denies Nickle Road Hillside Request 10–3 and Woods-Smith Road Sinkhole Rezoning

On Oct. 1 the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission denied two Northwest Knoxville requests: extra hillside clearing on Nickle Road for an 18-lot plan (10–3, against staff’s recommendation) and an RN-2 rezoning on Woods-Smith Road over sinkhole risk.

Tracy King

08 Oct 2026 • 7 min read

Cases 10-A-26-HPA on Nickle Road and 10-D-26-RZ on Woods-Smith Road were heard by Knoxville-Knox County Planning on Oct. 1, 2026. Illustrative photo.

Update (Oct. 8, 2026): The Planning Commission denied both requests on Oct. 1, according to Citizen Portal’s summaries of the meeting recording (Nickle Road, Woods-Smith Road). On Nickle Road, commissioners voted 10–3 to deny the hillside disturbance increase, going against staff’s recommended approval after neighbors described past clearing, flooding and erosion. On Woods-Smith Road, the commission denied the RN-2 rezoning after an adjacent neighbor described flooding, backfill and possible sinkhole activity; the summary does not give that vote count. Planning’s case pages had not posted the recorded actions as of Oct. 8. Because both properties are inside the city, either denial can be appealed to Knoxville City Council.

Two Northwest Knoxville cases on the Oct. 1, 2026 Planning Commission agenda came down to what lies under the grass. On Nickle Road, a developer asked to clear more of a hillside than the city’s slope rules normally allow so it could build an 18-lot subdivision. Planning staff recommended approval, with three conditions to protect trees and forest. The commission voted 10–3 to deny it. In the same council district, on Woods-Smith Road, an owner asked for a small-lot zoning district. Staff recommended denial because of the risk of sinkholes, and the commission denied it.

Both properties sit in Knoxville City Council District 3. Both case pages show they were heard by the Planning Commission on Oct. 1, and the commission denied both.

Nickle Road: going past a 6.45-acre hillside budget

Case 10-A-26-HPA covers 9.07 acres at 0 Nickle Road, on the south side of the road east of Flint Road. The applicant is BLD Properties, LLC. The land is listed as agriculture, forestry or vacant land, zoned RN-2 with the Hillside Protection (HP) overlay.

Under Knoxville’s hillside rules, every HP property gets a “disturbance budget” based on how steep its slopes are. Flat ground can be fully disturbed. Steeper ground can be disturbed only in part. Staff’s slope analysis gives this parcel a budget of 6.45 acres.

Slope category	Acres	Allowed disturbance	Budget (acres)
0–15%	4.20	100%	4.20
15–25%	4.30	50%	2.15
25–40%	0.51	20%	0.10
Over 40%	0.02	10%	0.00
Total site	9.07		6.45

Two disturbance figures for the same request

The Oct. 1 preliminary agenda describes the request as exceeding the 6.45-acre budget “with 7.35 acres of total disturbance.” The staff memo and the case page use a larger number, 7.7 acres. The memo explains the gap: the applicant calculated 7.35 acres, and staff revised that figure to include all earlier disturbance inside a utility easement on the land. Staff describes the request as going over the permissible disturbance by 1.25 acres.

Why staff backed it

A large overhead utility easement runs through the parcel. Staff says the unbuildable easement takes up about 2.4 acres, or 30% of the 6.45-acre budget. Given that hardship, staff ran a second slope analysis with the easement left out. That version gives a budget of 5.12 acres outside the easement, and the applicant’s clearing and grading outside the easement falls just within it.

The concept plan for an 18-lot single-unit subdivision on the north side of the easement was postponed so this request could be reviewed first. Staff recommended approving the Level II Certificate of Appropriateness with three conditions:

A tree survey showing the location and diameter of trees to be kept outside the approved disturbance area.
Fencing at the limits of disturbance to protect the root zones of saved trees, with inspection by the City Landscape Reviewer before and during construction.
The 1.1 acres of undisturbed land south of the utility easement stays protected forest and is not further subdivided or developed.

The memo notes that Knoxville adopted its Hillside and Ridgetop Protection Plan in 2011, and that the plan treats forested ridges as a main contributor to long-term property values, clean air and water, and wildlife. The rules are written into the zoning code in Articles 8.9 and 16.8. Because the case is inside the city, appeals go to Knoxville City Council.

Woods-Smith Road: staff urges denial over sinkhole risk

Case 10-D-26-RZ asks to rezone 2631 Woods-Smith Road, on the northwest side of the road southwest of Western Avenue, from AG (General Agricultural) to RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood). The HP overlay would stay. The lot holds a single-family house.

The staff report gives the size two ways. The header lists 19,713 square feet. A later paragraph calls it a 19,718-square-foot property. Under RN-2, staff says the rezoning could allow up to three single-family lots, or one house and a duplex. RN-2 requires 5,000 square feet for a house and 10,000 for a duplex. The lot is already nonconforming under AG, which calls for 5 acres.

Staff agreed the area fits RN-2 and the land use plan. It noted more homes along this stretch of Woods-Smith Road over the past ten years, including the Ridgedale Townhomes a quarter-mile west. The ground was the problem:

A closed contour on the site points to a possible sinkhole. A 2018 geotechnical study allowed the current house to be built in 2020. It found no active sinkhole at its only boring but concluded there was a risk of future sinkhole activity.
City Engineering has received multiple drainage complaints in the area, and one stormwater inspection noted a sinkhole forming nearby. Staff says the rezoning could make those stormwater concerns worse.

Staff recommended denying RN-2 due to environmental constraints. It cited a General Plan policy that encourages building where there are the fewest environmental constraints.

Field	10-A-26-HPA (Nickle Rd)	10-D-26-RZ (Woods-Smith Rd)
Size	9.07 acres	19,713 sq ft (header) / 19,718 sq ft (analysis)
Request	Exceed 6.45-acre HP disturbance budget	AG/HP to RN-2/HP
Disturbance or density	7.35 acres (preliminary agenda) / 7.7 acres (staff)	Up to 3 lots, or a house plus a duplex
Staff recommendation	Approve with 3 conditions	Deny due to environmental constraints
Filed	Aug. 28, 2026	Aug. 14, 2026
Heard	Oct. 1, 2026	Oct. 1, 2026
Planning Commission action (Oct. 1)	Denied, 10–3	Denied
Next step	Appeal to City Council	Denial final unless appealed to City Council within 15 days

What it means for Northwest Knoxville homeowners

These two cases show how much the land itself can decide what a property is worth to the next buyer. On a slope, the HP budget limits how much ground can be cleared, which limits lots, driveways and yards. On ground with sinkhole risk, a geotechnical report can decide whether a lot can be split at all.

If you own in this part of the city, keep any soils or geotechnical reports, surveys and tree plans with your closing papers. A buyer’s lender, inspector or builder may ask for them, and having them ready can keep a deal on schedule. If a nearby case changes the zoning around you, that can affect what buyers will pay for land next door. Other cases in the area, like Knox Planning Approves Sullivan Rd AG-to-RN-1 (9-E-26-RZ), show how often Northwest Knoxville land is coming up for review.

Curious what your home would sell for with today’s zoning and today’s buyers? Start with a free home valuation, or request a cash offer if a sinkhole history or slope makes a regular sale hard to plan.

Knoxville dates to watch

Aug. 14, 2026 — 10-D-26-RZ filed.
Aug. 28, 2026 — 10-A-26-HPA filed.
Oct. 1, 2026 — Both cases heard and denied by the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission (items 25 and 27); the Nickle Road vote was 10–3.
Nov. 10 and Nov. 24, 2026 — Council reading dates still listed on the 10-D-26-RZ case page. The staff report says those readings apply if Planning approves; after a denial, the case reaches Council only if it is appealed within 15 days.

What is Knox case 10-A-26-HPA on Nickle Road?

It is a Level II Hillside Protection request by BLD Properties, LLC to exceed the 6.45-acre disturbance budget on 9.07 acres at 0 Nickle Road for an 18-lot subdivision. The preliminary agenda lists 7.35 acres of disturbance; the staff memo lists 7.7 acres after counting prior easement disturbance.

What conditions did staff set for the Nickle Road hillside request?

Staff recommended approval with a tree survey, protective fencing around the root zones of saved trees with inspection by the City Landscape Reviewer, and keeping 1.1 acres south of the utility easement as protected forest.

Staff cited environmental constraints. A 2018 geotechnical study found a risk of future sinkhole activity, City Engineering has received drainage complaints nearby, and one stormwater inspection noted a sinkhole forming nearby.

How many lots could RN-2 allow on the Woods-Smith Road property?

Staff says RN-2 could allow up to three single-family lots, or one house and a duplex, on the roughly 19,700-square-foot property. RN-2 requires 5,000 square feet for a house and 10,000 for a duplex.

Will 10-D-26-RZ go to Knoxville City Council?

Only on appeal. The Planning Commission denied the rezoning on Oct. 1, and the staff report says a Planning denial is final unless appealed to City Council within 15 days. The Nov. 10 and Nov. 24 Council dates on the case page applied only if Planning approved.

How did the Planning Commission vote on the Nickle Road hillside request?

It voted 10–3 on Oct. 1 to deny the request, going against staff’s recommended approval with three conditions, according to Citizen Portal’s summary of the meeting recording.