Knoxville

Three Knox County A-to-RA Rezonings Move Toward Nov. 9: Overton Lane and Morris Road Backed, Fox Road Flagged for Flooding

Three small Knox County rezoning requests from A (Agricultural) to RA (Low Density Residential) were heard Oct. 1. Staff backed 167 Overton Lane near Powell and 7851 Morris Road near Halls, and urged denial at 721 Fox Road, where floodplain and a TVA flowage easement limit what can be built.

Tracy King

09 Oct 2026 • 7 min read

Knox County cases 10-C-26-RZ (Overton Lane), 10-F-26-RZ (Morris Road) and 10-J-26-RZ (Fox Road) were heard by Knoxville-Knox County Planning on Oct. 1, 2026. Illustrative photo.

Three small Knox County properties asked for the same thing on the Oct. 1, 2026 Planning Commission agenda: a move from A (Agricultural) to RA (Low Density Residential). Planning staff did not treat them the same. Staff recommended approval for 167 Overton Lane near Powell and for 7851 Morris Road near Halls. For 721 Fox Road in West Knox County, staff recommended denial because more than half of the one-acre lot sits under water at the normal pool level and the rest is limited by floodplain and a TVA flowage easement.

All three case pages list the cases as heard by the Planning Commission on Oct. 1 and show a first legislative reading before Knox County Commission on Nov. 9, 2026. Each staff report spells out the rule: if Planning approves, the case goes to County Commission on Nov. 9; if Planning denies, that action is final unless someone appeals to County Commission within 30 days.

For homeowners, these are not subdivision headlines. Each request could add one to three homes at most. They matter because they show, in plain terms, what RA zoning allows in the suburbs north and west of Knoxville, and what staff looks at when it says no.

The three cases side by side

Case	Address	Size	Commission district	Utility	Staff recommendation
10-C-26-RZ	167 Overton Ln (171 Overton Ln)	2.78 acres	7	Hallsdale-Powell Utility District	Approve RA
10-F-26-RZ	7851 Morris Rd	1.16 acres	7	Hallsdale-Powell Utility District	Approve RA
10-J-26-RZ	721 Fox Rd	1 acre	5	First Knox Utility District	Deny RA

167 Overton Lane: a creek lot near Powell

Case 10-C-26-RZ, filed by owner Garrett Shea, covers 2.78 acres at the northeastern end of Overton Lane, west of I-75. The report lists the address as 167 Overton Ln with 171 Overton Ln in parentheses. The property is a single-family home today, zoned A (Agricultural) with an F (Floodway) strip. The request keeps the Floodway and swaps A for RA.

Beaver Creek runs along the north side of the property. Staff notes that Beaver Creek and the Floodway zone run across the rear of the lot and that no structures are allowed in the Floodway zone. The Collier Nature Preserve and Powell Public Library are 0.66 miles to the west, and commercial and office uses sit along E Emory Road.

Staff gave two reasons the neighborhood has changed. First, there have been several A-to-RA rezonings along Overton Lane and Verton Drive since 2020. Second, about a mile north, TDOT is converting the I-75 interchange at Emory Road into a diverging diamond to move heavy traffic.

Under the Knox County Comprehensive Plan, the site is in the SR (Suburban Residential) place type with an SP (Stream Protection) area. Staff says the current A zoning cannot be considered under SR, so RA would bring the zoning into line with the plan. In the county, RA allows single-family houses with sewer on 10,000-square-foot lots, and duplexes and garage apartments on 12,000-square-foot lots with use-on-review approval by the Planning Commission.

The report lists Brickey-McCloud Elementary, Powell Middle and Powell High as the schools serving the property.

7851 Morris Road: a septic lot off a private drive near Halls

Case 10-F-26-RZ covers 1.16 acres at 7851 Morris Road, on the south side of Johnson Vista Way, west of Morris Road. The applicant is Christy Gedelman and the owner is Brenda Jenes. It is a single-family home on A zoning, in the Planned Growth Area.

Access matters here. The property is reached by an access easement that overlaps Johnson Vista Way, which staff calls a narrow private road. Morris Road itself is a minor collector with 16 to 20 feet of pavement. Staff says any future subdivision would have to meet county subdivision and engineering standards.

Staff describes this stretch of Morris Road as largely stable since the late 1980s, with houses built one at a time. Small subdivisions went in during the 1990s and 2000s near the Morris Road and E Emory Road intersection, 0.9 miles south, where there were two A-to-RA rezonings. E Emory Road was widened to four lanes with a center turn lane in 2009.

The key number for a buyer or neighbor: because the property is on septic, staff says up to two single-family houses or two duplexes could be built if it were rezoned to RA. Schools listed are Brickey-McCloud Elementary, Halls Middle and Halls High.

721 Fox Road: why staff said no

Case 10-J-26-RZ covers one acre at 721 Fox Road, on the east side of Fox Road north of Emory Church Road, in County Commission District 5. The applicant is Nicanor Gonzales III; the owners are listed as Nicanor Gonzales III and Shady Hollow Holdings. Staff recommended denial “due to environmental constraints with the site.”

The report lays out the problem in detail:

Water on the lot. A tributary of Sinking Creek West forms a smaller tributary on the west side of the property. At the 813-foot normal pool elevation, 0.653 of the one acre is under water, and an even larger share is in the FEMA 100-year floodplain.
TVA flowage easement. No permanent structures may be built below the 820-foot flowage easement contour without TVA approval.
Power line. An overhead utility line along the eastern property line further limits building room.
Crashes. In the past five years there were 16 reported crashes at Fox Road and Emory Church Road, four with injuries, 50 feet from the property.

RA would allow the lot to be split into two parcels by right with a sewer connection. Staff says creating more lots would conflict with the site’s limits. A single house is already allowed: the Knox County Board of Zoning Appeals reduced the lot intensity to 0.59 acres per dwelling on March 28, 2007.

Staff also points to growth nearby, including the Fox Garden Subdivision 0.19 miles north and the Fox Road Subdivision 0.6 miles north. Concord Park is 0.23 miles south. Schools listed are A. L. Lotts Elementary, West Valley Middle and Farragut High.

What this means if you own nearby

If you live on Overton Lane, Verton Drive, Morris Road or Fox Road, the practical takeaway is small. RA on lots this size means a few homes, not a subdivision. The Fox Road report shows a reason staff will push back: land under a normal pool or below a TVA contour is not buildable, no matter what the zoning map says.

If you are selling a lot or a house on acreage in Powell, Halls or West Knox, three questions come up quickly:

Is the land on sewer or septic? On Morris Road, septic is what holds the count at two houses or two duplexes.
Is any part of it in a floodway, floodplain or TVA flowage easement? Buyers will discount land they cannot build on.
How does it reach a public road? A shared private drive like Johnson Vista Way can limit future lots.

Answer those with a recorded survey, not a guess, before you set a price.

Key dates

Aug. 4, 2026 — 10-C-26-RZ (Overton Lane) filed.
Aug. 17, 2026 — 10-F-26-RZ (Morris Road) and 10-J-26-RZ (Fox Road) filed.
Oct. 1, 2026 — All three heard by the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission.
Nov. 9, 2026 — First legislative reading at Knox County Commission listed on each case page.

Thinking about selling a home or acreage in Powell, Halls or West Knox County? Start with a free home valuation, or ask for a cash offer if you want a firm number and your own closing date.

What is Knox County case 10-C-26-RZ on Overton Lane?

It is a request by owner Garrett Shea to rezone 2.78 acres at 167 Overton Lane (171 Overton Lane) from A (Agricultural) and F (Floodway) to RA (Low Density Residential) and F (Floodway). Staff recommended approval because RA is consistent with the Knox County Comprehensive Plan and the surrounding area.

How many homes could RA allow at 7851 Morris Road?

Staff says that because the 1.16-acre property is on septic, up to two single-family houses or two duplexes could be built if it were rezoned to RA. Access is by an easement over Johnson Vista Way, a narrow private road.

Staff cited environmental constraints. At the 813-foot normal pool elevation, 0.653 of the one-acre lot is under water, more is in the FEMA 100-year floodplain, and no permanent structures may be built below the 820-foot TVA flowage easement contour without TVA approval.

What does RA zoning allow in Knox County?

The Overton Lane report says RA allows single-family houses with sewer on 10,000-square-foot lots, and duplexes and garage apartments on 12,000-square-foot lots with use-on-review approval by the Planning Commission.

When would Knox County Commission vote on these cases?

Each case page lists a first legislative reading on Nov. 9, 2026. The staff reports say approved cases go to County Commission on Nov. 9, and a Planning Commission denial is final unless appealed to County Commission within 30 days.