‘Thank you, God Bless you’ for variance: Zayets on driveway access nod
“Thank you and God bless you,” Knox County property owner Oleg Zayets, whose property is barely outside of Town but fronts a Farragut street, declared after receiving a variance so he can have his own driveway access off North Campbell Station Road.
After a little more than 30 minutes discussion, Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 4-1 to approve the variance request for the access, which is to be placed directly across Fretz Road.
While Mayor Ron Williams and Aldermen David White, Drew Burnette and Alex Cain voted for the variance, Vice Mayor Scott Meyer voted against, asserting the property had an access.
He added while he has empathy with the applicant, Meyer was concerned having that third access “would mean more congestion. I’m afraid there would be more risk of an accident.”
However, Burnette observed, “I think it’s clear there’s a hardship there.”
Initially, White agreed with Meyer, but after hearing from Zayets, he voted in favor of the access.
Zayets said he bought the property with the hopes of building a duplex for his family and his aging parents. When buying the property, he said the real estate agency did not disclose he would have a shared access with two neighboring properties.
To compound the difficulties, First Utility District, in preparation for an upcoming Knox County lane-width project, moved their utility pole and a guy wire further onto his property, making it a hardship to use the shared access.
Assistant Community Development director Bart Hose explained the lot is within an unincorporated part of Knox County, to the north of the intersection with Fretz Road.
“It was only discovered recently through some research associated with the Town’s incorporation and subsequent annexations that the Town’s boundary extends throughout the width of the entire North Campbell Station Road right -of-way” he said.
“This means that access to the Town’s right-of-way must be approved through the Town,” Hose added. “The access in question is for a duplex that is to be built on a vacant lot across from Fretz Road.
“Since North Campbell Station Road is an arterial street, a new access must be at least 400 feet from the nearest existing access,” Hose said. “The applicant’s proposed access, which is shown on the plan included in the packet, is only 50 feet from the nearest existing access to the east (the neighbor’s).
“Prior to the Town’s involvement with access permits on this section of North Campbell Station Road, accesses were approved through Knox County. A final plat was recorded through Knox County in 2017 that provided for three house lots that were described as the Campbell Park, Unit 2 Subdivision.”
Moreover, “Knox County is planning to add a southbound turn lane along this section of North Campbell Station Road, and that project is set to begin in the next few months,” Hose said. “As a result, utilities have been relocated to account for the turn lane. This relocation included an electric pole and guy wire that has been moved further away from North Campbell Station Road. The applicant has stated that this creates difficulties in tying a cross access to the existing access on Lot 10.”
