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FACT SHEET: Ebenezer Road Rezoning
- Laura Braden
- Jun 12
- 2 min read
Knox County Commission will vote on June 16, 2025, to rezone 1439, 1445, and 1447 Ebenezer Road from Agricultural (A) to Planned Residential (PR) allowing up to 10 units per acre, despite overwhelming community opposition.
Staff and elected officials have largely disregarded constituent concerns, including:
Density Incompatibility
Current corridor character: 97% of the Ebenezer Road corridor is already developed
Existing density: Over 90% built at 3 units/acre or less with single-family detached homes
Proposed density: 10 units/acre is more than 3x the surrounding neighborhood character
Opens door to multifamily: PR zoning permits apartment complexes wholly incompatible with this neighborhood
Infrastructure Strain
School overcrowding: Blue Grass Elementary already at capacity with students in overcrowded classrooms and temporary trailers while teachers have lost their eating and break spaces to afford more room for classrooms
Traffic concerns: Ebenezer Road already experiences safety issues and congestion
Inadequate notice: Residents received only 2 days' notice about this major zoning change
Planning Process Failures
Ignores Advance Knox: Residents prioritized preserving community character during the county's growth planning process
Staff disregard: Planning staff completely ignored existing built environment when recommending approval
Precedent concern: Approval signals that community character and residents' concerns, ideas, and solutions don't matter in zoning decisions
In the most ideal world, 1439, 1445, and 1447 would be transformed into a public park, complete with nature trails, playgrounds, concessions, community garden, and/or sports field. In lieu of Knox County's failure to recognize the long-term benefits of such a project, we urge them to:
Reduce density to 5 units/acre maximum - a reasonable compromise that 1) respects existing neighborhood character, 2) allows appropriate development, and 3) maintains single-family residential nature.
Restrict to single-family only - prevent multifamily development that would fundamentally alter the corridor's character and further strain our schools, roads, infrastructure, and quality of life.
Our bottom line? Knox County Commission should make planning decisions based on community realities, residents' input, and infrastructure capacity rather than maximizing developer profits. Five units/acre with single-family restrictions preserves our community while allowing reasonable growth.
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