Use-on-Review for Boarding Houses Adopted by Metropolitan Planning Commission

By: Kim Davis (Old North Knoxville webmaster)
September 16, 2002

On Thursday, September 12, the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) reviewed the R-1A ordinance which currently allows the establishment of boarding houses (also called rooming houses) without a use-on-review requirement.  "Boarding houses" are defined as houses with six or more unrelated adults that share the same kitchen.  The MPC adopted an amendment to require use-on-review for new boarding houses. This amendment will be considered next by City Council at a future unspecified date; please watch this web site for an announcement.  

Although use-on-review is not required now for houses to be converted into such dwellings, it is required for a property owner wishing to start up a bed and breakfast and divide a house into apartments with separate kitchens (but only on "collector streets").  Under the proposed amendment, existing boarding houses would be grandfathered in, and not be required to undergo use-on-review.  The Knoxville News-Sentinel reported on this issue in this September 11 story.

This issue was discussed at the January 2002 Old North Knoxville (ONK) meeting.  The neighborhood association decided not to pursue such a requirement as an organization, but encouraged residents to contact MPC and City Council as individuals.  Proponents of a use-on-review for boarding/rooming houses argued that this additional oversight is necessary due to increased parking, street traffic and other city services that are needed for large houses with many tenants.  They pointed out that this is an easy way for property owners to convert big single-family homes to apartment-like dwellings with no oversight, and the use-on-review would help the neighborhood to monitor the appropriateness of such a conversion.  Opponents of this measure said that this proposed amendment would just add another layer of bureaucracy that would probably not succeed in weeding out preservation-insensitive landlords that rent out to noisy, destructive tenants with lots of cars.  Opponents also cited the presence of well-run boarding houses such as the Agape houses on East Scott Avenue.  Others said that the issue was a moot point, for the rising value of many houses in the neighborhood large enough to comfortably accommodate six or more adults would economically preclude their use as low-rent boarding houses, anyway.