KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Knoxville City Council is set to consider a resolution overturning a zoning decision that exempts CareCuts, a nonprofit that helps homeless people, from having to get approval for its services.
For 10 years, CareCuts has given haircuts, meals, showers, and more to homeless people. In April, it served its final meal downtown, and later that month, it opened the new location at 5200 Clinton Highway. In January, the city’s zoning administrator issued a determination that the services the nonprofit planned to offer counted as religious land use, exempting them from requirements for Special Use approval from the Planning Commission.
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In February, a Knoxville man appealed this decision to the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA). During a meeting in March, he argued that the property would fail to comply with rules for pedestrian access, sidewalks or crosswalks. He also argued that the applicant is a non-religious, non-profit organization and wouldn’t qualify for a religious exemption, and that the zoning administrator didn’t have the authority to consider the issue.
A CareCuts representative replied, arguing that the nonprofit did qualify for a religious exemption, citing a Supreme Court decision. He added that even if the exemption was denied, CareCuts is proceeding with getting Special Use permission. The BZA denied the appeal, allowing CareCuts to continue, according to city documents.
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Now, the man has appealed the BZA’s action to the Knoxville City Council, and the council is scheduled to discuss the matter on Tuesday. It was previously set to be discussed during the May 26 meeting, but was postponed for two weeks…