Construction crews are prepping a 2.13-acre parcel at the corner of Dutchtown and Bob Kirby roads in Knoxville’s Cedar Bluff neighborhood, where planning documents show the site will soon become home to 20 condo-style townhomes surrounded largely by existing single-family houses. The development sits near Webb School, Christian Academy of Knoxville, and Peer Academy, placing new housing stock in the middle of one of West Knox County’s busiest school corridors.
According to Knoxville News Sentinel, the project at 801 Bob Kirby Road will pack 20 units onto just over two acres. County filings reviewed by Knoxville-Knox County Planning put the density more precisely at 9.39 dwelling units per acre, with the townhomes arranged around shared common open space rather than traditional individual lots. The plans also call for a stormwater detention basin and a tree buffer running along Dutchtown Road, according to the planning documents.
Knox County planning staff recommended approval of the development plan subject to eight conditions, the filings show. Among the most significant: vehicular access to the development must sit on Bob Kirby Road at least 150 feet north of the Dutchtown Road intersection, giving drivers room to queue without backing into cross-traffic. The design also calls for a rear-alley access driveway, one-car garages for each unit, and a turnaround wide enough to accommodate fire trucks, with staff noting that rear-facing garages help maintain aesthetic separation from the main roadways.
A Two-Decade Path From Farmland to Rooftops
The parcel’s zoning history stretches back two decades, according to Knox County Commission records. The land shifted from Agricultural to Neighborhood Commercial in 2009, then to Planned Residential zoning capped at 5 units per acre in 2020. Commissioners voted 13-0 on consent in September 2024 to raise that density cap to 10 units per acre, clearing the way for the current townhome proposal…