Knoxville City Council voted on a number of measures Tuesday night, including one concerning a Cherokee Trail rezoning request, a noise ordinance, and money to pay for maintenance for the Sunsphere.
Cherokee Trail Rezoning Denied
City council knocked down a rezoning request Tuesday night that could have led to a new apartment complex in South Knoxville.
The request failed to pass on its first reading after the council voting 7-2 against the rezoning.
The request would have rezoned the property around Edington Road and Cherokee Trail from a 'low density residential district' to a 'planned residential district,' making way for up to 5.9 units to be built per acre.
People in the area were worried their neighborhood couldn't handle any more new development, and the area is already home to several apartment complexes.
Council Clarifies Sound Restrictions
City leaders passed an ordinance that limits the sound level of noise on public property.
Originally, the postponed ordinance would have banned the use of sound amplification on public property and rights of way. The council changed the wording, however, to state how loud sound can be instead of how it's produced.
"Really the concern is the decibel level, rather than how its produced, so we had an existing level that had decibel levels referenced," Deputy to the Mayor Bill Lyons said. "We kept those the same, clarified what those limits were, and now its the level of sound that's produced rather than whether its produced from an amplified source or non-amplified source."
Police officers would have tools that measure decibel levels to enforce the new restrictions.
Sunsphere Gets Money for Maintanence
City leaders area also footing $2.5 million to pay for maintenance on the Sunsphere as well as the World's Fair Park amphitheater.
Leaders said the main priority will be fixing the elevator inside the Sunsphere.