Design Review Board

Oakwood/Lincoln Park Infill Housing Overlay District

10-A-24-IH  

Staff Recommendation

Staff recommends approval of Certificate 10-A-24-IH, subject to the following conditions: 1) final site plan to meet City Engineering standards; 2) foundation height to be elevated to be compatible with neighborhood context; 3) front porch design to be revised to feature a separate roofline, with approval by staff; 4) siding to be revised to horizontal lap siding; 5) final site plan to include trees in front and rear yards; 6) final site plan after recording of any new subdivision plat should reflect placement approved by DRB.


Applicant Request
New Primary Structure
1. The house is proposed to be set 21' from the front property line. The average front setback of the block is 24.2', with the adjacent properties at 26' and 15' from the front property lines. The proposed front setback will be consistent with the blockface. The site plan includes a walkway to the street.

2. The block to receive new construction is characterized by Queen Anne cottages and Craftsman bungalows. The proposed house is proportionate to the dimensions of the lot and the other houses on the block.

3. The house will be set on a combination of two parcels which will require a new subdivision plat from two lots of record (the two parcels include Lot 5 and part of Lot 6). The site plan currently aims to stay within Lot 5, so the house will be set significantly to the left of the property, with an 11' left side setback and a right side setback measuring 6.9' to the existing lot line and 32.3' to the proposed new lot line. The applicant should clarify the intent to subdivide the property and the proposed side setbacks.

4. The proposed parking meets the Infill Housing design guidelines as it is located to the rear of the property and accessed from the alley. Final site plan revisions may be necessary to meet City Engineering standards.

5. The façade is similar in scale to other houses along the street. The façade is slightly more narrow than original houses on the block, but only by one to three feet and will not be disproportionate to the context. Drawings indicate a slab foundation; the house should feature an elevated foundation, with a height compatible with the block's historic context.

6. The house incorporates an 8' deep, full length front porch which meets the design guidelines. Guidelines encourage porches to original porches on the block, with rooflines that echo the complexity of historic houses in the context. Incorporating a separate roofline for the porch instead of recessing the porch under the primary roofline would make the house's porch and overall massing more compatible with the context.

7. Guidelines recommend window and door styles be similar to historic houses on the block, with similar placement and ratio of solid to void. All elevations feature sufficient transparency for the historic context. While the house incorporates a solid door, the transom window above contributes to the transparency, and the window and transom header heights are aligned.

8. Guidelines discourage board-and-batten siding and encourage clapboard-like siding where the material is commonplace.

9. The final site plan should incorporate one native or naturalized shade tree in the front and rear yards.

Staff Comments
New primary structure fronting Hiawassee Avenue. House measures 24' wide by 42' deep and will be set 21' from the front property line. The house features an 8' deep, full-length front porch recessed under the primary roofline. The house features an 8/12 pitch hipped roof, an exterior clad in board-and-batten siding, and a concrete slab foundation.

The façade (south) is three bays wide and features two double-hung windows flanking a door. Two windows are located on the left elevation, and the right elevation features three bays of double-hung windows and one secondary entry door.
Applicant

Bryan Maddox one16Properties


Planning Staff
Lindsay Crockett
Phone: 865-215-3795
Email: lindsay.crockett@knoxplanning.org
Location
1117 Hiawassee Ave.

Owner
Bryan Maddox one16Properties

Case History