Design Review Board

Oakwood/Lincoln Park Infill Housing Overlay District

10-B-21-IH

Applicant Request

1. The house is proposed to be located 27.11' from the front property line, with the front porch located 21.11' from the front property line. The average front setback of the block is 24'. With the front porch, the proposed setback is consistent with the front setback pattern of the adjacent houses and the block. The site plan notes the existing retaining wall and steps, which are a character-defining feature of this block and should be preserved. The site plan includes a walkway from the sidewalk to the front door.

2. The block is characterized by Queen Anne cottages. It is the northwestern edge of the Old North Knoxville National Register Historic District and adjacent to, but not within, the ONK local historic (H) overlay. The proposed house is proportionate to the dimensions of the lot but will be slightly narrower than the historic houses on the block. Side setbacks are consistent.

3. The proposed parking meets Infill Housing design guidelines and will not be visible from the street. Final site plan should meet City Engineering standards.

4. The house is slightly more narrow than the historic houses on the block; however, a four-bay façade contributes to the façade design. The neighborhood's historic houses incorporate extensions or bays, which are not part of the simple rectangular design. The foundation height should be confirmed to be compatible with original houses on the block.

5. At 6' deep and 12' wide, the porch is somewhat smaller than historic porches on the block. The porch should be a minimum 8' deep. The porch is also disproportionately small in height to the façade. Shifting the porch to one side (and modifying façade windows as necessary) or widening the porch could assist in correcting the proportions. The porch supports should be 8" by 8" at minimum.

6. Guidelines recommend that window and door styles be similar to historic houses on the block. The applicant should select a more compatible door design. Additional windows are needed on the left side elevation to avoid large swaths of siding with no transparency (could re-arrange both side windows to even proportions). Appropriately-sized window trim would contribute to the simple house.

7. While the historic houses on the block are somewhat modified, the existing Queen Anne cottages retain the "more complex roofs" noted in the guidelines. While 8/12 is a sufficiently steep pitch for the context, additional roofline complexity is needed to be compatible with the block, especially considering its place in the ONK Historic District. This could be accomplished by modifying the porch roofline, at minimum.

8. The overall materials are appropriate within the guidelines. The siding should use lap siding with an overlap instead of Dutch lap or flush panel siding.

9. The final site plan should show a native or naturalized shade tree in both front and rear yards.

10. There are discrepancies between the property tax assessor's map and the City Ward Map (legal lot of record). The property will have to be re-platted to create a new lot of record.

Site Info

New primary residence fronting E. Woodland Avenue. One-story, front-gable residence measuring 23' wide by 48' long, with a partial-width, front-gable roof porch projecting from the center of the façade. The house is proposed to be set 27.11' from the front property line, with a 6' deep front porch set 21.11' from the front property line. The proposed parking is a 25' wide concrete driveway on the rear of the property, extending off Matthews Place.

The house features a front-gable roof with an 8/12 pitch, clad in asphalt shingles, an exterior of unspecified material lap siding, and a CMU foundation noted as "brick or stucco." The front-gable roof porch features a gable field clad in lap siding and square porch supports. The porch is 6' deep by 12' wide. The façade (northwest) is four bays, with the porch surrounding the two central bays, and features three one-over-one windows with a multi-light door on the third bay. Revisions to occur to front porch to meet conditions of approval. There are four windows on the right side elevation and one on the left. The rear elevation features a secondary entry door.