10-B-25-HZ

Level III: Mechanicsville H

Recommendation

The Board should discuss the faux chimney and left (west) elevation, side setbacks, whether details indicating the separate stories should be introduced, the fiber cement siding, and the architectural detail of the building within its context.Along with any necessary revisions or conditions, staff recommends approval of Certificate 10-B-25-HZ, subject to the following conditions:1) the final site plan to meet City Engineering standards;2) meeting all applicable standards of the City Zoning code, including Article 4.6 and Article 9.3.J, with minor revisions to be approved by staff;3) front setback to meet Middle Housing standards, with final approval by staff;4) removal of the faux chimney on the left (west) elevation, encouraging Planning staff to approve a variation from Article 4.6.E.b. on the left (west) elevation during permitting;5) granting variances for a 4' side setbacks, contingent on meeting condition 4 and any applicable building code requirements;6) the porch supports to be at least 8" by 8";7) additional architectural detail to reflect the context be added to the façade, to be approved by staff;8) final window and door selections to be sent to staff for approval; and9) all siding and trim materials to be wood, allowing for fiber cement (smooth finish with 4-5" exposure) instead if official determination of support of the material on new construction from the neighborhood organization is submitted to staff.

Map

Applicant Request

Other: New construction

- New primary structure fronting McGhee Avenue. The two-story duplex measures 17' wide by 55' deep (not including porches), with the second unit behind the first. There is no parking indicated on the site plan. The main massing is proposed to be set 15'-6" from the front lot line, with the front porch at 7'-6", and the building is centered between the side lot lines with a 4' side setback on the right (east) elevation (with encroachments) and a 3' side setback on the left (west) elevation.
- The duplex features a 12/12 pitch front-gable roof clad with architectural asphalt shingles with 1' eave overhangs and frieze-board molding. There is a second-story massing with a 4/12 pitch shed roof on the left (west) elevation. The façade features a full-length 8' deep front porch on a block foundation and recessed under a partial hipped roof supported by three 6" square posts made from pressure-treated wood with trim at the base. The porch does not feature any railings, and the steps will be made of concrete. It will have tongue-and-groove wood flooring and a beadboard ceiling. There is an identical front porch on the rear elevation for the other unit.
- The building will be clad in fiber cement lap siding (Hardie), with fiber cement cornerboards and trim, and it will rest on a 2'-6" tall parge-coated block foundation, with wood skirtboards. The façade features a quarter-lite paneled door on the left, followed by three paired windows, and the second story features a window centered in the gable. The rear elevation is a mirrored copy of the façade. The left (west) elevation features a 2' wide faux chimney projection clad in siding that terminates at the roofline, six windows on the first-story, and two windows on the second-story projecting shed roof massing. The right (east) elevation features two windows on the first story and a secondary entrance with a quarter-lite paneled door in a 2' wide by 3'-4" deep, two-story recess accessed via a small concrete landing. All windows are "wood clad", 1/1, single-hung, and feature fiber cement trim and projecting sills, and all doors feature fiber cement trim.

Mechanicsville H

- Style: N/A
  - Vacant lot.

Applicable Guidelines

Mechanicsville Design Guidelines, adopted by the Knoxville City Council on September 20, 2011.

- A. Rules for Roofs
- 1. The shape of replacement roofs or roofs on new construction shall imitate the shapes of roofs on neighboring existing houses or other houses of the same architectural style. Roof pitch must duplicate the 12/12 pitch most often found in the neighborhood, the roof pitch typical of the style being referenced by a new building, or the pitch of neighboring buildings. Roof shapes must be complex, using a combination of hips with gables, dormers, or where appropriate to the style, turrets, or other features that emphasize the importance of Victorian-era or Craftsman styling.
- 2. The eaves on additions or new buildings must have an overhang that mimics existing buildings near the property. A minimum eave overhang of at least eight inches must be retained or used on new buildings or additions to existing buildings.
- 3. Repair or replace roof details (chimneys, roof cresting, finials, attic vent windows, molding, bargeboards, and other unique roof features). Use some of these details in designing new buildings.
- C. Rules for Porches
- 2. Design elements to be incorporated in any new porch design must include tongue and groove wood floors, beadboard ceilings, wood posts and/or columns, and sawn and turned wood trim when appropriate. If balustrades are required, they must be designed with spindles set into the top and bottom rails.
- 3. In new construction, the proportion of the porches to the front facades must be consistent with the historic porches in the neighborhood.
- D. Rules for Entrances
- 4. A new entrance or porch must be compatible in size, scale, or material.
- 6. Secondary entrances must be compatible with the original in size, scale, and materials, but clearly secondary in importance.
- E. Rules for Wood Wall Coverings
- 1. Synthetic siding is inappropriate and is not allowed either as replacement siding on existing buildings or new siding in new construction.
- 4. New construction must incorporate corner and trim boards and appropriate door and window trim to be compatible with the adjacent historic buildings.
- 12. Concrete siding (also called Hardi-board) is allowed on outbuildings and garages for new construction only. The material can be used like board and batten if placed vertically. Batten strips of wood must be used, however, to preserve the look of historic materials. If used like normal siding, it must have a reveal of no more that 4.25 inches.
- F. Rules for Masonry Wall Coverings
- 8. Split-faced block shall not be used in new construction or as a replacement for deteriorated masonry units. One exception is split-faced block which can be used as a retaining wall.
- 10. Stucco-surfaced masonry can be an appropriate for foundations in new construction. Brick and stone can also be appropriate.
- Rules for New Building Construction
- New buildings constructed in historic areas should be compatible with the existing historic buildings and sensitive to the patterns of the environment where they will be placed. The use of similar materials can help in developing continuity…A new building's form and its placement on its lot help determine the compatibility of the building…The form of the houses is also rectangular or irregular with the narrow sides facing the street. This development pattern should be respected if new buildings are built in the neighborhood. Also, the consistent setbacks of the buildings in the neighborhood create a visual order, help to define public and private space, provide privacy for the residents, and permit landscaping in front of a building.
- O. Setbacks and Placement on the Lot
- 1. Maintain the historic façade lines of streetscapes by locating the front walls of new buildings in the same plane as those of adjacent buildings. If existing setbacks vary, a new building's setback shall respect those of adjacent buildings.
- 2. Do not violate the existing setback pattern by placing new buildings in front of or behind historic buildings on the street.
- 3. Do not place new buildings at odd angles to the street.
- 4. Side yard setbacks for new buildings shall be consistent with those of existing historic buildings, so gaps are not left in the streetscape.
- P. Scale and Massing
- 1. Relate the size and proportions of new structures to the scale of adjacent buildings.
- 2. Break up uninteresting boxlike forms into smaller varied masses like those found on existing buildings by the use of bays, extended front porches, and roof shapes.
- 3. New buildings must reinforce the scale of the neighborhood by their height, width, and massing.
- 4. New buildings must be designed with a mix of wall areas with door and window elements in the façade like those found on existing buildings.
- 5. Roof shapes must relate to the existing buildings, as must roof coverings.
- Q. Height of Foundation and Stories
- 1. Avoid new construction that varies in height, so that new buildings are equal to the average height of existing buildings.
- 2. The foundation height of new buildings shall duplicate that of adjacent buildings, or be an average of adjacent building foundation heights.
- 3. For new buildings with more than one story, beltcourses or other suggestions of divisions between stories that suggest the beginnings of additional stories shall be used.
- 4. The eave lines of new buildings shall conform to those of adjacent properties.
- R. Materials
- 1. The materials used for new building exteriors shall be consistent with materials already found on buildings on the street.
- 2. Artificial siding and split face block are not acceptable materials for use on new buildings.
- S. Features
- 1. Design new buildings with a strong sense of a front entry.
- 2. Use front porches in new designs, and make the size of those porches useable for sitting. New porches shall be at least eight feet deep, shall contain design features such as columns and balustrades that introduce architectural diversity, and shall extend across more than half of the front façade.