10-D-21-HZ

Level II: Ft. Sanders NC

Approved With Conditions

Recommendation

Staff recommends approval of Certificate 10-D-21-HZ as submitted, subject to the following conditions:
1) Revised placement of condensing unit and associated mechanical equipment, locating the unit on a less-prominent location, or the use of compatible opaque screening and landscaping if relocation of equipment is not possible, with approval by staff;
2) Meeting relevant aspects of City Sign Code, with revisions to be approved by staff;
3) Meeting any conditions of approval identified by Planning Commission in November 2021 Special Use review.

Applicant Request

Additions; Other: Demolition of existing addition

- Demolition of one wing of church complex and new major addition fronting Highland Avenue and S. Seventeenth Street. Church complex is listed as non-contributing to Fort Sanders National Register Historic District.
- C.1950, two-story, side-gable brick masonry structure recessed at the southwest corner of the property (fronting S. 17th Street and the alley) proposed for demolition. A surface parking lot currently fronts Highland Avenue on the west side of the church; the parking will be relocated to be recessed behind the new addition and accessible from the alley.
- New addition is rectangular in form, with a side-gable roof oriented towards Highland Avenue. Addition measures approximately 61 feet on the Highland Avenue elevation and extends 44 feet long along S. 17th Street. Addition is two-and-one-half-stories tall, with a lower level accessible from the sidewalk on Highland Avenue and a main level accessible via a corner entry along S. 17th Street and the new recessed parking lot. While the new addition measures 18' tall from main level to eave (compared to the existing nave of the church at 22'-6" from main level to eave), the roof peak heights of the addition and the nave are comparable in height. Addition will be connected to the existing building with a flat-roof hyphen. Primary materials include steel wall panels (metal siding) with 16" wide panels and 2" batten caps, a limestone-veneer clad lower level, and aluminum storefront windows and doors.
- On the Highland Avenue elevation (north), the rectangular addition features a "basement level" at street level on Highland Avenue. The basement level will be clad in wet-laid limestone veneer with a variegated pattern; the limestone veneer continues to the lowest level of the hyphen. The upper levels are clad in steel wall panels. The addition's lower level is five bays long, with two full-light aluminum storefront doors in the first and final bays and full-light storefront windows in the remaining openings. At the eaves of the upper level are four wall dormers with four full-light aluminum storefront windows and flat roofs. The flat-roof hyphen features an aluminum storefront system. A set of steps extends east-west along the elevation, behind a limestone-veneer-clad wall. The steps and landing serve as a porch and provide access to the main level in the hyphen.
- On the S. 17th Street elevation (west), the lower level is clad in limestone veneer. A single-light aluminum storefront window is located on the upper level, extending into the gable field. On the main level, a storefront system of full-height single-light windows wraps around to the rear elevation. A limestone boulder "site wall" to be constructed of existing limestone from the site's retaining wall will serve as a base for a sign. A flat aluminum canopy wraps around the corner entry. Four HVAC condensing units are located on the west elevation, at ground level, adjacent to the Highland Avenue corner.
- On the rear (south) elevation of the addition, the main-level storefront system wraps around and includes two pairs of full-light double-doors to provide rear entry to the main level. Four flat-roof wall dormers, featuring single-light aluminum windows, intersect the roof eaves. The hyphen features an aluminum storefront system and paired single-light double doors.
- Removal of the rear addition requires a new exterior wall to be constructed on the rear section of the existing building's west elevation. The 22'-6" tall wall will feature steel panel siding to match the addition and one flat-roof wall dormer. Another sign and a pair of single-light storefront doors will be installed in the existing tower.
- Additional elements:
- Sign: 15'-6" by 3'-6" monument sign located on limestone site wall on northwest elevation; to serve as screening for mechanical condensing units along with plantings.
- Landscaping elements: extensive landscape plan, including native and naturalized plants and trees.
- CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL PER 10.21.21 HZC MEETING: subject to the following conditions:
- 1) Revised placement of condensing unit and associated mechanical equipment, locating the unit on a less-prominent location;
- 2) Meeting relevant aspects of City Sign Code, with revisions to be approved by staff;
- 3) Meeting any conditions of approval identified by Planning Commission in November 2021 Special Use review.

Ft. Sanders NC

- Style: Midcentury, c.1960
  - Gable-roof church building with an exterior of brick veneer, a brick-clad foundation, and arched windows.

Applicable Guidelines

Fort Sanders NC-1, adopted by the Knoxville City Council on September 13, 2000.

- A. Height, Scale, & Massing
- 1. Foundation heights should be consistent with other pre-1940 buildings in the neighborhood.
- 2. Single-family detached infill housing should be proportional to other pre-1940 houses in terms of height and width.
- 3. With redevelopment of two or more lots for apartment, office, commercial, or mixed use development, street-facing facades of new buildings should be broken up with bays or porches that are consistent with the dimensions of historic buildings in the neighborhood.
- 6. For the first 35 feet, buildings should have similar setbacks, bays, and covered entrances that complement the historic architecture on the street.
- 7. Upper stories should be stepped back at least 8 feet. In addition to providing a pedestrian scale at street level, the landings should be used for balconies, providing open space to those who use the building.
- B. Roofs
- 1. Select a roof pitch that is in keeping with other pre-1940 houses of the neighborhood, not being less than an 8/12 pitch.
- 2. Use variations in the form of the roof above the second story such as gables at different angles, hipped roofs, and dormers.
- 3. Use roofing materials that are in keeping with historic development styles. Asphalt shingle, tile, pressed metal, and slate were used.
- 4. Darker shades of shingles were historically used and should be selected in new construction.
- C. Porches
- 1. Provide porches with proportions and materials that complement pre-1940 housing. For clapboard-type construction, wood is the most appropriate primary material. Brick or cut stone are appropriate as foundations or in column supports.
- 2. Porches should be no less than 6 feet deep and no more than 10 feet deep. They may be recessed behind the main setback line or alternatively can extend 10 feet into the front setback line.
- D. Wall Materials
- 1. Paint color is not regulated.
- 2. Clapboard (or clapboard-type materials such as aluminum or vinyl), shingle (or shingle-like material), or brick should be used.
- 3. Board and batten siding can be used on accessory buildings.
- 4. Quarried, square cut stone can be used on porches or other accents. Such stone should be used in constructing retaining walls.
- 6. Materials that are not typical in pre-1940 construction should not be used. These include cinder block, T-111 siding, and stone facing.
- E. Windows and Entrances
- 1. Window proportions and symmetry should be similar to the pre-1940 styles in the neighborhood.
- 2. Windows should be double-hung sash windows. Vinyl or metal-clad windows may be used in place of wood frame windows.
- 5. Variations of double-hung windows should be considered in relation to the design of new buildings.
- 6. The proportions of upper-level windows should not exceed the proportion of the first level.
- 7. Upper level windows should be provided and aligned with doors.
- 9. Entrances to the building should be provided from the street, using doors that have similar proportions and features to pre-1940 architecture.
- 10. When parking areas are provided behind buildings, rear entrances are also allowed.
- F. Parking
- 1. In new building construction, the front yard space shall not be used for parking. Do not break up curbs or sidewalks to provide street access.
- 2. Provide parking access off the alley or off a side street.
- 3. Plant one native shade tree for every 50 feet of lot width, adjacent to or as islands within the lot area.
- 7. Surface parking area shall always be to the rear of the building.
- 8. Primary or secondary entrances to the buildings from parking areas are allowable.
- G. Landscaping, Fencing, & Retaining Walls
- 1. Plant one native shade tree (e.g. oak or maple) and one ornamental tree (e.g. dogwood) in both the front and rear yards for every 50 feet of lot width.
- 2. Plant shrubs near new buildings to complement the foundation height, windows, and entries. Select species and a distance from the building that will not harm foundation materials.
- 5. Keeping with tradition, low, square cut stone, poured concrete, or brick walls should be used in constructing retaining walls.
- J. Demolition
- Property owners may demolish structures in the NC district that the Knoxville HZC finds to be non-contributing to the district. A report, dated July/August 2000, establishes the location of non-contributing structures at the time that the NC district was under consideration.
- In the future, the HZC shall take the following into account in making their determination about whether or not a building may be demolished.
- 1. Physical Condition: the HZC may allow demolition if a building has been condemned by the City of Knoxville for structural reasons, or if the HZC finds that structural problems and associated costs to address the problems warrant demolition; the decision shall be based on an assessment by a licensed structural engineer or architect.
- 2. Architectural Integrity: the HZC may allow demolition if the original design is so compromised that historic architectural integrity is lot and cannot, in the Commission's view, be reasonably re-established.
- Secretary of the Interiors Standards for Rehabilitation (related to Fort Sanders NRHP Historic District)
- 9. New additions, exterior alterations or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment.
- 10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.