Design Review Board

Oakwood/Lincoln Park Infill Housing Overlay District

11-A-24-IH  

Staff Recommendation

Staff recommends postponement of Certificate 11-A-24-IH to allow the applicant to select another plan which more clearly meets the design guidelines (specifically building width and depth, garage, porch, and window placement and proportion).


Owner
Greg Smith MES Development

Applicant Request
New Primary Structure
1. The house is proposed to be set 25' from the front property line. The average front setback of the block is 26.8', with the adjacent house set 23' from the front property line. The proposed front setback will be consistent with the blockface. The final site plan should include a walkway to the sidewalk.

2. The block to receive new construction is characterized by Craftsman houses and Queen Anne cottages. The 23' wide by 73' deep house is not proportionate to other houses on the block, which range between approximately 30'-41' wide and 40'-62' deep. Side and rear setback requirements would allow for a house with a wider façade and a more shallow depth; the attached garage could also be omitted to allow for a less long house.

3. The proposed parking is located to the rear of the property (in a rear-accessed, attached garage) and accessed from the alley, which meets the Infill Housing guidelines for placement.

4. The façade is more narrow than other houses on the street by at least 7 to 10 feet. The plans do not include foundation information but indicate a concrete slab. Guidelines recommend a front elevation similar in scale with other houses on the street, and a façade with "about the same width as original houses on the block," along with a foundation the same height as original houses in the neighborhood. The house will also be taller than the context.

5. Guidelines recommend porches proportional to original porches on the block, extending 8-12' toward the street. The proposed porch is 5' deep.

6. Guidelines recommend window and door styles be similar to historic houses on the block, with similar placement and ratio of solid to void. The massing of the house features windows that are irregularly placed, and the attached garage creates a large swath of siding with no transparency.

7. The proposed materials meet the infill Housing guidelines.

8. The site plan does not include the recommended native or naturalized shade tree in the front and rear yards.

Staff Comments
New primary structure fronting Raleigh Avenue. Two story residence features a side-gable roof (8/12 pitch) clad in asphalt shingles, with two front-gable massings projecting from the façade, an exterior of brick veneer and horizontal lap siding, and a slab foundation. The building measures 23' wide by 74' deep, with a 5' deep full-length front porch with a partial hipped roof supported by wood columns. The building is proposed to be set 25' from the front lot line. The building features a one story 19' wide by 29' deep attached garage with a partial hipped roof on the rear elevation that is accessed from the alley via a 38.3' concrete driveway.

The facade is four bays wide, featuring a pair of double-hung windows on the left bays and a door flanked by sidelights on the right bay. The façade features two projecting front-gable massings, one with faux cedar shakes in the gable field and the other with a pair of single-hung windows. The rooflines of the massings and the porch feature dentil blocks. The right elevation features four double-hung windows on the first story and three on the second story, with the attached garage void of windows. The left elevation features four bays of windows on the first story and two windows on the second story, with the attached garage void of windows. The rear elevation features a secondary entrance and porch, along with an attached garage door.
Applicant

Greg Smith MES Development


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

Case History