1. The property is zoned C-N (Neighborhood Commercial) and is currently a surface parking lot, with an abandoned car wash demolished in approximately 2019. The surrounding context features the intersection of Whittle Springs Road and Edgewood Avenue, with a non-historic gas station, a commercial building, and two modest one-story commercial buildings fronting Whittle Springs Road. Moving further west and east, the neighborhood is characterized by residential development.

2. The C-N zone requires a minimum front setback of 15' if "the average of adjacent lots is 15' or greater." The proposed 15' front setback meets the base zoning code and will clearly orient the building as fronting Whittle Springs Rd, a minor arterial street, instead of the more residential Edgewood Avenue. Two-story townhouses were recently approved to front Whittle Springs Road at the intersection with Washington Pike to the south. Placement of the building is appropriate for the context and the site plan includes a walkway to the street.

3. The proposed parking meets the Infill Housing design guidelines as it is located behind the primary building and accessed via a secondary street. A Class B landscaping buffer is required by the zoning code on the interior side and rear yard, and additional landscaping is depicted on the site plan. While the surface parking area is large in size, the site currently features a large amount of surface parking, and the amount of parking area will be reduced for the building. The final site plan should meet City Engineering standards and the landscaping requirements in Article 12.

4. The guidelines for multi-family housing recommend that new multi-family buildings "be designed in scale and context with the early architectural features of the neighborhood." The property is a corner lot with commercial zoning, and will be oriented more towards the commercial development fronting Whittle Springs than the single-family houses on Edgewood Ave. The broader residential context features modest one-story Minimal Traditionals, 1- to 1.5-story Craftsman houses, non-historic multi-family buildings further north on Whittle Springs, and other infill construction. The proposed building is aligned with the neighborhood context via gable roofs, symmetrically-arranged double-hung windows, brick cladding and a brick foundation, and lap siding.

5. Guidelines recommend that the height of new housing be similar to comparable houses along the street. While the multi-family building may necessitate an additional story beyond the height of the one-story single-family houses along the street, the building is not overly tall. Drawings indicate a 2' tall foundation, which may present slightly taller in the renderings. Reducing the foundation height to 1' or the minimum necessary may assist in reducing the overall scale of the building.

6. The guidelines recommend using "porches, bays, and breaks in the front façade," to "continue the architectural rhythm of the block," and create massings "divided into separate sections that are proportionally similar to original houses on the block." The existing block lacks a continuous architectural rhythm. The building is broken up into two massings in both width and depth, via an internal one-story connector that connects the long side of the buildings and a flat-roof one-story massing on the façade and rear elevations.

7. Porches: guidelines for both single-family houses and multi-family buildings recommend incorporating porches or stoops with proportions compatible with the historic context. The proposed design includes one recessed entry stoop on the façade. The Board should discuss the guidelines for porches in relation to the proposed design.

8. Roof pitches and rooflines: the building features 9/12 pitch roofs on both massings, with a lower flat-roof connector in between the two massings. The roofline design contains sufficient complexity and pitches comparable to historic houses in the neighborhood.

9. Materials: the building is proposed to be clad in engineered wood horizontal lap siding, with brick accents on each elevation, and wood vertical siding on the connectors. The proposed materials are appropriate within the design guidelines.

10. Windows and doors: guidelines recommend that window and door styles be similar to historic houses on the block, with similar proportions and position, and similar ratio of solid to void. All elevations contain sufficient transparency for the context, with a generally symmetrical and organized arrangement of window placement.

11. The application includes landscaping elements which are generally compatible with the Infill Housing guidelines. A final landscape plan may be required for permitting.

New two-story multi-family building fronting Whittle Springs Road. Building contains two rectangular massings, connected at the center via a one-story corridor massing, each measuring 88' wide along Whittle Springs Road and 52'-4" deep overall. The building is proposed to be set 15' from the front property line. The building features two massings with 9/12 pitch roofs clad in asphalt shingles, an exterior of horizontal engineered wood lap siding, brick veneer accents, and a brick-clad foundation. Parking is located to the rear of the building, in a surface parking lot accessed from Edgewood Ave.

The façade (west) features one 6-bay wide, two-story massing, followed by a one-story entry section clad in vertical siding, and another 2-bay wide, two-story massing. Windows are single and paired double-hung windows. The south elevation (facing Edgewood Ave) features two bays of double-hung windows on the massing closest to the street, and two bays of double-hung windows on the massing recessed from the street.