Level III: Mechanicsville H
12-B-25-HZ
Recommendations will be available 1 week prior to the meeting.
Applicant Request
- New primary structure on a 25' wide lot interior lot fronting Cansler Avenue. The two-story residence measures 16'-6" wide by 51' deep overall, with a full-width porch measuring 8' deep. The front porch is set 10'-7" from the front property line. Side setbacks are proposed at 3'-6" and 3' at the closest points. The site plan does not currently include parking.
- The house features an 8/12 pitch front-gable roof clad in asphalt shingles, an exterior of 6" fiber cement lap siding, and a CMU foundation. Gable fields are clad in fiber cement shingle siding with decorative gable vents and brackets. The house features a one-story front-gable massing projecting towards the front measuring 11'-6.25" deep, with the two-story massing located towards the rear. The porch features a hipped roof clad in asphalt shingles, supported by two 6 by 6 wood posts, with stained wood flooring and wood stairs. A similar hipped roof porch projects from the rear. Windows are 1/1 single-hung aluminum-clad wood, fixed, and casement with 4" fiber cement trim.
Mechanicsville H
- Style: N/A
- Existing shotgun house approved for demolition in December 2025.
- Style: N/A
Applicable Guidelines
Mechanicsville Design Guidelines, adopted by the Knoxville City Council on September 20, 2011.
See Guidelines- 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.
- 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.
- Rules for Parking
- 1. Parking in front yards should be avoided.
- 2. If parking is located in front yards, it should be confined to a tandem (single row of vehicles) arrangement.
- 3. If street parking is not feasible, access through alleys is preferable to adding curb cuts or to allowing front yard parking.
- 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.
Meeting Date
March 19, 2026
Mechanicsville H
218 Cansler Ave. 37921
Applicant / Owner
Cory King, Kingsize Homes LLC
Case History
Date Filed
December 1, 2025
Date Heard
December 18, 2025
Date Heard
January 15, 2026
Date Heard
February 19, 2026
To be heard
