Historic Zoning Commission

Edgewood-Park City H: Level III

12-D-21-HZ

Applicant Request

New primary structure fronting Jefferson Avenue. House measures 29' wide by 40' long overall, including a projecting front-gable massing on the right side. The house is proposed to be set 13' from the front property line on the left side, with a 20' by 20' concrete parking pad located at the rear of the property and accessed from the alley.

The one-story house is an interpretation of a Queen Anne cottage characteristic of the block. The house will rest on a stucco-clad CMU foundation, be clad in fiber cement lap siding (smooth-finish, 4" reveal), and feature an asphalt-shingle clad roof. The roof is a 12/12 pitch hipped roof with gable-roof massings projecting to the front (north) and left (east) side. The foundation measures approximately 2' tall at the façade and will be approximately 4' tall towards the rear corners, due to the site topography. All windows are double-hung wood. The front entry is proposed as a fiberglass, three-light Craftsman style door, and the rear door is a steel half-light secondary door. On the façade, the applicant proposes historically-appropriate window trim with sills, with 1" by 4" flat trim on sides and rear. The house also features 4" cornerboards.

The façade (north) is three bays wide featuring a canted two-part window on the left side, a centrally located entry, and a 1.5-story front-gable roof projecting massing on the right side. The façade features two double-hung windows with a diamond-pattern grid on the top sash, a Craftsman-style door, and a third window on the right side. The gable field features half-round fiber cement siding, full cornice returns (3/12 pitch standing seam metal), and a fixed octagonal window (applicant proposes a diamond-pattern window as available, with a single-light fixed octagonal window if diamond pattern is not available).

The façade also features a round projecting porch, measuring approximately 17'-8" by 12'-10" overall. The round porch rests on a poured concrete foundation (1'-6" tall approximately) is supported by 8" by 8" round tapered posts (composite/fiberglass material, base and cap shown in application specs). The porch roof is a 3/12 standing-seam metal with an angled turret-shaped roof above, which connects to the primary roof structure via a projecting roof massing.

The left (east) elevation features a centrally-located projecting front-gable roof massing, with a cornice return of 3/12 standing-seam metal and a gable field clad in siding to match the main house. One one-over-one, double-hung wood window is located on the front-gable massing. The façade's canted bay wraps around the right side of the elevation, along with the round porch.

The rear (south) elevation features a one-over-one, double-hung wood window and a half-light fiberglass door accessing a 5' by 5' wood deck. Balusters will be inset into top and bottom rails on the deck.

The right (west) elevation features one one-over-one, double-hung wood window.

Site Info

Vacant lot.

1. The house is proposed to be set 13' from the front property line. The average of the blockface is 18'. The front setback should be adjusted to conform to base zoning requirements and be aligned with the adjacent properties. The projecting front-gable massing and porch will assist in creating a consistent front yard space. The house will be placed at a consistent angle to the street with the other houses.

2. Parking is proposed to be accessed off the alley and located to the rear of the property. No new curb cuts will be created. Minor modifications to the site plan may be required during permitting to meet City Engineering standards; these could be approved by staff.

3. The Queen Anne-cottage form is consistent in size, scale, and massing with the historic houses on the block. The block is characterized primarily by similar style and form houses (with a few modified Craftsman outliers), featuring three-bay facades, and steeply-pitched hipped roofs with projecting front-gable massings. At one story tall, the house will be comparable in height to the context. The applicant should provide the specific roof height to confirm compatibility with roof heights on adjacent properties.

4. The proposed design "breaks up boxlike forms into smaller masses" similar to historic houses on the block, using projecting gable-roof massings, a complex roofline, and a mix of wall areas on the façade and side elevations.

5. The proposed roof form is clearly related to the historic context, featuring a steeply-pitched hipped roof with projecting front-gable massings. The 12/12 roof pitch meets the design guidelines, along with the asphalt shingle cladding and depicted eave overhangs. The standing-seam metal cornice returns/shed roof in gable field will contribute additional complexity to the design; as a feature generally not typical of historic designs, they are a modest way to differentiate the new construction from historic designs.

6. The house incorporates a raised foundation compatible with the historic context. In general, the height of the first story and the placement of windows and doors is compatible with adjacent historic buildings.

7. The porch is a unique element in the proposed design. The porch materials (square 8" composite columns, wood flooring, beadboard ceiling) do meet the design guidelines. While a round projecting corner porch is not inappropriate for the context, and could contribute a unique contemporary element to the design, the porch's roof form does not have historic precedent or relate to new buildings. The porch roof structure (asphalt shingle-clad section projecting out from the main house, with empty roof space above the round standing-seam section) is somewhat disproportionate. The porch design should be revised, pending recommendations from the Commission, and the Commission may decide if the revision could be approved by staff or return to the HZC.

8. Guidelines recommend that materials used for new buildings be consistent in appearance with historic building materials along the street. Smooth-finished HardiePlank (fiber cement) siding has been approved on new construction projects in Edgewood-Park City. The 4" exposure is consistent with historic siding patterns, along with the 4" cornerboards. Stucco-clad foundations have also been approved on new construction in the overlay.

9. The front elevation incorporates a "strong sense of entry" recommended by the design guidelines. The proposed Craftsman-style door is inconsistent with the Queen Anne cottage form; a door more appropriate for the style should be selected (one-half-light, two-thirds-light, full-light). Fiberglass doors are appropriate for new construction, if they are smooth-finished.

10. The proposed windows (one-over-one, double-hung wood) meet the guidelines for materials. Guidelines recommend designing new construction with consistent placement of door and window openings, with the intent of achieving sufficient transparency on all elevations. Proposed window placement on the façade is consistent with the historic context; the canted corner window is a unique form, but does not detract from the overall design of the house and contributes complexity to the façade. 1-2 additional windows are necessary on the right (west) elevation to avoid large swaths of siding with no transparency.

11. The applicant has incorporated simple but historically-appropriate window trim on the façade windows. Instead of the flat "picture frame" trim with no sills proposed for the side and rear windows, the façade window trim (or at least, the addition of window sills) should be incorporated in all windows.