Level III: New Primary Structure
2-A-25-IH
Approve Subject To Conditions
Recommendation
The Board should discuss the proposed width and scale of the house in the neighborhood context. If determined to be appropriate, conditions of approval should include: 1) parking to be revised to meet design guidelines, with final site plan meeting City Engineering standards; 2) front porch to be increased to 8' in depth; 3) additional window to be added to left side elevation and right side window to be revised to double-hung window; 4) final construction to retain details shown in drawing; 5) final site plan should include new native or naturalized trees in front and rear yards, or existing mature trees on lot should be preserved.Property Notes / Work to be Completed
- New primary residence fronting Johnston Street. Two story residence features a front gable roof (10/12 pitch), an exterior of horizontal siding (material unspecified) with corner boards, and a block foundation clad in stucco. The house measures 40' long by 16' wide (20' wide with a 4' massing recessed towards the rear) and is proposed to be set 27' from the front property line . It features a full length, 6' deep front porch recessed under a shed roof with an engaged front-gable accent over the door that is supported by three 8" square posts. Parking is an 18' wide concrete driveway flush with the front of the house and is accessed via the alley, which runs parallel to the lot.
- The façade (northeast) features two bays on the first story, with paired 1/1 double hung windows in the first bay, followed by a full-light door with a transom. Paired 1/1 double hung windows are centrally located on the second story of the façade. A 1/1 double hung window is also visible on the side-gable massing which projects from the right side of the house, approximately 12' behind the façade. The left elevation features a secondary opening to a small porch, with one 1/1 double hung window on the second story. The right elevation features a one-story, side-gable massing projecting from the center of the elevation, and there are two transom windows and a 1/1 double-hung window on the first story, with none on the second. The rear elevation has two 1/1 double hung windows on the first story and one pair of 1/1 double hung windows on the second story.
- Notes on the plan reference previous cases' conditions of approval but the changes are not shown.
Applicable Guidelines
Heart of Knoxville Infill Housing Design Guidelines
See Guidelines- 1. Front Yards
- Consistent front yard space should be created along the street with the setback of a new house matching the older houses on the block.
- A walkway should be provided from the sidewalk or street to the front door. Along grid streets, the walk should be perpendicular to the street.
- Healthy trees that are outside the building footprint should be preserved. The root area should be marked and protected during construction.
- Consistent front yard space should be created along the street with the setback of a new house matching the older houses on the block.
- 2. Housing Orientation
- New housing should be proportional to the dimensions of the lot and other houses on the block.
- On corner lots, side yard setbacks should be handled traditionally (that is, closer to the side street). The zoning requirement to treat corner lots as having two frontages should not apply in Heart of Knoxville neighborhoods.
- Side yard setbacks should be similar to older houses on the block, keeping the rhythm of spacing between houses consistent.
- New housing should be proportional to the dimensions of the lot and other houses on the block.
- 3. Alleys, Parking, and Services
- Parking should not be in front yards.
- Alley access should be used for garage or parking pad locations. On level ground, pea gravel or similar material may be used as a parking pad off alleys.
- On streets without alleys, garages or parking pads should be at least 20 feet behind the front façade of the infill house with access limited to one lane between the street and the front façade.
- Garages which are perpendicular to the alley should be about 18 feet from the center line of the alley pavement, allowing a comfortable turning radius for a driver to enter a garage.
- Alley-oriented parking pads, garbage collection points, and utility boxes should be screened with a combination of landscaping and fencing.
- On those streets which have alleys, driveways should not be permitted from the front of the house.
- On corner lots, a driveway to the garage may be provided off the side street.
- Parking should not be in front yards.
- 4. Scale, Mass, and Foundation Height
- The front elevation should be designed to be similar in scale to other houses along the street.
- The front façade of new houses should be about the same width as original houses on the block.
- New foundations should be about the same height as the original houses in the neighborhood.
- If greater height is to be created (with new construction or an addition), that portion of the house should be located toward the side or rear of the property.
- The front elevation should be designed to be similar in scale to other houses along the street.
- 5. Porches and Stoops
- Porches should be part of the housing design in those neighborhoods where porches were commonplace.
- Porches should be proportional to original porches on the block, extending about 8-12 feet toward the street from the habitable portion of the house.
- Porches should extend into the front yard setback, if necessary, to maintain consistency with similarly sited porches along the street.
- Porch posts and railings should be like those used in the historic era of the neighborhood's development. Wrought iron columns and other materials that were not used in the early 1900's should not be used.
- Small stoops centered on entry and no more than 5 feet deep are appropriate on blocks where porches were not traditional.
- Porches should be part of the housing design in those neighborhoods where porches were commonplace.
- 6. Windows and Doors
- When constructing new houses, the window and door styles should be similar to the original or historic houses on the block.
- To respect the privacy of adjacent properties, consider the placement of side windows and doors.
- The windows and doors on the front facade of an infill house should be located in similar proportion and position as the original houses on the block.
- Attention should be paid to window placement and the ratio of solid (the wall) to void (the window and door openings).
- Contemporary windows such as "picture windows" should not be used in pre-World War II neighborhoods.
- When constructing new houses, the window and door styles should be similar to the original or historic houses on the block.
- 7. Roof Shapes and Materials
- New roofs should be designed to have a similar pitch to original housing on the block
- More complex roofs, such as hipped roofs and dormers, should be part of new housing designs when such forms were historically used on the block.
- Darker shades of shingle were often used and should be chosen in roofing houses in Heart of Knoxville neighborhoods.
- New roofs should be designed to have a similar pitch to original housing on the block
- 8. Siding Material
- Clapboard-like materials (such as cement fiberboard) should be used in constructing new housing where painted wood siding was traditionally used.
- Brick, wood shingle, and other less common material may be appropriate in some older neighborhoods, particularly those with a mix of architectural styles.
- Faced stone, vertical siding, and other non-historic materials should not be used in building new houses. In 1930-1950 era neighborhoods, faced stone may be appropriate (see Section 12).
- Clapboard-like materials (such as cement fiberboard) should be used in constructing new housing where painted wood siding was traditionally used.
- 11. Landscape and Other Considerations
- One native or naturalized shade tree should be planted in the front and rear yards of in fill lots with 25 feet or more in depth to front of house
- 1. Front Yards
Meeting Date
February 19, 2025
Lonsdale Infill Housing Overlay District
2815 Johnston St. 37921
RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood)
Applicant / Owner
