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Design Review Board

Level 3: Construction of new building/structure

2-B-08-DT

This case has been appealed

Staff Recommendation
Case File
Location
430 Union Ave
Applicant Request
The proposed project is a four story office building for Home Federal Offices, with two stories of underground employee parking on the block between Union Avenue and Clinch Avenue along Walnut Street. The total area of the building is 59,000 +/- square feet, and area of the parking garage is 34,000 +/- square feet. There is a to story portion adjacent to the Grand Union Building which may have a roof terrace/garden. The main entries are from Union and Walnut with a canopy that wraps the corner of the building. The entrance to the upper level parking is from Walnut Street, with the entrance to the lower level parking and the surface lot from Clinch Avenue.

The exterior of the building is granite, limestone, brick, with copper panels inset in a painted steel window system and copper parapet wall. The interior will house office space for Home Federal Bank, but will not have any banking facilities or automated teller machines. The mechanical consists of three air handling units screened from view on the roof. The roof will be a thermo-plastic membrane roofing system
Staff Comments
The proposed structure and site plan meet the guidelines for new structures except for the following guidelines in question:
A.1g - Consolidate curb-cuts and locate driveways near mid-block, when necessary; alley access should be provided for service and parking, if feasible.
* There are two proposed parking lot entrances, with each providing access to different levels of parking. There is on entrance near the intersection of Walnut and Clinch and one mid-block along Walnut.
A.3a - Create parking garages that do not contain blank walls. Allow for future commercial uses that may not be feasible at the time of construction.
* As seen in the attached site plan and perspective (pages A.1 and A.8) from Union and Clinch, there is "Surface Parking" to be built on the corner of Clinch and Walnut. This is actually a ramp that will provide parking and access to the ground level of parking under the new building. This ramp is open and does not have a blank building wall but it does have a small retaining wall that will create a void. The ramp will also reduce the feasibility of future commercial uses on the corner of Clinch and Walnut. There is already one other corner at this intersection that has a blank wall and very low probability of commercial use.
A.3c - Locate surface parking lots to the side or rear of building. No surface parking lots should be created in front of buildings. (page 7)
* In relation to the "Surface Parking" as mentioned above, though this parking is behind the building as the guidelines prescribe, the parking and access is along a parallel avenue and pedestrian connector.
B.2a - Set buildings back five feet in order to provide wider sidewalk space when new construction in non-historic areas is to be more than half the length of the block. (page 12)
* This building will occupy a little less than half the block. The C-2 zoning district requires a 5 ft front setback along vehicular streets (Article 4, Section 8 E.1). The D-1 Overlay District does allow for the Downtown Design Review Board to reduce this requirement when a development has been conceived to respect the historic context of the block, provide greater pedestrian activity at sidewalk level or meet other provisions of the guidelines (Article 4, Section 26 C). The sidewalks are adequate for tree planting and clear pedestrian passage.
B.4a - Encourage first floor uses that draw walk-in traffic; businesses that do not require pedestrian traffic should be located on other floors. (page 14)
* This building is currently planned solely as office space for Home Federal. This building will not have a bank branch or ATM.

Features of note of the proposal:
* The portion of the building closest to the Grand Union is two stories to allow the windows facing the new building to retain a view.
* There may be a roof terrace/garden on the two story portion.
* There are 2 stories of parking under the building.
* The sidewalks will be no less than approximately 14 ft along Union and no less than approximately 7 ft along Walnut, with the sidewalk mostly approximately 12 ft.
* The upper floor of parking has access from approximately the current surface parking entrance along Walnut Street.
*The ground floor along Walnut will be mainly a lobby which will have a low likelihood of having window coverings. This will for visibility into the building from the sidewalk.
* No signage was submitted for approval.
Applicant

Barber McMurry Architects

Planning Staff
Mike Carberry
Phone: 215-2500
Email: contact@knoxplanning.org
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Case History