Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of Certificate 3-A-26-IH, subject to the following conditions: 1) the final site plan to meet City Engineering standards and to feature a tree in the front and rear yards;2) the front setback to meet Middle Housing standards;3) meeting applicable standards of Article 4.6 and Article 9.3.J;4) the trim dividing the stories to have a smooth finish and the porch posts to be at least 6" by 6";5) the brick veneer cladding to wrap around the sides of the projecting massing and the coursing details to be retained; and 6) final elevation drawings to depict the as-built foundation height along grade, with major changes to return to the Board.
Property Notes / Work to be Completed
- New primary structure (duplex) fronting Atlantic Avenue. The two-story side-by-side duplex measures 34' wide by 50' deep and is proposed to be set 20.5' from the front lot line. It features a 6/12 pitch side-gable roof, a block foundation (2' tall at façade) clad in stucco, and an exterior of vinyl lap siding with brick veneer on a two-story twin-gable massing projecting from the façade. Parking is accessed via the alley and features four spaces. The site plan features a walkway from the porch to the street and a tree in the front yard.
- The four-bay façade features 6'-9" wide by 4'-5" deep porches recessed under a front-gable roof and supported by two posts with a half-lite door in the left and right bays, and there are four windows on the second story and two on the first story. Brick coursing divides the stories and details the windows on the central massing. The side elevations each feature either shakes or board-and-batten in the gable field, trim dividing the stories, two windows on the second story, and three windows on the first story, one of which is a bay window with a hipped roof. The rear elevation features four windows on the second story, two windows on the first story, and a secondary entrance with a small landing for each unit. All windows are 1/1, double-hung, and feature trim and projecting sills.
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. House Orientation and Side Yards
- 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.
- On lots greater than 50' in width, consider re-creating the original lot size
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- If extensions or bays were typically part of the neighborhood's historic house design, such elements should be incorporated into infill housing.
- 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).
- Sheds, garages, and other outbuildings can be constructed of vertical siding or other more economical materials.
- Clapboard-like materials (such as cement fiberboard) should be used in constructing new housing where painted wood siding was traditionally used.
- 10. Multi-Unit Housing
In places where multi-unit housing is permitted by zoning, it is essential to neighborhood stability that new apartment buildings be designed in scale and context with the early architectural features of the neighborhood.- Multi-unit housing (where permitted by zoning) should have similar front yard space to that of the traditional single-family houses along the street.
- In zoning districts where multi-unit housing is permitted, the height of the new housing should be similar to the original houses along the street.
- Multi-unit housing should be designed to continue the architectural rhythm of the block. In addition to the same build-to line, porches, bays and breaks in the front façade should be created to mimic the look of older homes when looking down the block. This should be done by dividing the building into separate sections that are proportionally similar to original houses on the block.
- Parking should be provided behind apartments with access from the alley.
- Landscaping, including shade trees, should be planted in both front and back yards.
- Multi-unit housing (where permitted by zoning) should have similar front yard space to that of the traditional single-family houses along the street.
- 1. Front Yards
Meeting Date
March 18, 2026
Oakwood/Lincoln Park Infill Housing Overlay District
127 Atlantic Ave. 37917
RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood)
