APPROVE Certificate 3-C-16-DT subject to the following conditions: 1) Meeting all requirements of the City of Knoxville Department of Engineering, including but not limited to the design and location of vehicular and service access points and internal drive aisles, and 2) Meeting the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.Case File

The proposal is for a nine story hotel with 232 rooms and an attached three story parking garage with 226 spaces. The majority of the parking deck will be subterranean. The development will be on the half block between West Church Avenue, State Street, and Cumberland Avenue. The property is currently vacant.

Site Plan:
The development will fill the entire half block, with the exception of the five foot building setbacks as indicated on the site plan. The hotel will not lie within the five foot setback. However, proposed planters at the pedestrian level will encroach upon the setbacks to varying degrees along West Church Avenue, State Street, and Cumberland Avenue. Planter encroachments into the setback range between two-and-a-half to three feet. In all cases along State Street and Cumberland Avenue, the width of the sidewalks will be increased by approximately two-and-a-half feet. The sidewalk along West Church Avenue will be increased by approximately five feet in width. Streetscape improvements along West Church Avenue, State Street, and Cumberland Avenue also include removal of the existing curb-cuts around the property boundary and installing replacement concrete sidewalks, street trees, and new street lights to match those on West Church Avenue.

The main pedestrian entrance to the hotel will be from West Church Avenue. One vehicular parking entrance to the property will also be located on West Church Avenue. The West Church Avenue vehicular entrance includes a twenty-four foot wide drive aisle that accommodates vehicular entering and exiting from the hotel's parking garage. The West Church Avenue vehicular entrance also includes two loading spaces for use by hotel guests, a porte cochère, seven parking stalls, and a bicycle rack.

A loading zone and a refuse container room will be located on State Street and will displace approximately three metered street level parking spaces. Delivery and refuse removal will occur at the State Street loading zone. A secondary vehicular entrance/exit to the parking deck will also be located on State Street and in proximity to the Cumberland Avenue intersection. This entrance will provide on-site stacking for a minimum of two vehicles.

Hotel Elevations:
The primary mass of the hotel steps back from the existing low rise apartment development on West Church Avenue and thereby creates a rooftop courtyard above the single story portion of the hotel at the corner of West Church Avenue and State Street. The rooftop courtyard will include a vegetative roof covering around the perimeter of the courtyard as well as a glass and steel railing system. Building cladding includes prefinished metal panels, ribbed metal panels at the mechanical screen and 12" x 24" face masonry at the lobby and parking deck levels. An exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS) is also proposed and is acceptable building code official's approval. All exterior view windows from the hotel guestrooms will include aluminum frames and tinted glass. Matching storefront windows and a limited amount of curtain-wall windows will also be included at the first floor facades.

Parking Garage Elevations:
The base of the garage will be primarily clad with a louvered vision barrier. The vision barrier will prevent direct line-of-sight views into the parking deck from the pedestrian level. The louver system is proposed in order to provide sufficient ventilation for the parking garage while also creating a vision barrier.

Signage:
Two 3'-0" (w) x 18'-0" (h) blade signs will be mounted on the West Church Avenue elevation will not include any integral illumination. The blade signs will be illuminated by minimal down light fixtures mounted to the façade of the hotel. Two internally illuminated wall signs will be mounted on the rooftop mechanical screen as indicated on the building elevations. Each wall sign is approximately x 26'-0" (w) x 6'-0" (h). The parking entrance/exit on State Street will have non-illuminated signage mounted to the vision barrier above the vehicular entrances.

Lighting:
The planters at ground level around the hotel will include low level step lights along the sidewalk.

The development is proposed on a vacant lot that encompasses one-half of an entire block, approximately .9 acres. The existing development surrounding the property includes: West -- 1 to 3 story buildings facing Gay Street with the uses primarily consisting of retail, restaurants and office; South -- 5 story parking structure for the adjoining 27-story First Tennessee Plaza Tower; East -- surface parking lot; and North -- two 3-story residential condo buildings, The Elliott and Keyhole Building, which are both contributing structures within the Gay Street Commercial (National Register) Historic District.

The site plan does not currently show how access is provided from the main entrance of the hotel to the public sidewalk for people with disabilities. As presented, the only access to the sidewalk is down several stairs or through the vehicular entrance from Church Avenue.

Applicable guidelines:

Section 1.A.1. (PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST SAFETY)
Consider pedestrians first, then transit, then the automobile in designing and developing downtown places. Public utilities and streetscape amenities should be located to support safe, convenient, and unimpeded pedestrian flow. Due to the nature of the narrow downtown streets with low traffic speeds it is relatively safe to bike within the downtown area. However, bike lanes and greenways leading to downtown, and places to store bicycles once downtown should also be considered. For more information, please see the Knoxville Regional Bicycle Plan (2002).
GUIDELINES:
1a. Prioritize pedestrian safety and comfort through public amenities, such as pedestrian-scale lighting, benches, and trash receptacles.
1b. Require sidewalks and crosswalks that are accessible to all and are aesthetically pleasing.
1d. Widen sidewalks to accommodate street trees and amenities with a minimum 5-foot clear pedestrian passage.
1g. Consolidate curb-cuts and locate driveways near mid-block, when necessary; alley access should be provided for service and parking, if feasible.

Section 1.A.3. (PARKING FACILITIES)
It is important to ensure that parking facilities (both public and private) are safe, accessible, and clearly marked. New parking facilities should be designed to be attractive, compatible additions to downtown. In general, new parking facilities should remain subordinate to the street scene.
GUIDELINES:
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.
3b. Locate parking garages under structures, or provide for retail, residential or office uses that line the garage. Corner locations are preferable for commercial uses.

Section 1.A.4. (DOWNTOWN BEAUTIFICATION)
Beautifying downtown can occur through many different elements including architecture, landscape architecture, horticulture, art, and performing art. These elements provide expressions of local history and culture. They contribute to local identity and unique qualities of downtown. Public spaces should be designed to include art and beautification.
GUIDELINES:
4c. Plant street trees where possible. Choose tree planting locations that will not significantly alter the setting of, or harm the materials of historic buildings.

Section 1.B.1 (BUILDING MASS, SCALE AND FORM)
Building form should be consistent with the character of downtown as an urban setting and should reinforce the pedestrian activity at the street level. Creating pedestrian-scale buildings, especially at street level, can reduce the perceived mass of buildings. Historically, building technology limited height and subsequently created pedestrian-scaled buildings typically less than 10 stories. Building technology no longer limits the height of buildings and there are no height limitations imposed by the zoning ordinance for downtown Knoxville. However, there is still a need for buildings that respond to pedestrians. The use of 'human-scale' design elements is necessary to accomplish this. Human-scale design elements are details and shapes that are sized to be proportional to the human body, such as, upper story setbacks, covered entries, and window size and placement.
GUIDELINES:
1a. Maintain a pedestrian-scaled environment from block to block.
1b. Foster air circulation and sunlight penetration around new buildings. Buildings may be designed with open space, as allowed under existing C-2 zoning; or buildings may be 'stepped back' on upper floors with lower floors meeting the sidewalk edge (see Area Regulations of the C-2 Zoning District).
1c. Use building materials, cornice lines, signs, and awnings of a human scale in order to reduce the mass of buildings as experienced at the street level.
1d. Divide larger buildings into 'modules' that are similar in scale to traditional downtown buildings. Buildings should be designed with a recognizable base, middle, and top on all exposed elevations.
1e. Avoid blank walls along street-facing elevations.

Section 1.B.2. (BUILDING LOCATION)
It is important to establish a strong relationship among buildings, sidewalks, and streets. This is typically accomplished through consistent setbacks that locate buildings on the same line.
GUIDELINES:
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.
2b. Consider using landscape elements to define the sidewalk edge where a building is to be set back from the sidewalk.
2c. Maintain sight lines to historic buildings that were originally located in an open setting, providing setbacks for new buildings next to historic structures in order to preserve views.
2d. Limit grade separations above or below the sidewalk, generally no more than 3 feet. Allow for clear sightlines into and out of buildings and plazas.
2e. Design private plazas to be pedestrian-friendly. Provide human-scale amenities and include landscaping.

Section 1.B.3. (BUILDING MATERIALS)
New building materials should relate to the scale, durability, color, and texture of the predominate building materials in the area.
GUIDELINES:
3a. Use complimentary materials and elements, especially next to historic buildings.

Section 1.B.4. (ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER)
Buildings should be visually interesting to invite exploration by pedestrians. A building should express human scale through materials and forms that were seen traditionally. This is important because buildings are experienced at close proximity by the pedestrian.
GUIDELINES:
4a. Encourage first floor uses that draw walk-in traffic; businesses that do not require pedestrian traffic should be located on other floors.
4b. Enhance pedestrian interest in commercial and office buildings by creating a largely transparent and consistent rhythm of entrances and windows.
4c. Scale first floor signs to pedestrians.
4d. Differentiate the architectural features of ground floors from upper floors with traditional considerations such as show-windows, transoms, friezes, and sign boards.
4e. Design top floors to enhance the skyline of the block through cornices and details that are harmonious with adjacent architecture.
4f. Encourage the use of 'green roofs' and other sustainable practices, while minimizing the visual impact from the street.

Section 1.B.5. (GROUND FLOOR DOORS AND WINDOWS)
Entrances and ground floor windows should foster pedestrian comfort, safety and orientation. Not every building in downtown needs to have the same window or entry designs; however, repeating the pattern of historic openings helps to reinforce the character of downtown, differentiating it from suburban areas.
GUIDELINES:
5a. Use consistent rhythm of openings, windows, doorways, and entries.
5b. Orient primary front entrances to the main street; secondary entrances should be clearly defined and oriented to streets or alleys, as appropriate.
5c. Design entrances according to the proportions of the building's height and width.
5d. Consider corner entrances at the ends of blocks.
5e. All windows at the pedestrian level should be clear.
5f. Recess ground floor window frames and doors from the exterior building face to provide depth to the facade.

Section 1.B.7. (MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT AND SERVICE UTILITIES)
Utilities can include telephone and electrical lines, ventilation systems, gas meters, air conditioners, fire protection, telecommunication and alarm systems. Adequate space for these utilities should be planned in a project from the outset and they should be designed such that their visual and noise impacts are minimized.
GUIDELINES:
7a. Minimize the visual impact of mechanical equipment through screens or recessed/low-profile equipment.
7b. Do not locate units on a primary facade.
7c. Screen rooftop vents, heating/cooling units and related utilities with parapet walls or other screens. Consider sound-buffering of the units as part of the design.
7d. Locate utility connections and service boxes on secondary walls.
7e. Reduce the visual impacts of trash storage and service areas by locating them at the rear of a building or off an alley, when possible.
7f. Screen dumpsters from view.
7g. Locate satellite dishes out of public view, where possible.
7h. Allow solar panels and other technological advances on rooftops and other unobtrusive locations. Solar panels should not be considered on the elevations of historic buildings.

Section 2.B.1. (RECOMMENDED SIGNS)
These recommendations for signs in the traditional grid district recognize that certain types of signs are more pedestrian-friendly and should be encouraged within the grid district.
GUIDELINES:
1a. Wall signs on sign boards that are above a transom or first story and mounted flush to the building façade.
1b. Projecting signs of modest size (9 square feet, maximum); a larger sign must be approved by the board.
1c. Window signs, less than 30 percent coverage, including neon signs.
1d. Building name sign and/or building directory.