4-B-23-DT

Level III: 115 E Jackson Ave

Approve Subject To Conditions

APPROVE 4-B-23-DT, subject to the condition that the following additional details return to the Board for further review: 1) final site plan, shown to meet City Engineering standards for access and parking, with additional details on pedestrian safety at the sidewalk; 2) revised roofline, reduced in height and visual impact to be compatible with surrounding context; 3) material samples for all proposed siding materials, including final material specs and a section, showing depth and detail to be compatible with the historic district; 4) specific window details, including material specs and a section, with depth and detail to be compatible with the historic district; and 4) any signage to be installed on the building (can be submitted at a later date as needed).

Case File

Recommendation

The Board should discuss the proposed building's overall height and scale in relation to the historic context. Pending Board discussion and approval of the building's height and scale, staff recommends the additional details return to the Board for further review: 1) final site plan, shown to meet City Engineering standards for access and parking, with additional details on pedestrian safety at the sidewalk; 2) revised roofline on the rooftop deck, reduced in height and visual impact to be compatible with surrounding context; 3) material samples for all proposed siding materials; 4) specific window details, including material specs and a section, with depth and detail to be compatible with the historic district; and 4) any signage to be installed on the building (can be submitted at a later date as needed).

Applicant Request

Level III: New building

- New construction building on an approximately 64' wide by 16' long site on the north side of E. Jackson Avenue, west of N. Central Street. The site is only recently a vacant lot; an existing historic building was demolished in March/April 2023 to accommodate the proposed structure. The site is within the Southern Terminal and Warehouse Historic District.
- The proposed building is a wood-frame on concrete podium structure, six stories tall, with an additional level of a roof deck. A parking deck is located on the rear. The building is proposed to be clad in "concrete skin" or concrete fiber façade panels, intended to imitate stone cladding, with panels of varying depth on the east (right side) elevation. The primary windows on the second through fifth stories are proposed to be aluminum or fiberglass, rectangular, six-light windows.
- The building is accessible via three pedestrian entries fronting E. Jackson Ave, and one automobile entry on the leftmost bay of the façade. The access is proposed to be 17' wide and will extend to the rear of the building, where a parking deck is located on the rear, adjacent to the railroad.
- The façade (south) is five bays in length. On the ground level, a gated entry to the parking deck occupies the first bay, followed by a bay of storefront windows, a bay containing a revolving door and a second pedestrian door within storefront windows, and two additional bays of storefront windows. The first three bays feature an upper level cantilevered over the recessed storefront, with the fourth bay recessing upwards five stories, and the final bay is flush with the overall building elevation. The fourth bay features recessed balconies on the third through fifth stories. The sixth story is recessed from the overall roofline and features full-length storefront windows and doors and an elevator shaft with a sloped roof on the right side. The rooftop deck features a prominent sloping roof on top of the 75' tall building.
- The east elevation features concrete fiber panels of varying depths. The rear (north) elevation features four levels of windows that match the facade, along with the fifth-story full-height storefront windows, and the rooftop deck enclosed by horizontal guardrails. Four stories of windows are located on the left side (west) elevation.
- Additional features include a row of lighting on the storefront overhang. Mechanical equipment will be located on the rear rooflines of the building.

Property Notes / Work to be Completed

- 1. The property occupies a newly vacated lot in the Southern Terminal and Warehouse National Register Historic District, described as the "Warehouse District" in the guidelines. The Warehouse District is described as "composed of masonry buildings ranging in height from one to five stories, with varying street frontages, giving a physical manifestation of the warehousing character that developed in this section of Knoxville." Redevelopment of vacant lots "should recognize the masonry, storefront windows, and varying setbacks and ages of construction that make the area unique." The Historic Resources section of the guidelines applies.
- 2. The guidelines recommend to "maintain the setback of adjacent historic buildings." The overall façade is largely aligned with the adjacent buildings; the storefront entries are recessed below a cantilevered upper-story massing, one bay of balconies is recessed, and the rightmost bay is aligned with the adjacent building. Constructing a new building that spans the entire width of the property is also appropriate for the historic context; the surrounding commercial historic district is characterized by blocks of adjacent, connecting buildings. The building's overall placement on the lot meets the design guidelines.
- 3. The proposed entry to the parking deck on the left bay will create a new curb cut and automobile crossing point over a sidewalk characterized by heavy pedestrian traffic. Guidelines for the public realm encourage considering pedestrians first and automobiles last in downtown development. While alley access is not an option for this site, the applicant should provide details on how automobiles and pedestrians walking along Jackson Avenue will safely interact. The adjacent building at 111 E. Jackson Avenue projects further to the sidewalk than the driveway, creating additional sight distance challenges. Per City Engineering, the initially-proposed driveway is too narrow (20' minimum width) and too close to the adjacent property line at the ROW.
- 4. The six-story building (with an upper-level deck with a prominent roofline) will occupy the site of a recently-demolished one-story building. The adjacent structures are two stories and three stories tall. The guidelines recommend that the "height of lower stories should be similar to adjacent historic buildings." The building is significantly taller than the surrounding historic district. The Board should discuss the proposed height of the building in relation to the surrounding historic district.
- 5. The prominent roofline on the roof deck contributes additional visual impact to the overall height. The rooftop deck's roofline is disproportionately tall to the building's scale and does not relate to the historic context, and should be revised.
- 6. Pedestrian access to the building is provided via a primary revolving door centered on the façade, and two additional storefront doors. The façade at ground level will maintain a pedestrian-scaled environment comparable to the adjacent buildings, and create a "transparent rhythm of entrances and windows" to engage pedestrian interest and draw walk-in traffic on the ground level commercial spaces. The façade also incorporates recessed and multiple entries recommended in the Historic Resources section of the guidelines.
- 7. Per the Historic Resources section for storefronts, the ground level incorporates storefront fenestrations which resemble the "industrial loading dock or garage doors" prominent on Jackson Avenue. The recessed access point is comparable to historic garage entries on the block. Storefronts are also recommended to complement "the openness, bulkheads, and transoms of historic buildings." The storefronts will be almost entirely open, using full transparency instead of bulkhead or transom forms.
- 8. Guidelines for window design, both in the general guidelines and the Historic Resources section, emphasize a pattern of solids to voids comparable to the district. The Historic Resource section recommends windows of similar proportions to adjacent historic windows. Overall, the proposal avoids blank walls along all street-facing elevations and shows a great deal of transparency. The multi-light, rectangular windows have proportions comparable to nearby historic windows.
- 9. Guidelines also emphasize maintaining typical window width, height, and spacing to be compatible with the context. In the Warehouse District, historic buildings in comparable forms use multi-light, steel industrial windows with individual panes and substantial, defined muntins and rails. A specific window material is not included in the application packet. Some contemporary window materials utilize muntins and rails applied to the exterior, or decorative muntins within the window panes, which do not have the depth and detail of historic warehouse-style windows. Renderings also show the windows as flush with the overall building elevations, while the historic examples shown as precedent have windows and frames inset within the buildings for additional depth. The applicant should submit specific window details for the materials selected, including a section, to illustrate complexity and detail compatible with the district.
- 10. An easement or other agreement with the adjacent property owner may be required to install windows on the left (west) elevation.
- 11. The building is proposed to be clad in a concrete skin, using concrete fiber panels intended to imitate stone. The Board should discuss the appropriate of an imitation stone cladding in a district characterized predominately by brick masonry structures. The applicant should provide material samples for all proposed siding materials, to confirm the products can appropriately reflect the detail and complexity of stone and not resemble thin, contemporary fiber cement panels.
- 12. The Historic Resources section recommends using "ornamental stone, brick work, and trim appropriate to the style of the infill building;" the proposed infill is a contemporary interpretation of the context, incorporating warehouse-style windows with siding elements from higher style Knoxville examples. The design omits decorative trim, brick work, or ornament.
- 13. The mechanical equipment meets the design guidelines as it is located on rear elevation roofs, not visible from the primary elevation.

Applicable Guidelines

Downtown Design Guidelines

- A. Public Realm
- 1. Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety: consider pedestrians first, then transit, then the automobile in designing and developing downtown places.
- 1g. Consolidate curb-cuts and locate driveways near mid-block, when necessary; alley access should be provided for service and parking, if possible.
- B. Private Realm
- 1. Building Mass, Scale, and Form
- 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 DK zoning, or buildings may be 'stepped back' on upper floors with lower floors meeting the sidewalk edge.
- 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.
- 2. Building Location
- 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.
- 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.
- 3. Building Materials
- 3a. Use complimentary materials and elements, especially next to historic buildings.
- 4. Architectural Character
- 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.
- 5. Ground Floor Doors and Windows
- 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.
- 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 façade.
- 6. Residential Buildings
- 6a. Elevate the first floor of townhouses and apartment buildings so that pedestrians cannot look directly into the residence from the sidewalk level.
- 6b. Design entrances to residential buildings so that access is separated from pedestrian flow on the sidewalk.
- 6c. Encourage the development of mixed-use buildings with apartments over lower story commercial uses.
- 7. Mechanical Equipment and Service Utilities
- 7a. Minimize the visual impact of mechanical equipment through screens or recessed/low-profile equipment.
- 7b. Do not locate units on a primary façade.
- 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.
- C. Historic Resources
- 2. Storefronts
- 2b. Along Jackson Avenue, retain industrial loading dock or garage doors (usually 10-12 feet wide and constructed of metal); these features may be incorporated in new construction (for example, where a loading dock or parking entrance is needed).
- 3. Entrances
- 3a. Establish recessed entries, either rectangular or with slightly canted sides, which are appropriate in storefronts.
- 3b. Allow for multiple entries on the first floor of the building, giving access to commercial space that may be divided into bays.
- 3c. Provide access to upper stories through additional entries.
- 4. Windows
- 4d. Maintain the relationship of solids to voids with new construction that is similar to other buildings in the district, including the typical width, height, spacing, and horizontal alignment of windows.
- 8. Awnings
- 8a. Allow awnings in traditional shapes and materials.
- 9. Lighting
- 9a. Use indirect lighting of the building façade where appropriate.
- 10. New Construction Within or Adjacent to an Historic District or Building: Infill construction should be designed to reflect architectural and historic qualities. Designs should not duplicate current buildings, issues of concern will be the siting, size, shape, proportion, materials, and relationship of all of those to the prevalent character of the historic district.
- 10a. Maintain the setback of adjacent historic buildings. The height of lower stories should be similar to adjacent historic buildings. Upper floors may be 'stepped back' behind the front façade.
- 10b. Duplicate the horizontal floor divisions of existing buildings.
- 10c. Design windows to be of similar proportions to the adjacent historic building windows.
- 10d. Use ornamental stone, brick work, and trim appropriate to the style of the infill building.
- 10e. Recognize the belt courses, string courses, cornices, and other elements of adjacent buildings.
- 10f. Incorporate storefronts that complement the openness, bulkheads, and transoms of historic buildings.
- C. The Warehouse District
- The area of Downtown Knoxville thought of the Warehouse District is composed of three distinct parts, all of which are historically significant. […] There are three areas with different architectural character in this district; each is eligible to be considered for a local historic overlay. This district has been designated as a Redevelopment Area by the City of Knoxville. The guidelines of this publication should be used in rehabilitation and redevelopment projects within the area, particularly when public funds are utilized.
- Jackson Avenue area from Gay Street east to Hall of Fame Drive: This area is composed of masonry buildings ranging in height from one to five stories, with varying street frontages, giving a physical manifestation of the warehousing character that developed in this section of Knoxville. There are a number of vacant parcels in this section as well, and redevelopment should recognize the masonry, storefront windows, and varying setbacks and ages of construction that make the area unique.