Level III: New Primary Structure
5-A-25-IH
Applicant Request
New primary structure.- 1. The proposed front setback is not specified on the site plan, but it appears to be approximately 40.' The average front setback of the block is 20', with the adjacent houses at 13' and 17.' The house should be moved closer to the front property line to align with the blockface, with final measurements to be approved by staff. The final site plan should include a walkway from the front porch to the sidewalk.
- 2. The block to receive new construction is characterized by shotguns, Minimal Traditionals, and infill construction. The 53' deep by 30' wide house is proportionate to the other houses on the block and the lot.
- 3. Parking is a gravel pad in front of the house and is accessed via Ohio Avenue. Guidelines recommend that on lots without alleys that parking be limited to one lane that extends at least 20' behind the front façade of the house. Parking should be revised to meet the design guidelines and avoid the front yard. The final site plan should meet City Engineering standards.
- 4. The three-bay, one-story façade is similar in height and scale to the context.
- 5. The design includes a half-length, 6' deep front porch recessed under a partial-hipped roof and supported by two 12" square columns. The porch depth should be revised to 8' to meet design guidelines.
- 6. Guidelines recommend window and door styles be similar to historic houses on the block with a similar ratio of solid to void. The 4/1 double-hung windows and half-lite paneled doors with trim match the context. One window should be added to the rear elevation to avoid large swaths of blank siding.
- 7. The 8/12 pitch roof matches the neighborhood context, and the design benefits from the overhanging eaves and rake mold trim.
- 8. The asphalt shingles and block foundation clad in "surewall" stucco meet the design guidelines. The brick veneer on the façade meets the design guidelines, though Infill Housing reviews typically encourage one primary type of siding on all elevations. Guidelines discourage the use of vertical siding, and board-and-batten siding may only be used as an accent instead of the primary siding material. The house should be clad in brick veneer on the whole house, as a detail element, or the house should feature consistent lap siding on all elevations; the primary siding material should be revised to a clapboard style lap siding with an overlap.
- 9. The final site plan should be revised to include a native or naturalized shade tree in the front and rear yards. Guidelines state that "Healthy trees that are outside the building footprint should be preserved." The remaining trees in the front and rear yards should be retained and indicated on the site plan, unless revisions to the parking location make removal necessary, in which case new trees will need to be planted.
Property Notes / Work to be Completed
- New primary structure fronting Ohio Avenue. One story residence will feature an exterior of vinyl board-and-batten siding, a front-gable roof clad in asphalt shingles (8/12 pitch) with eave overhangs, and a block foundation clad in "surewall" stucco . The house will be 53' deep by 30' wide, and the proposed front set back is not indicated on the site plan . It features a half-length, 6' deep front porch with a partial-width, hipped roof supported by two 12" square columns. Parking is a large gravel driveway (dimensions unspecified) accessed from Ohio Avenue.
- The façade (east) features three bays, with a projecting front-gable massing with paired windows in the left bay, a paneled half-lite door in the center bay, and paired windows in the right bay. The façade and its foundation are clad in brick veneer, with board-and-batten siding in the primary gable field. The right elevation features a pair of windows, and the left elevation features three windows and one transom window. The rear elevation features a secondary entrance and a front-gable flush with the main massing that is recessed under the primary roofline and is devoid of windows. All windows except the transom window are 4/1 and double-hung, with trim on all windows and doors.
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
May 21, 2025
Lonsdale Infill Housing Overlay District
1208 Ohio Ave. 37921
RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood)
