Recommendation
The Board should discuss the installed porch supports and the reduction of the roofline's overall complexity. Staff recommends approval of Certificate 6-B-25-IH, subject to the following conditions: 1) the window and door trim to be included as shown in the plans; 2) final door specifications to be submitted to staff for review; 3) final siding material to be horizontal, clapboard-style lap siding with an overlap, as opposed to Dutch lap, flush panel, or board-and-batten siding; 4) the walkway from the porch to the street, the native or naturalized shade trees in the front and rear yards, and the parking accessed via the alley to be installed as indicated on the site plan
Applicant Request
Revisions to 6-E-24-IH- 1. The house is currently under construction and is being sent back to the Board for review after the building inspector identified major deviations from the approved plans.
- 2. The block to receive new construction is characterized by Minimal Traditionals and infill construction. The previously approved design incorporated several details to align with the context that have been removed. The one-story, three-bay house is proportional to the dimensions of the lot and other houses on the block and is compatible in scale and width to the context.
- 3. Parking is proposed to be accessed from the alley, which meets design guidelines.
- 4. Guidelines recommend that porches be at least 8' deep with supports compatible with the context. The porch meets the minimum depth. The Board should discuss whether modifications to the installed porch supports are necessary.
- 5. Guidelines recommend that windows and door styles are similar to historic houses on the block, with similar proportions and positions, and similar ratio of solid to void. Overall, the windows as installed meet the design guidelines, but the window and door trim detailed on the original plans should be included to contribute additional detail. Final door specifications should be sent to staff for review.
- 6. The 8/12 pitch, front-gable roof clad in asphalt shingles meets the design guidelines but lacks the added complexity of the original design. The Board should discuss if additional complexity is necessary.
- 7. The original application did not specify siding material and siding has yet to be installed. The final siding material should be horizontal, clapboard-style lap siding with an overlap instead of Dutch lap or flush panel siding.
- 8. The native and naturalized shade trees in the front and rear yards, indicated on the site plan, should be installed.
Property Notes / Work to be Completed
- After-the-fact review of revisions to COA for 6-E-24-IH. Revisions include:
- Installation of 1/1 single-hung windows instead of windows shown on plans. Removal of paired fixed windows in the front-gable field. Installation of single instead of paired windows on the façade and on both side elevations. Replacement of the proposed paired 8" square porch columns with capitals and bases and a handrailing with five small square posts. Revision to the porch foundation from brick piers with lattice to concrete block. Removal of the cornice returns, rake mold trim, standing seam metal, and header from the gables. Removal of the gable-roof massing and the upper level window from the right elevation. Removal of the chimney on the left elevation. Replacement of a large multi-pane fixed window with a slider window and removal a basement window and the gable vent on the rear elevation.
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
June 18, 2025
Oakwood/Lincoln Park Infill Housing Overlay District
721 Oglewood Ave. 37917
RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood)
