6-G-21-IH

Level III: New Primary Structure

Approved With Conditions

Recommendation

Staff recommends approval of Certificate 6-G-21-IH, with the following conditions:
1) Confirm front setback's consistency with historic houses on the block; if necessary, move the house slightly towards the rear property line, with approval by staff;
2) Include a walkway from the street to the front door;
3) Use horizontal lap siding with an overlap instead of board-and-batten or Dutch lap;
4) Final drawings and site plan to omit rear carport;
5) Final site plan and parking to meet City Engineering standards;
6) Final site plan should include a native or naturalized shade tree in both rear and front yards.

Property Notes / Work to be Completed

- New primary residence fronting Atlantic Avenue. One-and-one-half story, cross-gable roof residence measuring 28'-8" wide by 60'-2" long, with a smaller front-gable roof massing projecting from the left half of the façade, adjacent to a recessed corner porch on the right. The house is proposed to be set 21' from the front property line. Parking is provided by an existing driveway extending off Atlantic Avenue to an existing garage, located at the rear of the property. The alley is unimproved.
- The elevation drawings include an "optional carport" on the rear, which will not be constructed.
- The house features a 7/12 pitch on the primary side gable, with a 10/12 pitch on the centrally-located front gable; roof will be clad in asphalt shingles. Exterior will be clad in lap siding; material is not specified. Windows are 2/2, double-hung sash (no material specified). The façade (north) features a 6' deep, recessed corner porch. The porch roof has exposed rafter tails. A centrally-located, half-light door is flanked by two bays of paired 2/2 double-hung windows. The central front gable on the façade is clad in shingle siding, and both façade gables feature rectangular louvered vents.
- The right side elevation features a small shed-roof section which projects, and three different sizes of windows, including one double-hung window on the second-story gable field. The left elevation features three double-hung, 2/2 windows and two small fixed lights. A screened-in porch is located on the rear corner of the property.

Applicable Guidelines

Heart of Knoxville Infill Housing Design 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.
  - When several infill houses, porches and the habitable portion of each house should be about the same distance from the street as the original houses.
  - 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.
- 2. House Orientation and Side Yards
  - New housing should be proportional to the dimensions of the lot and other houses on the block.
  - Side yard setbacks should be similar to older houses on the block, keeping the rhythm of spacing between houses consistent.
- 3. Alleys, Parking, and Services
  - Parking should not be in front yards.
  - Alley access should be used for garage or parking pad locations.
  - On streets without alleys, garages or parking pads should be at least 20' behind the front façade of the infill house with access limited to one lane between the street and the front façade.
  - On those streets which have alleys, driveways should not be permitted from the front of the house.
  - Alley oriented parking pads, garbage collection points, and utility boxes should be screened with a combination of landscaping and fencing.
- 4. Scale, Mass, and Foundation Height
  - The front elevation should be designed to be similar in scale to the 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.
- 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' 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.
- 6. Windows and Doors
  - When constructing new houses, the windows 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 façade 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.
- 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 Infill neighborhoods.
- 8. Siding Materials
  - Clapboard-like materials 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.
- 11. Landscape and Other Considerations
  - One native or naturalized shade tree should be planted in the front and rear yards of infill lots with 25 feet or more in depth to front of house