Level III: New Primary Structure
7-B-22-IH
Approved With Conditions
Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of Certificate 7-B-22-IH, subject to the following conditions:1) Revisions to front and side setbacks to be compatible with context, with approval by staff;
2) Revisions to proposed parking to avoid front yard and meet design guidelines, with approval by staff;
3) Final site plan to meet City Engineering standards;
4) Foundation height to be compatible with block and neighborhood context;
5) Revise off-center placement of front door, add at least one window to the rear elevation, and revise open-gable porch design;
6) Introduce differentiation in design between 3327, 3331, and 3335 Johnston Street.
Property Notes / Work to be Completed
- New primary residence fronting Johnston Street. One-story, side-gable roof residence measures 30' wide by 40' long, with a 9' deep front porch centered on the façade (east). The house is proposed to be set approximately 31' from the front property line, with the front porch set 22' from the front property line. The parking is proposed as a 20' by 20' concrete parking pad in the front yard.
- The one-story house features a 6/12 pitch, side-gable roof clad in asphalt shingles, an exterior of vinyl slap siding, and a brick or stone-clad foundation. The house features a 20' wide, 9' deep front porch centered on the façade, featuring a front gable roof with an open beam detail. The porch also features a square horizontal beam support, "accented to appear as timber beams," supported by two square 6 by 6 posts. The façade (east) features an off-center door and two one-over-one windows. The left (south) elevation features three bays of one-over-one windows, with three bays of windows and a secondary entry on the right elevation. The rear elevation features no windows except a narrow transom, centered 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.
- 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.
- 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. 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.
- 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 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.
- 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 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.
- The front elevation should be designed to be similar in scale to the 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' 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.
- Porches should be part of the housing design in those neighborhoods where porches were commonplace.
- 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.
- When constructing new houses, the windows 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 Infill neighborhoods.
- New roofs should be designed to have a similar pitch to original housing on the block.
- 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.
- Clapboard-like materials 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 infill lots with 25 feet or more in depth to front of house.
- 1. Front Yards
Meeting Date
July 20, 2022
Lonsdale Infill Housing Overlay District
3327 Johnston St. 37921
RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood)
Applicant / Owner
