7-C-23-DT

Level III: Vintage Cal, 121 Union Avenue

Approve Subject To Conditions

APPROVE Certificate 7-C-23-DT, subject to the following conditions:1) Final site plan and parking garage to meet City Engineering standards;2) Final landscaping plan to meet standards of City zoning code (12.2) and design guidelines;3) Any mechanical equipment or service utilities not shown on plans to be placed on secondary elevations and receive screening as necessary; 4) Signage to return to Design Review Board as a separate application;5) Final project to comply with any applicable redevelopment agreements with the City of Knoxville; 6) Applicant to pursue necessary rezoning within DK subdistricts to allow for current program, or submit revised designs to Design Review Board.

Case File

Recommendation

Staff recommends approval of Certificate 7-C-23-DT, subject to the following conditions:
1) Final site plan and parking garage to meet City Engineering standards;
2) Final landscaping plan to meet standards of City zoning code (12.2) and design guidelines;
3) Any mechanical equipment or service utilities not shown on plans to be placed on secondary elevations and receive screening as necessary;
4) Signage to return to Design Review Board as a separate application;
5) Final project to comply with any applicable redevelopment agreements with the City of Knoxville;
6) Applicant to pursue necessary rezoning within DK subdistricts to allow for current program, or submit revised designs to Design Review Board.

Applicant Request

Level III: New building

- SUMMARY: Proposed new 6-story, mixed-use construction (five stories of residential apartments above a mixed-use ground-floor level, with two stories of structured parking to the rear (east). The building is proposed for a rectangular site at the intersection of Union Avenue and State Street, currently featuring a surface parking lot. The building features a two-story parking garage underneath the building. The building is S-shaped, featuring two amenity decks on the second floor, with one facing the west and one facing the east.
- SITE LAYOUT AND ACCESS: The parking garage features two access points for the separate levels: one 24'-2" wide access drive on the basement level extending north off Union Ave, and one 24' wide on the ground floor, extending east off State Street. The building features multiple ground-level pedestrian access points, including off private stoops on the State Street elevation, and several entries to the retail tenant, private office spaces, and the apartment leasing office on the southwest corner of the building.
- DESIGN ELEMENTS: The flat roof building rests on a foundation of cast-in-place concrete. The design features a primary exterior element of Nichiha fiber cement panels of grey architectural block, with recessed panels of wood-look fiber cement panels and ribbed black metal-look fiber cement panels on recessed vertical bands. Vertical bays extend upwards on the five residential stories, featuring single and paired single-light fiberglass windows, and full-light paired aluminum-clad wood entry doors with balconies. The ground level fronting State Street features dark gray brick and wood-look fiber cement panel accents, and with single door entries along State Street and multiple storefront systems on the southwest corner. A flat metal awning projects above recessed patio space on the southwest corner.
- The application also includes information on the building's lighting program, with landscaping indicated on renderings. The waste management room is indicated on the northwest corner of the building, with waste pickup locations on the north end of the building fronting State Street.

Property Notes / Work to be Completed

- 1. The building is proposed for a surface parking lot, surrounded by c.2015 multi-family residential to the north, a structured parking lot to the west, and the State Street parking garage to the south. To the east is a KUB substation and James White Parkway. Non-parking structures on this block are largely residential, including the Cal Johnson Building at 301 State Street, with the Marble Alley apartments as contemporary-style new construction. These blocks do not feature a consistent architectural context.
- 2. The application includes a two-level parking garage, with access to each level off Union Avenue and State Street. The Union Avenue parking access will replace an existing curb cut to the surface parking lot, so only one new curb cut will be created in the sidewalk. The curb cut on the north end will be close in proximity to an existing curb cut/garage access for the Marble Alley development. Overall, the access points meet the design guidelines as they will not create additional safety issues for pedestrians. The parking garage meets the guidelines as it's located under the structure, providing for retail, residential, and office uses that line the garage, with a commercial use at a corner location. The final site plan and garage should meet City Engineering standards.
- 3. Guidelines encourage maintaining a pedestrian-scaled environment from block to block; this building will reinforce the pedestrian environment along State Street, creating additional pedestrian traffic to residential and commercial uses within the building. The building has a distinct ground floor, separated from the upper-level residential floors, divided into a base and top. The building avoids blank walls along street facing elevations; the garage on the east side faces a KUB substation with minimal pedestrian traffic.
- 4. The design includes retail and office uses on the first story, meeting the guidelines which encourage incorporating first floor uses open to pedestrians. This area is downtown is mostly residential. Guidelines also encourage creating a "largely transparent and consistent rhythm of entrances and windows" on the ground floor. The building meets these guidelines, with entrances proportionate to the building's height and width, and primary front entrances oriented to the main street.
- 5. Guidelines recommend the use of building materials that "relate to the scale, durability, color, and texture of the predominate building materials in the area." The surrounding area is characterized by new infill construction and concrete parking garages, though historic masonry buildings are located further to the northwest, west, and south. Fiber cement siding does not demonstrate the same durability or detail as historic masonry. In the opinion of staff, the vertical "wood-look" fiber cement does not usually complement the character of downtown Knoxville, as unfinished wood siding would not have been applied to multi-story downtown buildings. In this instance, it is on recessed massings, which does contribute depth, and used as a secondary material.
- 6. The proposal meets the guidelines for residential buildings, with residential accesses elevated "so that pedestrians cannot look directly into the residence from the street level," and separating entrances to residential sections from pedestrian flow on the sidewalk via stoops.
- 7. Any exterior mechanical equipment or service utilities not indicated on plans should be located on secondary elevations and receive screening as necessary. Lighting should meet City standards for exterior lighting.
- 8. The signs depicted on the elevation drawings do not contain sufficient information for the DRB's review at this time. A separate signage application should be submitted to the DRB for further review.
- 9. As proposed, the design currently incorporates ground-floor residential uses in the DK-G subdistrict. The applicant intends to pursue a rezoning to a subdistrict of DK zoning which allows ground-floor residential uses. DRB approval would be contingent on the applicant receiving the rezoning. As currently proposed, the design meets the dimensional and design standards of the DK-B district.

Applicable Guidelines

Downtown Design Guidelines

- A. Public Realm
- 1. Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
- 1g. Consolidate curb-cuts and locate driveways near mid-block, when necessary; alley access should be provided for service and parking, if feasible.
- 3. Parking Facilities
- 3a. Create parking garages that do not contain blank walls. Allow for future commercial uses that may not be feasible at the time of construction.
- 3b. Locate parking garages under structures, or provide for retail, residential or office uses that line the garage. Corner locations are preferable for commercial uses.
- 3g. Access to parking garages should not limit options for future development of contiguous or adjoining space, especially on corners.
- 4. Downtown Beautification
- 4a. Foster downtown beautification with landscaping and plantings, public art, and public open space.
- 4c. Plant street trees where possible. Choose tree planting locations that will not significantly alter the setting of or harm the materials of historic buildings.
- 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.
- 2b. Consider using landscape elements to define the sidewalk edge where a building is to be set back from the sidewalk.
- 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.
- 2e. Design private plazas to be pedestrian-friendly. Provide human-scale amenities and include landscaping.
- 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.
- 5d. Consider corner entrances at the ends of blocks.
- 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 facade.
- 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.
- 7g. Locate satellite dishes out of public view, where possible.
- 7h. Allow solar panels and other technological advances on rooftops and other unobtrusive locations. Solar panels should not be considered on the elevations of historic buildings.