Recommendation
Staff recommends postponement of Certificate 8-A-25-IH to allow the applicant to submit new plans that better align with the design guidelines and the context.
Applicant Request
New primary structure.- 1. The average setback of the blockface is 24', with the adjacent house at 21'. The house is proposed to be set 33.7' from the front lot line, so the house should be moved closer to the front lot line to align with the existing house. The final site plan should include a walkway from the stoop to the street.
- 2. Parking is a front-entry garage that is accessed from Savoy Street. The design guidelines discourage parking in the front yard and state that on lots without alleys "garages… should be at least 20 feet behind the front façade." The proposed front-entry garage should be omitted in favor of a single-lane driveway that extends 20' behind the façade, or the location should be revised to the rear of the house. The final site plan should meet City Engineering standards.
- 3. Guidelines recommend that existing healthy trees on the site be preserved and protected during construction. The mature oak tree at the rear of the property should be preserved and protected, unless revisions to parking make removal necessary. The final site plan should include a native or naturalized shade tree in the front and rear yards.
- 4. The block to receive new construction lacks significant context as it primarily features vacant lots and infill construction from the last five years. The house is significantly wider than the other houses on the block, which range in width from 24'-44', and the front-entry garage makes it deeper than others on the block. The house's ranch form is not found on the block or elsewhere in the surrounding neighborhood. The Board should discuss if the width, depth, and ranch form of the proposed house and if it is appropriate for the context.
- 5. The four-bay, one-story façade is similar in height to the context, but it is significantly wider in scale.
- 6. The design features a 6' wide by 8' deep stoop recessed under the front-gable massing shared with the garage. The guidelines recommend that new construction feature porches with proportions and supports similar to the context, allowing for stoops where porches are not traditional. The stoop should be widened to be a partial width porch supported by two columns.
- 7. Guidelines recommend window and door styles be similar to historic houses on the block with a similar ratio of solid to void. The proposed half-lite paneled front door is appropriate. The 4/4 single-hung and 1/1 single-hung windows are compatible with the context, and the façade and rear elevation feature a sufficient ratio of solid to void. However, the fixed window on the right elevation should be revised to be single-hung, and a window should be added to the left elevation, to be approved by staff.
- 8. The 6/12 pitch side-gable roof is the minimum typically approved by the design guidelines, and the design benefits from the partial cornice returns and rake mold trim, which should be retained.
- 9. The asphalt shingles meet the design guidelines. The horizontal siding should be clapboard style with an overlap, as opposed to Dutch lap, flush panel, or board-and-batten siding. The cement wash on the block foundation should be revised to a parge-coat or stucco cladding.
Property Notes / Work to be Completed
- New primary structure fronting Savoy Street. One-story residence features an exterior of horizontal siding, a 6/12 pitch side gable roof with three front-gable massings clad in asphalt shingles, and a cement-washed concrete block foundation. The house will be 64' wide by 46' deep (not including rear deck, 32' without garage) and is proposed to be set 33.7' from the front lot line. It features a 6' wide by 8' deep concrete stoop recessed under part of a front-gable massing that is supported by one 8" square column. Parking is a projecting front-entry two-car garage that is accessed via a 20' wide concrete driveway from Savoy Street.
- The façade features four bays, with a front-gable massing with a 4/4 single-hung window with shutters in the leftmost bay, followed by paired 4/4 single-hung windows with shutters on the main massing, and two telescoped front-gable massings with shakes in the gable fields containing the stoop, half-lite front door, and the garage door make up the right two bays. The left elevation is devoid of windows, and the right elevation features one fixed window. The rear elevation features four 1/1 single-hung windows flanking full-lite doors leading to a raised wooden deck.
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
August 20, 2025
Lonsdale Infill Housing Overlay District
3305 Savoy St. 37921
RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood)
