Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of Certificate 8-A-26-IH, subject to the following conditions:1) the final site plan to meet City Engineering standards, with minor revisions to be approved by staff;2) major changes to the foundation height to return to the Board for review;3) retaining the porch posts, trims, and gable brackets as depicted.
Property Notes / Work to be Completed
- New primary residence fronting Texas Avenue. The one-story house is 25' wide by 50' long (excluding porch), with a front gable roof (8/12 pitch, clad in an unspecified material) and a centrally located porch projecting 8' covered by a smaller front gable roof (8/12 pitch). The house will be clad in vinyl lap siding and features eight 6/6 double-hung windows and one 4/4 double hung window. The house is proposed to be set 25' from the front property line, on a concrete foundation with parge coat, or clad in brick venner or stucco. A concrete parking pad is proposed behind the house and accessed via the alley. Site plan includes a tree in the front and rear yards and a walkway from the street to the front porch and another walkway from the parking pad to a secondary entracne on the right elevation.
- The façade (south) features a centrally located paneled door flanked by one 6/6 double-hung window on each side. The porch is supported by four 10" framed columns. The left elevation features two 6/6 double-hung windows and one smaller 4/4 double-hung window. The right elevation features two 6/6 double-hung windows and a door. The rear elevation features two 6/6 double-hung windows.
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. House Orientation and Side Lots
- 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 level ground, pea gravel or similar material may be used as a parking pad off alleys.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, antebellum columns and other materials that were not used in the early 1900's should not be used.
- 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 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 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 Materials
- 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.
- 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 infill lots with 25 feet or more in depth to front of house.
- 1. Front Yards
Meeting Date
August 19, 2026
Lonsdale Infill Housing Overlay District
1725 Texas Ave. 37921
RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood)
Applicant
