8-F-22-DT

Level III: The Ridgehouse: New Multi-family Development

Approve Subject To Conditions

APPROVE Certificate 8-G-22-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 incorporated in construction drawings should 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) Garage finishes and screening to return to Design Review Board.

Case File

Recommendation

Staff recommends APPROVAL of Certificate 8-G-22-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 incorporated in construction drawings should 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.

Applicant Request

Level III: New construction

- SUMMARY: Proposed new 5-6 story, multi-family construction (five stories of residential apartments above a basement level). The new building is proposed for an irregularly-shaped site at the intersection of E. Hill Avenue and James White Parkway; the site features an existing building recessed towards the west and a surface parking lot. The building will feature an internal four-story parking garage adjoining the east side of the existing building; the multi-family building will wrap around the north, west, and south of the central parking garage and occupy most of the remaining property. An irregularly-shaped, two-story amenity space and second-story pool will align with the southeastern corner of E. Hill Avenue.
- SITE LAYOUT AND ACCESS: The parking garage will be accessed on the east elevation via an existing approximately 28' wide driveway extending west from E. Hill Avenue, leading to the lowest level of the interior parking garage. A second, existing access from the south/southeast corner of the property will remain, providing access to the surface parking on the west side. Pedestrian access is limited to internal points on the west elevation.
- DESIGN ELEMENTS: The flat-roof building rests on a foundation clad in alternating sections of brick and stone veneer. The design features alternating vertical bands of cementitious lap siding (in multiple colors), wood-look cementitious siding, board-and-batten composite siding, and stucco. Recessed bays alternate with slightly projecting bays. The windows are full-light storefront windows of multiple rectangular sizes, some featuring full-light entry doors to balconies. The roofline features a multi-tiered parapet cornice with a sheet metal cap. Balconies are prefinished black aluminum guardrails. The amenity space with a second-story pool is triangular in shape and will be clad in brick with cast stone insets, bases, and caps, and aluminum storefront windows below.
- One sign is proposed for the east elevation, adjacent to the parking access, and one wall sign is proposed for the north elevation corner. The application also includes a landscaping plan including tree and shrub plantings around E. Hill Avenue and the retention of multiple existing trees to the rear of the site. There is no exterior mechanical equipment depicted in the drawings. Depicted lighting includes sconce patio lighting and internally illuminated signage.

Property Notes / Work to be Completed

- 1. The property is an outlier of DK zoning, located to the far east of other DK-zoned properties. Previously zoned C-2, the property would not have been subject to design review prior to the new zoning ordinance. The surrounding area is characterized by large architectural and highway development developed in the late 1960s and 1970s, along with new construction multi-family buildings to the south and southwest adjacent to the river. The surrounding area lacks a consistent building pattern or historic context (compared to existing blocks on Gay Street, for example).
- 2. The application includes surface parking to the west of the property and a four-story parking garage. Both parking areas will use existing access points; no new curb cuts will be created. The four-story parking garage will not be visible from the public right-of-way, as the building wraps around the north, east, and south elevations and adjoins an existing building. The building wrap is a creative solution to provide parking while ensuring "new parking facilities remain subordinate to the street scene." The existing access points meet the intent of the design guidelines, as they will not create additional safety issues for pedestrians and will not create new curb cuts in the sidewalk. The final site plan and parking layout should meet all City Engineering standards.
- 3. The design incorporates alternating vertical bands of materials, alternating vertical recessions or projections, balconies, and full-light windows. There is a sufficient amount of upper-level transparency on all elevations; the proposal avoids large swaths of siding with no windows. The proposal includes a consistent rhythm of openings, windows, doorways, and entrances. The guidelines recommend dividing large buildings into "'modules' that are similar in scale to traditional downtown buildings" with a "recognizable base, middle, and top on all exposed elevations." The design includes vertical bands to break up the massing, along with a brick foundation base and a parapet-topped roofline.
- 4. The overall design does not include any commercial or retail uses on the first story. Many guidelines encourage incorporating first floor uses that are open to pedestrians and draw walk-in traffic. This area of downtown is largely residential, marked by wide multi-lane roads, and does not feature many other commercial or retail spaces. Guidelines encourage creating a "largely transparent and consistent rhythm of entrances and windows" on the ground floor. The proposal includes windows, balconies, and full-height doors at the first floor, along with additional transparency on the corner below the pool deck, though the topography and foundation design will create some blank walls at the pedestrian level along E. Hill Avenue. Overall, there is sufficient ground-level transparency to meet the guidelines. Final elevation drawings should confirm the design meets all design standards for the DK-B zoning.
- 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 does not demonstrate much continuity in materials; adjacent residential development is new construction, clad in fiber cement lap siding. In the opinion of staff, the vertical "wood-look" fiber cement siding provided as an accent 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 in an area characterized by new construction, and may be appropriate.
- 6. The application does not include complete details on lighting or mechanical equipment and service utilities. Any exterior mechanical equipment or service utilities should be located on secondary elevations and receive screening if necessary to meet the guidelines. Lighting should meet City standards for exterior lighting.
- 7. The signs depicted on the elevation drawings do not contain sufficient information for the DRB's review at this time. The proposed signs are large in size to be located on a solely residential building. A separate signage application should be submitted to the DRB for further review.

Applicable Guidelines

Downtown Design Guidelines

- A. Public Realm
- 3. Parking Facilities: it is important to ensure that parking facilities (both public and private) are safe, accessible, and clearly marked. New parking facilities should be designed to be attractive, compatible additions to downtown. In general, new parking facilities should remain subordinate to the street scene.
- 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.
- 3d. Screen surface lots, where they abut a public sidewalk, with decorative walls, fencing, and landscaping.
- 36. Access to parking garages should not limit options for future development of contiguous or adjoining space, especially on corners.
- B. Private Realm
- 1. Building Mass, Scale, and Form
- Building form should be consistent with the character of downtown as an urban setting and should reinforce the pedestrian activity at the street level. Creating pedestrian-scale buildings, especially at street level, can reduce the perceived mass of buildings. Historically, building technology limited height and subsequently created pedestrian-scaled buildings typically less than 10 stories. Building technology no longer limits the height of buildings, however, there is still a need for buildings that respond to pedestrians. The use of 'human-scale' design elements is necessary to accomplish this. Human-scale design elements are details and shapes that are sized to be proportional to the human body, such as upper-story setbacks, covered entries, and window size and placement.
- 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 large 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
- It is important to establish a strong relationship among buildings, sidewalks, and streets. This is typically accomplished through consistent setbacks that locate buildings on the same line.
- 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.
- 2c. Maintain sight lines to historic buildings that were originally located in an open setting, providing setbacks for new buildings next to historic structures in order to preserve views.
- 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.
- 3. Building Materials
- New building materials should relate to the scale, durability, color, and texture of the predominate building materials in the area.
- 4. Architectural Character
- Buildings should be visually interesting to invite exploration by pedestrians. A building should express human scale through materials and forms that were seen traditionally. This is important because buildings are experienced at close proximity by the pedestrian.
- 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
- Entrances and ground floor windows should foster pedestrian comfort, safety, and orientation. Not every building downtown needs to have the same window or entry designs; however, repeating the pattern of historic openings helps to reinforce the character of downtown, differentiating it from suburban areas.
- 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.
- 5f. Recess ground floor window frames and doors from the exterior building face to provide depth to the façade.
- 6. Residential Buildings
- Solely residential buildings, such as townhouses and apartment buildings, are rare in downtown Knoxville. Privacy and safety are concerns with residential units that meet the sidewalk. Mixed use buildings, with apartments above shops or offices, can avoid these challenges and add to downtown vitality.
- 6a. Elevate the first floor of townhouses and apartment buildings so that pedestrians cannot look directly into the residence from the street 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 as part of the design.
- 7d. Locate utility connections and service boxes on secondary walls.
- 7f. Screen dumpsters from view.