Historic Zoning Commission

Fourth and Gill H: Level II

8-G-22-HZ

Applicant Request

New rear addition, featuring a basement-level two-car garage and a covered deck. New in-ground pool.

Demolition of existing wooden deck and stairs.

Addition: rectangular addition features a basement-level, two-car garage, constructed of CMU and clad in wood lap siding to match the main house, topped by a cross-gable roof with wood pergolas extending from each elevation. The addition measures approximately 24' by 24'-8" overall, and projects from the right side of the rear elevation. The garage addition is adjoined by a 4' by 9'-6.5" lower-level massing on the east side (half-bath), and an outdoor shower. The addition's roof features open gables with a decorative wood truss designs on the rear and left (north) side elevations, and will be supported by square wood columns. A 7' tall by 18' wide garage door is located on the rear (east) elevation, with two double-hung windows on the south (left side) elevation.

Pool: new in-ground pool, measuring 40' by 20', to be located at the northeast corner of the property. Pool will be surrounded by a concrete pool deck measuring 10' wide on north east, and west, elevations, and extending 20'-5.5" south towards the driveway and addition. Project also includes a new CMU retaining wall running east-west on the property, with a new fence.

CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL PER 8.18.22 HZC MEETING:
Staff recommends approval of Certificate 8-G-22-HZ, subject to the following conditions:
1) Final site plan to remain within impervious surface limits for RN-2 zoning;
2) Applicant to submit final specifications for garage doors and south elevation windows to staff for approval;
3) Porch roof details to be redesigned to be compatible yet secondary to the primary house, removing the side-facing gable or enclosing the gable field in siding;
4) Retaining wall to be constructed of stone or feature natural stone cladding (can be thin), and final fence design to meet the design guidelines, with approval by staff;
5) Pergola to be painted or stained to be a color compatible with the main house.

Site Info

One-story, hipped-roof residence with a full-length front porch and a hipped roof. Door features sidelights and transom.

1. 1214 Luttrell Street is a contributing resource to the Fourth & Gill National Register Historic District and local overlay. The double lot (105' wide) is uniquely large for the neighborhood.

2. The house's rear elevation was modified in 2018 (10-G-18-HZ), including the removal of a non-historic enclosed back porch section and the construction of a new wood deck. The application does not include modifications to the existing rear elevation, and will retain the existing rear doors. The 2018 deck is proposed to be removed.

3. The addition is proposed for the rear of the historic house, on an elevation which has been modified at least twice; placement of the addition meets the design guidelines. At two stories tall, 24' wide by approximately 24'-8" long, with an additional lower-level section measuring 4' wide by 9'-6.5" long, the addition is large in size. The Commission may choose to discuss the overall size of the addition in relation to the main house.

4. The construction of an attached garage on a rear elevation and lower level of the house meets the design guidelines, and it does not require the removal of historic features. The garage will use an existing driveway and will not require a new curb cut. All site plan modifications should stay within the impervious surface limits for the City's RN-2 zoning. Final specs for the garage doors should be submitted to staff for approval.

5. The addition's roofline is stepped significantly below that of the primary house, and one level is below the grade visible on Luttrell Street. The roofline is subordinate to the main house. The open-truss timber design featured on both porch gables is a contemporary design not compatible with a historic house, and the side gable will be visible from Luttrell Street. Porch roof details should be redesigned to be more compatible with a Neoclassical-style Queen Anne Cottage (enclosing the gables with siding, modifying the cross-gable detail, or other tactic).

6. Wood pergolas are a decorative element which could easily be removed without effect on the historic house, though the Commission may choose to discuss their size, proportion, and visibility from the street.

7. The proposed wood lap siding on the side elevations is compatible with the main house. The two windows proposed for the south elevation addition contribute additional transparency; final specifications should be submitted to staff to confirm they meet design guidelines.

8. The Fourth & Gill Design Guidelines do not include recommendations for pools. Comparable districts with guidelines on swimming pools (Old North Knoxville), which state "swimming pools were not part of the original fabric of the neighborhood, and should be designed to be as unobtrusive as possible" and "...swimming pools must be carefully designed to be compatible with the historic appearance of the neighborhood." Mechanicsville's guidelines also state the same and note that "it must be an in-ground pool." The pool will be in-ground, towards the rear of the property, and recessed below a retaining wall and fence. The pool should be recessed as far towards the rear property line as possible.

9. The pool will be minimally visible from the public right-of-way, though renderings indicate the fence and the retaining wall will be visible from Luttrell Street. Any visible elements of the retaining wall should avoid the appearance of flat, simple CMU and instead be clad in stone or finished to resemble cast stone (to resemble the "stone foundation" recommended for fences in the guidelines). The fence should be constructed of wood or wrought material and contribute to the inconspicuous nature of the new pool.