Level III: New Primary Structure
8-G-23-IH
Approved With Conditions
Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of Certificate 8-G-23-IH, subject to the following conditions:1) Final site plan and parking areas to meet City Engineering standards;
2) Any parking areas fronting Oswald Street to receive landscaping and screening to meet design guidelines;
3) Final drawings to meet standards of the I-MU zone and principal use standards for multi-family dwellings;
4) Specifications for final materials to be submitted to staff for approval.
Property Notes / Work to be Completed
- New multi-family building, part of a broader mixed-use development on an approximately 8-acre property in Lincoln Park which previously held manufacturing facilities and other industrial uses. The applicant rezoned the property from I-H (Heavy Industrial) to I-MU (Industrial Mixed-Use) to allow for compatible commercial, single-family residential, and multi-family residential uses. Three single-family houses have been constructed on the property, fronting Oswald Street (8-B-21-IH).
- The new building is C-shaped and two- and three-stories tall, featuring a flat roof, an exterior clad in brick and metal panel or fiber cement siding, and a brick-clad foundation. The C-shaped building wraps around the three single-family houses, with one two-story (with a third-story penthouse element) massing on the north side of the houses, a two-story massing on the west side of the houses, and a two-story massing with a recessed third-story penthouse on the south side of the houses.
- The north and south massings are predominately clad in brick veneer, featuring a series of projecting bays. Windows are evenly spaced along the facades (east elevations), aligned on first and second stories, using single-light metal casements with flat brick arches and sills. Similar patterns wrap around the north and south elevations. Full-light entry doors are accessed via concrete steps. The south massing features two second-story balconies towards the left side of the façade. On the south massing, a smaller third-story penthouse is recessed from the primary roofline, featuring a flat roof and a series of single-light windows.
- The center massing is clad in metal panel or fiber cement siding, with pass-throughs to access future adjacent pedestrian alley, featuring glass block adjacent to lower-level pass-throughs. Windows on the center massing are 2' by 4' and 4' by 3' metal casement and fixed windows.
- The site plan includes walkways from doors to the street. Parking is planned for shared parking lots located south and west of the buildings.
- The application includes phased construction for the north, center, and south massings.
- The application was postponed at the August 2023 meeting. Revisions to the design include minor modifications to the building footprint and revisions to setbacks (including moving the buildings closer to the street, to align with the single-family houses). The roofline of the third-story penthouse has been modified. Window placement on secondary elevations has been modified.
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.
- When several infill houses, porches and the habitable portion of each house should be about the same distance from the street as the original houses.
- 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 Yards
- 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 streets without alleys, garages or parking pads should be at least 20' behind the front façade of the infill house with access limited to one lane between the street and the front façade.
- On those streets which have alleys, driveways should not be permitted from the front of the house.
- Alley oriented parking pads, garbage collection points, and utility boxes should be screened with a combination of landscaping and fencing.
- 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 the other houses along the street.
- The front façade of new houses should be about the same width as original houses on the block.
- If extensions or bays were typically part of the neighborhood's historic house design, such elements should be incorporated into infill housing.
- 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 the 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' 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.
- Porches should be part of the housing design in those neighborhoods where porches were commonplace.
- 6. Windows and Doors
- When constructing new houses, the windows 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 windows 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 Infill neighborhoods.
- New roofs should be designed to have a similar pitch to original housing on the block.
- 8. Siding Materials
- Clapboard-like materials should be used in constructing new housing where painted wood siding was traditionally used.
- Faced stone, vertical siding, and other non-historic materials should not be used in building new houses.
10. Multi-Unit Housing - Multi-unit housing (where permitted by zoning) should have similar front yard space to that of the traditional single-family houses along the street.
- In zoning districts where multi-unit housing is permitted, the height of the new housing should be similar to the original houses along the street.
- Multi-unit housing should be designed to continue the architectural rhythm of the block. In addition to the same "build-to line," porches, bays and breaks in the front façade should be created to mimic the look of older homes when looking down the block. This should be done by dividing the building into separate sections that are proportionally similar to original houses on the block.
- Parking should be provided behind apartments with access from the alley
- Landscaping, including shade trees, should be planted in both front and back yards.
- Clapboard-like materials 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
February 21, 2024
Oakwood/Lincoln Park Infill Housing Overlay District
3527 Oswald St. 37917
I-MU (Industrial Mixed-Use)
Applicant
