Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of Certificate 8-K-26-IH, subject to the following conditions:1) preserving the existing public tree next to the proposed driveway and the tree in the rear yard to be an existing healthy tree, as possible, with documentation submitted to staff;2) revising the walkway in the front yard to connect to the street;3) the final site plan to meet City Engineering standards, with minor revisions to be approved by staff;4) major changes to the foundation height to return to the Board for review;5) final guardrail materials to meet Infill Housing design guidelines.
Property Notes / Work to be Completed
- New primary structure fronting Minnesota Avenue. One-story house features a front-gable roof (6/12) clad in shingles with eave overhangs, vertical vinyl siding on gable front, an exterior of vinyl lap siding, and a block foundation clad in stucco or parge-coated that measures 2' tall at the front entrance. The house measures 28' wide by 36' deep (44' with porch) and will be set 28' from the front property line (20' to porch). Parking is a driveway from the street that extends 26' past the façade. The site plan features a walkway to the driveway, a new shade tree in the front yard, and existing trees in the rear yard.
- The house features a 16' wide by 8' deep front porch on the right side with a 6/12 roof supported by two 6" wooden columns and enclosed by guardrails of an unspecified material. The two-bay façade (east) includes a half-lite paneled door and a pair of windows under the porch, and a pair of similarly sized windows to the left. The right (north) elevation features one window, and the left (south) elevation features two smaller windows. The rear elevation includes a half-lite paneled door an two windows. All windows are double-hung, 1/1, and feature trims.
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 are sited, 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 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.
- 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 materials 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 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
909 Minnesota Ave. 37921
RN-2 (Single-Family Residential Neighborhood), HP (Hillside Protection Overlay)
