Design Review Board
Level 2: Major alteration of an existing building/structure
9-B-16-DT
Staff Recommendation
APPROVE Certificate 9-B-16-DT subject to the following conditions: 1) Meeting the requirements of the License and Indemnity Agreement approved by City Council on October 12, 2016; 2) Meeting the requirements of the Public Works Department for landscaping that will be maintained by the City of Knoxville, including but not limited to the type and species of plants and installation methods; 3) All exterior lighting, with the exception of the sign lights, shall be reviewed and approved by DDRB staff to ensure a compatible design with the proposed improvements and Krutch Park in general, and the lighting requirements of the License and Indemnity Agreement; and 4) The location and design of all venting equipment that is not approved as part of this application must be approved by the Downtown Design Review Board.
Location 531 S Gay St
Applicant Request
This proposal is to create a new storefront on the north elevation of the Holston Building, facing the Krutch Park, including the installation of a patio adjacent to the building within Krutch Park. City Council is scheduled to consider the license and indemnity agreement (or "use agreement") at their October 11th meeting. The character of the storefront is an 'Ole Pub' design. The patio will have a have either a brick or concrete paver surface, and a black aluminum guardrail.
Demolition: Remove a section of the north elevation to construct a storefront on the ground floor facing Krutch Park. The brick wall area to be removed will be approximately 50' long and 26' tall, and located approximately 41' back from the Gay Street elevation. The brick to be removed includes the area above the proposed storefront that is part of the remnant wall.
Storefront: The proposed storefront has an 'Ole Pub' design and will be constructed of wood paneled doors and windows with single pane glazing. The brick pilasters are a veneer wrapped around the existing steel structural columns of the building. The main entrance will have recessed double doors. The area above the storefront where the remnant brick wall was removed will be infilled with stucco wall that has a brick scoring to match the existing brick or smooth stucco finish the match the existing.
Patio: Extends 12' from the north elevation of the building (into Krutch Park) and will be 80' long. It will be located approximately 22.5' from the front building elevation. The patio will have a brick or concrete paver surface and black metal railings. The patio will be connected to the internal Krutch Park sidewalk with either a walkway to match the patio surface or the existing concrete sidewalk in the park.
Signage: The only proposed sign is an attached wall sign above the main entrance that is approximately 1' tall by 10' long (10 sqft). The individual letters of the sign are constructed of formed plastic material and attached to the new wood storefront system. The sign will be externally illuminated with gooseneck lights that shine down.
Mechanical Equipment: The vent location for the kitchen and the brewing equipment has not been determined as of the issuance of this agenda.
Landscaping: It is anticipated that the installation of the patio will not require any of the willow oak trees to be removed between the Holston Building and the Krutch Park sidewalk. If the use agreement is approved by City Council as drafted, the applicant will be responsible for protecting those trees during installation. The existing shrubs and bushes that are adjacent to the building and located where the patio is proposed can be removed, however, the applicant must install new landscaping between the Gay Street sidewalk and the patio (see sheet A100-MPC, patio plan for proposed landscaping).
---------------- BELOW: Staff approval of revisions in accordance with condition #5 (6/19/2017) ------------
Storefront mullion pattern (sheet A3.1) - storefront mullion pattern has been revised so that all mullions are vertical, creating 2 or 3 divisions as shown in the attached plan. The mullions have been removed from the windows in the doors.
Patio grid pattern (sheet A3.1) - Additional concrete paver strips have been added to the brick patio, extending from the sides of the three doorways to the outer edge of the patio, as shown on the attached plans.
Signage - Wall sign above main entrance with individual letters that are made of acrylic and that are approximately 11 inches tall. The sign will be approximately 15 feet wide and will be externally illuminated with gooseneck light fixtures (see example light fixture attached).
Staff Comments
Applicable guidelines:
Section 1.A.4. (DOWNTOWN BEAUTIFICATION)
Beautifying downtown can occur through many different elements including architecture, landscape architecture, horticulture, art, and performing art. These elements provide expressions of local history and culture. They contribute to local identity and unique qualities of downtown. Public spaces should be designed to include art and beautification.
GUIDELINES:
4a. Foster downtown beautification with landscaping and plantings, public art, and public open space.
4b. Establish performance spaces for the arts including opportunities for artists to perform, display, or create work.
4c. Plant street trees where possible. Choose tree planting locations that will not significantly alter the setting of, or harm the materials of historic buildings.
Section 1.B.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 and there are no height limitations imposed by the zoning ordinance for downtown Knoxville. 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.
GUIDELINES:
1a. Maintain a pedestrian-scaled environment from block to block.
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 larger 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.
Section 1.B.3. (BUILDING MATERIALS)
New building materials should relate to the scale, durability, color, and texture of the predominate building materials in the area.
GUIDELINES:
3a. Use complimentary materials and elements, especially next to historic buildings.
3b. Rehabilitate historic structures in accordance with the Secretary of Interior's Standards (see Appendix A).
Section 1.B.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.
GUIDELINES:
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.
Section 1.B.5. (GROUND FLOOR DOORS AND WINDOWS)
Entrances and ground floor windows should foster pedestrian comfort, safety and orientation. Not every building in 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.
GUIDELINES:
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.
5e. All windows at the pedestrian level should be clear.
5f. Recess ground floor window frames and doors from the exterior building face to provide depth to the facade.
Section 1.B.7. (MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT AND SERVICE UTILITIES)
Utilities can include telephone and electrical lines, ventilation systems, gas meters, air conditioners, fire protection, telecommunication and alarm systems. Adequate space for these utilities should be planned in a project from the outset and they should be designed such that their visual and noise impacts are minimized.
GUIDELINES:
7a. Minimize the visual impact of mechanical equipment through screens or recessed/low-profile equipment.
7b. Do not locate units on a primary facade.
7c. Screen rooftop vents, heating/cooling units and related utilities with parapet walls or other screens.
Consider sound-buffering of the units as part of the design.
7d. Locate utility connections and service boxes on secondary walls.
7e. Reduce the visual impacts of trash storage and service areas by locating them at the rear of a building or off an alley, when possible.
7f. Screen dumpsters from view.
Section 1.C.3. (ENTRANCES)
Formal entrances to front facades should be retained. This includes entrances that are located above street level and accessed by exterior stairs. Altering or removing the main entrance to grant street-level access is not appropriate.
GUIDELINES:
3a. Establish recessed entries, either rectangular or with slightly canted sides, which are appropriate in storefronts.
3b. Allow for multiple entries on the first floor of the building, giving access to commercial space that may be divided into bays.
3c. Provide access to upper stories through additional entries.
3d. Maintain original height and materials for doors that are consistent with the use of the building, such as residential, commercial, or banking purposes.
Section 1.C.5. (MASONRY)
Masonry features should be retained and repaired; materials, including mortar, should match the original mortar in color and composition. Mortar joints should be sized and struck to match the original. Belt courses, string courses, dripstones, quoins and contrasting brick and stone are common. These features should be preserved and repaired if necessary, and should be introduced on infill buildings.
GUIDELINES:
5a. Repair masonry with stone or brick and mortar that match the original.
5b. Do not paint masonry that has never been painted.
Section 1.C.7. (RECOMMENDED SIGNS)
Commercial establishments need to advertise. However, advertising signs should be effective and appropriate to historic areas without contributing to visual clutter. Primary concerns are a sign's location, size, material, and illumination.
GUIDELINES:
7a. Locate signs above storefront windows, below second-story windows on the sign board, or on the storefront windows themselves (30% is maximum coverage), or off the front of the building as a projecting sign (maximum size: 9 square feet).
7b. Create signs that are proportional to the building where they are located.
7c. Do not light signs internally.
7d. Allow painted signs on building walls in the warehouse area along Jackson Avenue, and in some other locations along Gay Street.
7e. Preserve signs that are historic elements of buildings.
Section 1.C.9. (LIGHTING)
Storefront windows may be lit with interior fixtures, entrances may be lit with overhead fixtures, and gooseneck fixtures can be used to highlight signs. Illumination may also be used to wash the building in light, emphasizing its distinctive architectural finishes.
GUIDELINE:
9a. Use indirect lighting of the building facade where appropriate.
