9-C-22-IH

Level III: New Primary Structure

Approved With Conditions

Recommendation

Staff recommends approval of Certificate 9-C-22-IH, subject to the following conditions:
1) Final site plan to be revised to meet City Engineering standards and dimensional standards of RN-2 zoning, with approval by staff;
2) Applicant to confirm front setback of main massing to the front property line, with modifications as needed to align with average front setback of block;
3) Applicant to clarify final window selections;
4) Foundation height to be compatible with historic houses on block and be clad in stucco;
5) Final site plan to include one shade tree in front and one in rear yards.

Property Notes / Work to be Completed

- New primary residence fronting Connecticut Ave. One-story residence features a hipped roof (10/12 pitch, clad in architectural shingles), an exterior of fiber cement lap siding, and a concrete block foundation. The front porch will be set 20' from the front property line (making the house approximately 28' from the front property line). Parking is proposed as a 20' by 40' concrete parking pad accessible from the alley.
- The façade (northwest) features a front-gable roof porch centered on the façade, with a 10/12 pitch roof with cornice returns, supported by square 8" by 8" wood columns. The façade features double-hung windows flanking a centered multi-light door. There are four bays of windows on the left side (northeast) elevation, located towards the rear of the house, and five bays of windows on the right side (southwest) elevation. A smaller hipped-roof porch projects from the left half of the rear elevation, with a secondary entryway.

Applicable Guidelines

Heart of Knoxville Infill Housing Design 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.