9-F-25-IH

Level II: Revisions To 8-G-23-IH

Recommendation

The Board should discuss how the revisions along Oswald Street impact the development's interaction with the public streetscape (removal of the front-porches, pedestrian entrances, walkways, setbacks, foundation and building height, and visual scale), the parking lot setback and driveway/aisle widths, the revised roof forms and details, and the revised window design and placement.Along with any necessary revisions or conditions, staff recommends approval of Certificate 9-F-25-IH, subject to the following conditions: 1) the final site plan, parking areas, and elevation drawings to meet City Engineering standards, the standards of the I-MU zone, Article 9.3.I, and any applicable standards of the zoning code and building codes; 2) City Engineering approval of the design of the parking area, its driveway access, and proposed sidewalks, with a reduction in drive aisle and driveway width to be approved by staff;3) the front setbacks be increased and, if necessary, the foundation height reduced, to allow for the reintroduction of stairs and walkways from the porches to Oswald Street, with final measurements and drawings to be approved by staff;4) the final site plan to incorporate landscaping along the parking area and all elevations, including shade trees along Oswald Street, with final selection and placement to meet any applicable standards, including Article 12, and be sent to staff for approval; 5) the northern and southern building massings to feature the same detailing (coursing and coping) and height for the parapet and foundation, to be approved by staff;6) brick window sills be added to the east elevation of the southern building massing; 7) the windows on the projecting planes of the bay window massings on the east elevation to be operable; and 8) final material specifications to be sent to staff for approval, with cladding on the concrete block foundation as necessary

Map Case File

Property Notes / Work to be Completed

- Revisions to 8-G-23-IH, new multi-family building that is part of a multi-phase 8-acre mixed-use development. See end of file for detailed list of changes by elevation.
- Site plan: Reduction of parking lot setback from 15'-4" to approximately 5', with driveway location now offset with the intersection of Rider Avenue. Removal of all landscaping depicted in previous plan. Front setback reduced but not depicted; scales to 1 to 3 feet from the front property line, or 3 to 5 feet from the back of the proposed public sidewalk along Oswald Street.
- Left (south) building massing: Bay window forms modified to have left plane project perpendicular from façade, widened central bay, and angled right plane, resulting in revised massing and balcony placement. Removal of third-story paneled massing. Increase foundation height from 3'-2" to 6'. Conversion of front-porches along Oswald Street to private patios and removing the associated walkways to the sidewalk. Revised courtyard design. Revised window and door placement, reducing transparency along secondary elevations. Removal of brick soldier coursing and sills from all windows and doors, and removal of sections of brick foundation coursing. Conversion of most casement windows to fixed.
- Central (west) connector massing: Revised form, pattern, height, and parapets of modules, with different materials and placement on east and west elevations. Removal of two street-facing pedestrian entrances, and reduced size and visibility of two remaining openings. Removal of glass block and addition of full-lite walls. Revised window, door, and balcony placement.
- Right (north) building massing: Same bay window, foundation (here 1'-4" to 6'), and window placement revisions as the left (south) massing. Revised to individual entrances with projecting front-porches, instead of shared entrance on Oswald Street, with steps hidden by brick knee walls. Height increased from 26' to 30'-10", with parapet 10" taller than left massing. Removal of coping from parapet, addition of two bands of foundation coursing. Removal of brick soldier coursing from all windows and doors, retaining sills. Conversion of most casement windows to fixed.

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.
  - 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. Housing Orientation
  - New housing should be proportional to the dimensions of the lot and other houses on the block.
  - On corner lots, side yard setbacks should be handled traditionally (that is, closer to the side street). The zoning requirement to treat corner lots as having two frontages should not apply in Heart of Knoxville neighborhoods.
  - 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 level ground, pea gravel or similar material may be used as a parking pad off alleys.
  - On streets without alleys, garages or parking pads should be at least 20 feet behind the front façade of the infill house with access limited to one lane between the street and the front façade.
  - Garages which are perpendicular to the alley should be about 18 feet from the center line of the alley pavement, allowing a comfortable turning radius for a driver to enter a garage.
  - Alley-oriented parking pads, garbage collection points, and utility boxes should be screened with a combination of landscaping and fencing.
  - On those streets which have alleys, driveways should not be permitted from the front of the house.
  - On corner lots, a driveway to the garage may be provided off the side street.
- 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.
  - 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 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 columns and other materials that were not used in the early 1900's should not be used.
  - Small stoops centered on entry and no more than 5 feet deep are appropriate on blocks where porches were not traditional.
- 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 facade 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 Heart of Knoxville neighborhoods.
- 8. Siding Material
  - 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 material 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. In 1930-1950 era neighborhoods, faced stone may be appropriate (see Section 12).
- 11. Landscape and Other Considerations
  - One native or naturalized shade tree should be planted in the front and rear yards of in fill lots with 25 feet or more in depth to front of house.
- 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.