APPROVE Certificate 1-B-18-DT subject to the following conditions:
1) The two proposed egress doors on the south elevation and associated sidewalk, stair, ramp, railings and landings within Krutch Park Extension, are not approved as part of this application and must obtain approval of a License and Indemnity Agreement from the City of Knoxville allowing this encroachment before resubmitting plans for approval by the Downtown Design Review Board.
2) Maintaining a minimum 5-foot separation with any portion of a street lamp for the proposed balcony that extends over the Gay Street sidewalk.
3) Obtaining all necessary approvals from the City of Knoxville to allow the installation over the public sidewalk.
4) The vents shall match the color of the adjacent wall as closely as possible.
5) The openings for the first floor vents that require cuts into the stone façade shall be no lower than the adjacent storefront windows.Case File

This proposal is for the renovation and conversion of the Conley Building into an Embassy Suites hotel with ground floor commercial uses. The ground floor is double height with a mezzanine level. A new balcony that is accessed from the mezzanine is proposed over the Gay Street sidewalk. There is a rooftop addition that includes an indoor/outdoor bar, patio, patio enclosure, and pool. Rooftop patios are also proposed on either side of the elevator tower on the 4th floor. There are several new window and door openings on floors 1 - 3, and two egress sidewalks through Krutch Park.

Site Plan (Sheet C5.0):
1) Add two new doors for egress from the stair tower on the south (Krutch Park) elevation (see Sheet A201). The door openings are below the ground elevation requiring a landing area and stairs or ramp to be constructed.
2) Add two concrete sidewalks from the new egress doors along the south side of the building, one leading to the Gay Street sidewalk and one leading to the alley (Strong Street).
3) Install metal railings as needed.
4) Remove vegetation along the base of the building.

Gay Street and Union Avenue elevations (Sheet A200 & A202):
1) Add balcony above the Gay Street sidewalk at the mezzanine level. It will extend from the Gay Street facade of the building 11' at its maximum depth (window recesses) and will have a clearance with the sidewalk of approximately 11'-6". At its closest point, the ground floor of the building is 6' from the front property line. The balcony will extend 4' over the public sidewalk.
2) Add 4 new window openings on the left (south) side of the Gay Street elevation. There will be two on each the 2nd and 3rd floors. Windows to match the existing on the building.
3) Add 12 new windows on the 13th floor (condo level), with 6 to be installed on the Gay Street elevation and 6 on the Union Avenue elevation. The new windows will match existing and will require a portion of the existing metal panel be removed.
4) Replace the existing first floor and mezzanine level storefront windows with new 1" insulated clear glass.
5) On the first floor of the Gay Street elevation, add an exhaust grill for the "VAV air handler" that is approximately 4' wide by 5' tall. This will be located to the right (north) of the main current lobby entrance. This will require a new opening cut into the stone façade.
6) Add 2 new first floor window openings left (east) of the alley on the Union Ave elevation. Windows to match the existing on this elevation and will have clear glass.
7) On the mezzanine level of the Union Avenue elevation, remove the glass in the 3rd window bay left (east) of the alley and replace it with spandrel panel. Install a dryer air intake vent in this window bay on the first floor that is approximately 4' wide by 5' tall, and install a dryer exhaust vent at the top of this window bay (just below the canopy) that is approximately 5' wide by 3' tall. The intake vent will require a new opening cut into the stone façade.

Alley (Strong Street) and Krutch Park elevations (Sheet A201):
1) Add 8 new ground floor and mezzanine window openings on the left (north) side of the alley elevation (4 windows on each floor). Windows to match the existing on the Union Avenue elevation and have clear glass.
2) Add 3 new 2nd and 3rd story window openings on the right (south) side of the alley elevation.
3) Add 1 new doorway on the right (south) side of the alley elevation for access to the fire command room.
3) Add 2 new doorway openings at the base of the elevator tower on the Krutch Park elevation. This is associated with the sidewalk improvements proposed in Krutch Park (see sheet C5.0).
4) Add new exhaust grill for mechanical in the lower level (basement) between the two doorways on the right (south) side of the alley elevation.

Rooftop addition (Sheet A114, A200, A201, A210 & A211):
1) Add 1 story rooftop bar and lounge addition with walls made of metal storefront system and clear glass, and a flat roof. The addition will extend approximately 18' above the existing roofline.
2) The addition is located toward the southeast corner of the building, setback approximately 50' from the Gay Street façade and 35' from the Union Avenue façade.
3) Add an outdoor patio on the remaining portions of the rooftop, excluding the area shown as "mechanical equipment below".
4) Add stair tower extension on both sides of the elevator tower. The extensions will be clad in metal siding painted to match brick below.
5) Add an aluminum storefront patio enclosure system that is setback approximately 2' from all Gay Street, Union Avenue, and alley elevations, and is approximately 9' tall. It includes a series of open and closed panels with some panels having glazing and other cable railing. At the Gay Street and Union Avenue corner of the building, a wall enclosure with openings will be installed that is approximately 12' tall. A similar wall system will be installed adjacent to the enclosed bar addition along the alley elevation, and between the rooftop patio and the east stair tower extension.
6) Add a pool near the Gay Street side of the building.

Mechanical (Sheet A200 & A201):
1) Add vents as described above.
2) Add kitchen hood makeup air units and kitchen exhaust fans on the 4th floor patios on either side of the stair towers. The makeup air units will be screened within fencing and the exhaust fan will be elevated approximately 1 story above the patio. The exhaust fan will be hidden from view from Krutch Park Extension.

Staff is recommending that the board not approve the proposed egress doors and associated improvements within Krutch Park at this time because of uncertainty whether the necessary approvals to be obtained. Staff would like the License and Indemnity Agreement approval before the Board considers these items, similar to the process with Clinch River Brewing. The request also removes landscaping at the bottom edge of the building and there is not current plan to install new landscaping to screen the sidewalks. In addition, it is unknown what impact the sidewalk and below grade landing installations will have on the existing oak trees.

Applicable guidelines:

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.
1e. Avoid blank walls along street-facing elevations.

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.
4e. Design top floors to enhance the skyline of the block through cornices and details that are harmonious with adjacent architecture.
4f. Encourage the use of 'green roofs' and other sustainable practices, while minimizing the visual impact from the street.

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.
5d. Consider corner entrances at the ends of blocks.
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.
7d. Locate utility connections and service boxes on secondary walls.