Historic Zoning Commission
Old North Knoxville H: Level III
4-C-23-HZ
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of Certificate 4-C-23-HZ, subject to the following conditions: 1) final site plan to meet City Engineering standards; 2) front setback to be revised to measure between 18'-20' from the front property line; 3) fiber cement siding to be smooth-finished, 4-5" in exposure, and be accompanied by appropriately-sized cornerboards; 4) use historically appropriate window trim and sills, with a profile to be submitted to staff for approval.
Location Knoxville
121 Leonard Place 37917
OwnerQuinn Quinn Epperly - QB Realty Team LLC QB Realty Team LLC
Applicant Request
Other: New primary structureNew house fronting Leonard Place. House measures 30' wide by 55'-4" long, and will be set 29' from the front property line (with an 8' deep front porch set 21' from the front property line). The house features a 8/12 pitch, front-gable roof clad in asphalt shingles, an exterior of fiber cement lap siding (smooth-finished, 4-5" in exposure, per drawings), and a 24" tall foundation clad in brick veneer. The roofline features exposed rafter tails and a 1'-4" eave overhang. Parking (a 20' wide by 24.4' deep concrete pad) is located in the rear of the house, accessed by the alley. Windows are proposed as aluminum-clad wood.
The façade (south) features a partial-width, front-gable porch on the left half of the elevation. The porch features a 6/12 pitch roof and three 10 by 10 square posts on piers clad in siding. The three-bay façade features a centrally located door flanked by two one-over-one windows. The full light door is flanked by two full-light sidelights. The front gables feature triangular wood louvered vents.
The left (west) elevation features five bays of one-over-one windows. The rear elevation features a secondary access door and an 8' by 10' concrete patio. The right (east) elevation features five bays of one-over-one windows, with a rectangular chimney between the first and second bays. The chimney is approximately as tall as the roof peak and proposed to be clad in brick to match the foundation.
APPROVED 5.18.23, subject to the following conditions: 1) final site plan to meet City Engineering standards; 2) front setback to be revised to measure between 18'-20' from the front property line; 3) fiber cement siding to be smooth-finished, 4-5" in exposure, and be accompanied by appropriately-sized cornerboards; 4) use historically appropriate window trim and sills, with a profile to be submitted to staff for approval; 5) final door selection toe bapproved by staff; 6) front gable fields to feature shingles in gable; 7) frontmost vent on façade to reflect size and design of rear vent.
Staff Comments
N/A
A. Roofs
1. The shape of replacement roofs or roofs on new construction shall imitate the shapes of roofs on neighboring existing houses or other houses of the same architectural style. Roof pitch shall duplicate the 12/12 pitch most often found in the neighborhood or replicate the pitch of neighboring buildings. Roof shapes shall be complex, using a combination of hips with gables, dormers where appropriate to the style, turrets, or other features that emphasize the importance of Victorian-era or Craftsman styles.
2. The eaves on additions or new buildings shall have an overhang that mimics existing buildings near the property. A minimum eave overhang of at least eight inches must be retained or used on new buildings or additions to existing buildings.
4. Materials used in roofing existing buildings or new construction shall duplicate the roofing materials originally found in the neighborhood. Asphalt or fiberglass shingles can be appropriate, as are wood, slate, standing-seam metal, or metal shingle or tile roof coverings.
C. Porches
2. Design elements to be incorporated in any new porch design must include tongue and groove wood floors, beadboard ceilings, wood posts and/or columns and sawn and turned wood trim when appropriate. If balustrades are required, they must be designed with spindles set into the top and bottom rails.
3. New buildings constructed in ONK must contain front porches large enough (at least eight feet deep) to provide adequate seating.
4. In new construction, the proportion of the porches to the front facades shall be consistent with historic porches in the neighborhood.
E. Wood Wall Coverings
1. Synthetic siding is inappropriate and is not allowed either as replacement siding on existing buildings or new siding in new construction.
4. New construction must incorporate corner and trim boards and appropriate window and door trim to be compatible with adjacent historic buildings.
F. Masonry
12. Stucco surfaced masonry can be appropriate for foundation in new construction. Brick and stone can also be appropriate.
NEW BUILDINGS
New buildings should be contemporary in spirit. Slavish copies of historic buildings confuse the historic value of the existing buildings. New buildings should respond to the present time, the environment, and the use for which they are intended. New buildings constructed in historic areas should be compatible with the existing historic buildings and sensitive to the patterns of the environment where they will be placed. The use of similar materials can help in developing continuity. These principles apply to new homes as well as garages, sheds and other outbuildings.
G. Setbacks and Placement on the Lot
1. Maintain the historic façade lines of streetscapes by locating the front walls of new buildings in the same plane as those of adjacent buildings. If existing setbacks vary, a new building's setback shall respect those adjacent.
2. Do not violate the existing setback pattern by placing new buildings in front of or behind historic buildings on the street.
3. Do not place new buildings at odd angles to the street.
4. Side yard setbacks for new buildings shall be consistent with those of existing historic buildings, so gaps are not left in the streetscape.
H. Scale and Massing
1. Relate the size and proportions of new structures to the scale of adjacent buildings.
2. Break up uninteresting box-like forms into smaller varied masses like those found on existing buildings by the use of bays, extended front porches, and roof shapes.
4. New buildings must reinforce the scale of the neighborhood by their height, width and massing.
5. New buildings must be designed with a mix of wall areas with door and window elements in the façade like those found on existing buildings.
6. Roof shapes must relate to the existing buildings, as must roof coverings.
I. Height of Foundations and Stories
1. Avoid new construction that varies in height, so that new buildings are equal to the average height of existing buildings.
2. The foundation height of new buildings shall duplicate that of adjacent buildings, or be an average of adjacent building foundation heights.
3. For new buildings more than one story, beltcourses or other suggestions of divisions between stories that suggest the beginnings of additional stories shall be used.
4. The eave lines of new buildings shall conform to those of adjacent properties.
J. Materials
1. The materials used for new building exteriors shall be consistent with materials already found on buildings on the street.
2. Artificial siding and split-face block are not acceptable materials for use on new buildings.
K. Features
1. Design new buildings with a strong sense of a front entry.
2. Use front porches in new designs, and make the size of those porches useable for sitting. New porches shall be at least eight feet deep, shall contain design features such as columns and balustrades that introduce architectural diversity, and shall extend across more than half of the front façade.
