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Design Review Board approves two-story infill at 2823 Johnston Street with conditions
Summary
The board approved a two-story infill residence at 2823 Johnston Street and granted the certificate of appropriateness with conditions including added windows, revised siding, a front walkway and tree plantings; board also required a more prominent street-facing feature and allowed a setback variance through the COA process.
The City of Knoxville Design Review Board approved a certificate of appropriateness on June 18 for a new two-story primary residence at 2823 Johnston Street, subject to a set of conditions from planning staff and board comments.
Staff described the project as a two-story residence on a 30-foot-wide lot with fiber cement lap siding on most elevations, a block foundation and a 9:12 front-gable roof. Staff noted the lot does not meet the RN-2 corner-side setback requirement and recommended the board discuss a setback variance as part of the COA. Melinda Woolert, a planning staff member, recommended approval conditioned on: final site plan meeting engineering standards; a walkway from the front porch to the street; a native or naturalized shade tree in the front and rear yards; adding one window to the right (street-facing) elevation and additional windows to the left elevation; revising the primary facade siding to lap siding; and submitting a revised front-door specification to staff.
Board members discussed the house’s height, proportion, and relationship to the street. Several board members said they support increased density but want the building to “interact with the street properly” with a larger, more neighborly porch or a prominent feature on the street-facing side. The board asked for tidy window alignment, suggested a horizontal siding field below the gable to reduce vertical emphasis, and recommended either a projecting bay or gang windows on the side-street elevation to add visual interest; members said a modest setback variance could be acceptable to achieve those features.
After discussion the board approved the COA with the staff conditions and the added board requests: horizontal siding on the primary facade below the gable (board and batten may remain in the gable), two additional side elevation windows (one up, one down) with the ground-floor window placed toward the front, and a street-facing design feature at the dining/ground-floor area (projecting bay or gang windows) or equivalent. The board clarified that elements affecting setbacks would be considered under an applicable variance within the COA. The applicant agreed to work with staff on window placement and siding details.
The board’s approval allows the applicant to proceed to engineering and building permit review, subject to the conditions adopted at the meeting.
