Design Review Board approves rooftop deck options and acts on several infill housing cases; some projects postponed for revision

At its Aug. 20 meeting the Downtown Design Review Board took action on a rooftop-deck revision for the Commerce Building at 120 South Gay Street and on multiple infill housing applications across Knoxville, approving several certificates of appropriateness with conditions and postponing one application for redesign.

Rooftop pergola for 120 South Gay Street

Staff described a revised rooftop-deck application for the Commerce Building (a contributing resource in the Southern Terminal and Warehouse District). The revised proposal reduces the pergola/pergola height to 10 feet 1 inch, sets the structure back 4 feet 4 inches from the roof edge and surrounds it with 42‑inch guard rails. Applicant Logan Higgins (133 South Gate Street) described two alternative overhead options — a structural trellis/pergola and a fabric solar‑shade option — and said neither option is visible from the public right of way. The board voted to approve the rooftop addition and delegated final selection between the previously approved trellis members or the fabric shade to staff for final review, noting that both options submitted are not visible from the street.

Infill housing and single‑family cases

The board considered several infill housing applications and related site plans. Summary of outcomes below (motions were per staff recommendation unless otherwise noted):

Votes at a glance

- 3112 Rector Street (Case 6A-25-IH): Approved with staff conditions; correction made to staff condition language to require a projecting or recessed feature on the right elevation (not left). Applicant: Autumn Marnell. Conditions include final site plan meeting city engineering standards, walkway from front porch to street, and foundation to be parge coated or clad in stucco.

- 3300 Orlando Street (Case 7B-25-IH): Approved subject to staff conditions, including retaining a mature magnolia tree per the city urban forester’s recommendation. Applicant: Liliana Urbano. Staff noted the house was revised to reduce depth and retain tree protection measures; porch supports to be at least 8x8 and foundation to be parge coated or clad in stucco.

- 3305 Savoy Street (Case 8A-25-IH): Postponed. Staff recommended postponement to allow resubmission that better aligns with design guidelines; the board asked the applicant to supply a site plan with topography, foundation height on grade, and to reconsider the front‑entry garage location.

- 205 Chickamauga Avenue (Case 8B-25-IH): Approved with conditions. Staff recommended increasing porch depth to 8 feet, avoiding parking in the front yard (either omit the garage or move it to the rear), adding a window on the right elevation, and using clapboard‑style lap siding as the primary siding with board‑and‑batten limited to accents. Applicant: Jesse Alarkon.

Board discussion and next steps

Board members and applicants discussed site‑specific details the board needs to evaluate compatibility, including foundation height on grade, final siding materials, porch depth, and tree protection zones. For the Savoy Street application the board emphasized that front‑entry garages and slab‑on‑grade foundations should be reconsidered; the motion to postpone included a requirement that future submittals show topography and actual foundation heights.

On the rooftop pergola item, the board accepted staff’s plan to approve the final pergola material/assembly because both submitted options had been provided and were not visible from public vantage points. For all approved applications, staff will verify final drawings and details required by conditions before issuing permits.