A meeting to discuss a historic overlay district for a portion of the Oakwood Neighborhood has been scheduled for September 17, 2019. The meeting will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Emerald Youth Foundation at 1718 N. Central St. The meeting location can be accessed on the side of the building fronting E. Oak Hill Avenue. The area in question is defined by the boundaries of E. Morelia Avenue, Harvey Street, E. Oldham Avenue, and N. Central Street.

The Oakwood-Lincoln Park Neighborhood added an Infill Housing Design Guideline Overlay in 2007 in an attempt to help preserve the area, but it does not protect historic structures from being demolished, nor guide exterior rehabilitation on existing houses. In the fall of 2016, Knoxville City Council requested that Knoxville-Knox County Planning make a recommendation for an overlay for the neighborhood in an effort to help preserve and protect it. Overlay options were discussed in previous public meetings in April and September 2018.

The Oakwood Design Overlay Committee has been working with Planning staff to draft design guidelines that would be utilized to implement a Historic (H) Overlay. The design guidelines are intentionally flexible and were written specifically to fit the range of architectural styles and construction materials used in the neighborhood. The community is invited to this meeting to learn more about the design guidelines and offer input.

Under a Historic Overlay, a Certificate of Appropriateness would be required to obtain building permits for new construction, additions, demolition, and exterior rehabilitation work. The proposed overlay will be reviewed by the Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission, Planning Commission, and City Council in the coming months.

For more information, contact Lindsay Crockett at lindsay.crockett@knoxplanning.org or visit the project page on Planning’s website at https://knoxmpc.org/historic/areas/oakwood/. The draft design guidelines may also be reviewed on the project page.