How Do I?

I am sure that a lot of our new neighbors (and more than a few of the older ones also) who may not be aware of just what they have to do to work on the outside of their home under H-1 overlay guidelines.  We asked Ann Bennett, the staffer for the Historic Zoning Commission about this and she kindly sent the following:

Much of the Old North Knoxville neighborhood is an H-1 historic overlay district.  The overlay includes Scott, Oklahoma, Armstrong, part of Harvey, Kenyon, Folsum, Fremont, Glenwood and other cross streets between the alleys west of Scott and east of Oklahoma, and Grainger and Leonard Place east of Broadway.  This overlay protects your property values by assuring that our historic architecture is protected when rehabilitation or restoration is done to the outside of houses.  Several recent newcomers to our neighborhood were interested in purchasing property here because of the protections that come through the overlay designation.  Recent studies here, and across the country, have confirmed that local overlay designation makes a neighborhood more desirable for lenders and new purchasers, and thus benefits all of us.

In order to get a building permit for exterior work:

• Apply to the Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission for a Certificate of Appropriateness.  The historic zoning commission, which includes Lila Wilson of our neighborhood, bases their approval and issues the Certificate if the work you plan meets the design guidelines adopted for Old North Knoxville.
• When you have received your Certificate, you can use it to apply for the building permit you will need if you plan to spend more than $100 on the outside work.  The guidelines do not require a Certificate for landscaping, paint, or some other common projects, and generally deal only with work that changes the historic appearance of our houses.
• If the work you plan meets the design guidelines, Ann Bennett or her fellow workers at MPC can issue the Certificate while you wait.  If you intend to make changes to the exterior, you may have to wait for the next Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission meeting for approval.
• The charge for a Certificate is $25.00, which covers the cost of the public notice require for you application.

If you have any questions about this process, call Ann Bennett, Metropolitan Planning Commission (215-2500), Chet Kilgore, who attends the meetings as Old North's representative, Lila Wilson, who sits on the Commission, or some of your other neighbors who have had recent experiences with the process.

The guidelines, which are available from the historic zoning commission offices, or from representatives in our neighborhood, are tailored to Old North Knoxville's unique architecture.

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