(a) Purpose. The following standards are intended to accommodate townhouse developments while protecting the public health, safety, and general welfare of the community.
(b) Review and approval. Townhouse developments must receive either final site and building plan approval or final development plan approval prior to issuance of a building permit.
(c) Standards.
(1) Zoning district. Townhouses must be located within the R-3, R-4, RM-12, or RM-24 residential zoning district.
(2) Setbacks. See city code § 21.301.02 for setback requirements, which vary by zoning district.
(3) Minimum units per townhouse development. Three.
(4) Units per building.
(A) Minimum number of units per building: Two;
(B) Maximum number of units per building: Six.
(5) Floor area. Townhouses must meet the floor area requirements of city code § 21.301.01(c)(3).
(6) Site size. Townhouse development sites must meet the minimum land area requirements of city code § 21.301.01(c)(1), which vary by zoning district.
(7) Separation between buildings. A minimum of 20 feet must separate residential buildings within a townhouse development.
(8) Height. Townhouse structure height must meet the height limits of city code § 21.301.10.
(9) Attachment required. Each unit in a townhouse development must have at least one common wall of at least ten feet in length configured in a side by side fashion, not vertically stacked.
(10) Articulation.
(A) Townhouse developments are subject to the following articulation regulations:
(i) Units attached in a single building must be compatible in design, color scheme, and palette of materials.
(ii) Location of window openings on a façade visible from a public street must be placed to avoid large blank wall surfaces.
(iii) Any building containing more than three units with common walls must be designed so that the front façade and roofline of each attached unit is visually distinct from the other through staggering or offset in design.
(11) Garages.
(A) Garage doors, when fronting public streets, must not exceed 50% of the structure width.
(B) Garages, when fronting public streets, must be recessed from the building face or porch façade by a minimum of four feet.
(C) To avoid parked vehicles encroaching into streets, townhouse driveway depth must be less than ten feet or greater than 20 feet. Driveway depth is measured from the garage door to the property line when adjacent to public streets and from the garage door to the private street when adjacent to private streets.
(D) Where two-car garages for two different units are adjacent to one another, the garage faces for the two units must be offset relative to each other as measured from the street by a minimum of four feet.
(E) Garage door openings, measured from the floor to the trim covering the door header must not exceed eight feet in height.
(12) Access points. The number of public street curb cuts to service a townhouse development must be minimized where feasible by sharing driveways and linking parking lots.
(13) Open space and impervious surface.
(A) At least 20% of townhouse development sites must be used for accessible landscaped open space; and
(B) Impervious surface area must not exceed 80% of the townhouse development site area.
(14) Storm water. To mitigate the impacts of storm water runoff rates and volume, townhouse developments must meet the following storm water standards:
(A) Erosion and sediment control must meet the requirements of Chapter 16 of the city code and the city's comprehensive surface water management plan; and
(B) Storm water management plans must meet the requirements of Chapter 16 of the city code and the city's comprehensive surface water management plan.
(15) Landscaping. Townhouse development landscaping must meet the landscaping requirements of § 21.301.15.
(17) Building Code compliance. Townhouse developments must meet current Minnesota State Building Code provisions, including but not limited to fire resistance and sound insulation standards between units.
(18) Accessory buildings. Accessory buildings on townhouse development sites must meet the standards of city code § 21.301.19.
(19) Exterior storage. See city code § 21.301.16(a) for exterior storage requirements.
(20) Subdivision. The City Council may approve the subdivision of townhouse dwellings and the lot upon which the townhouse dwelling is located or is proposed to be constructed to allow separate ownership of each unit of the townhouse dwelling subject to the following standards:
(A) The subdivision of the lot must be accomplished by a plat in accordance with the subdivision regulations of the city code, Chapter 22;
(B) A homeowner's association must be established and a maintenance agreement must be recorded with Hennepin County for each parcel created that contains an agreement by each property owner to:
(i) Continually maintain all portions of the building's exterior with materials and finish that are accepted by the Minnesota State Building Code as appropriate to the application and the location;
(ii) Use compatible exterior materials on the entire building with respect to material type, color and texture;
(iii) Properly maintain the approved landscaping plans, screening plans and any approved storm water management plan for the properties; and
(iv) Provide adequate maintenance and repair of all common walkways, driveways, and, if allowed, common sewer and water facilities.
(C) Outstanding violations of the city code, if any, must be corrected prior to approval of the final plat by the City or surety (cash, bond or letter of credit) must be deposited with the City to assure correction.