(A) Purpose and intent. Transitional design standards are architectural elements or site aspects used to provide a transition between certain land uses in an effort to mitigate conflicts between uses. It is the intent of these standards to:
(1) Provide effective transitions between incompatible uses;
(2) Limit the excessive consumption of available land though the utilization of large vegetated buffers;
(3) Limit interruptions in vehicular and pedestrian connections created by efforts to segregate uses; and
(4) Establish or maintain vibrant pedestrian-oriented areas where differing uses can operate in close proximity to one another.
(B) Applicability. The standards in this section shall be applied by the DRB to applications for new development or redevelopment in the following instances:
(1) When lots within the DC, RC, or CC Districts abut the RSF or RTF District;
(2) When a transition between uses or different use types is needed to address a situation of incompatible land uses.
(C) Standards. One or more of the following approaches shall be used to establish a transition between uses:
(1) Use of front, side, and rear setbacks that are within 25% of the average setbacks for existing uses on the same block face, provided no new use is closer to the right-of-way than any existing use;
(2) Limiting the facade width and height so that a new structure's facade area does not exceed the average facade area of structures on the opposing block face by more than 125%;
(3) Graduating building height and mass in the form of building step-backs or other techniques so that structures with a higher intensity have a comparable scale with adjacent structures housing lower intensity uses;
(4) Using similarly sized and patterned architectural features such as windows, doors, awnings, arcades, pilasters, cornices, wall offsets, building materials, and other building articulations included on the lower intensity use;
(5) Locating off-street parking, loading, service, and utility areas away from sensitive uses or adjacent to similar site features on surrounding sites;
(6) Limiting incompatible exterior lighting or sources of audible noise or disturbance from building facades facing lower intensity uses;
(7) Preventing abrupt changes in roof form by allowing adjacent incompatible uses to use similar roof types, slopes, or arrangements;
(8) Orienting porches, balconies, outdoor space, and other site attributes such as vending machines associated with multi-family residential development away from adjacent single-or-two family residential uses;
(9) Orienting primary building facades directly across from opposing primary facades regardless of use type (as seen in Figure 166.06, Opposing Facade Sizes); and
(10) When dealing with multi-building developments on one or more lots, establishing a continuum of use intensity where uses of moderate intensity are sited between high-intensity uses and low-intensity uses (e.g., office uses between retail and multi-family residential development).
(Ord. 05-10, passed 3-23-10)