(A) Procedures for multi-family and townhouse developments. No multi-family development is permitted unless the property on which the development is to be built is first rezoned to Multi-Family Overlay Conditional District (MF-O-CD).
(B) Standards for multi-family and townhouse developments in all districts.
(1) Primary access to the development site shall be from a state or town maintained street. The developer may be required to provide turn lanes and other off-site transportation improvements to insure safe and adequate access.
(2) When located within 100 feet of a parcel zoned OSR, NR, or GR but not MF-O, the design and appearance of multi-family dwellings must have similar massing, height, roof pitch, and architectural features - including front porches; cornice lines; horizontal lines of windows; and architectural embellishments, such as: shutters, dormers, belvederes, chimneys, etc., to create, to the maximum extent practicable, the appearance of single-family dwellings. This standard is voluntary for dwellings permitted under the North Carolina Residential Building Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings.
(3) On small infill development sites in the NR Districts, multi-family buildings shall be designed to blend in with surrounding single-family residential buildings to the maximum extent practicable with regards to building design, setbacks, driveway and garage design and location, porches, and sidewalks. This standard is voluntary for dwellings permitted under the North Carolina Residential Building Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings.
(4) Site designs shall create a sense of "neighborhood" which includes:
(a) An internal vehicular circulation system reflective of a single-family residential street system shall be used, as opposed to looped systems, whenever practicable, whenever the proposed development includes private streets or drives.
(b) Buildings shall be sited with front entrances and porches oriented toward streets, drives, and plazas, rather than clustered around parking lots.
(c) Parking lots shall be located behind buildings or screened from view from streets, except where it is deemed appropriate to use a parking lot as a buffer from an arterial street.
(d) Walkways shall connect all buildings with parking areas, play areas, clubhouses, and existing public sidewalks adjacent to the development site.
(e) Plazas, clubhouses, pools, and recreational facilities shall be centrally located, when provided.
(5) Building designs that create variety and do not look monotonous if replicated throughout the development shall be required. These standard is voluntary for dwellings permitted under the North Carolina Residential Building Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings. Such designs shall include the following:
(a) Side and rear building elevations, garages, carports, and all accessory structures shall have the same level of design, aesthetic quality, and architectural detailing.
(b) Porches, varied rooflines, and varied facade depths shall be provided to create variety and individuality of each dwelling within the building.
(c) Windows and projecting wall surfaces shall be used to break up larger wall surfaces, establish visual interest and provide visibility of the street and other public spaces encouraging social interaction.
(d) Protective entry courts, common vestibules, covered breeze ways, or enclosed stair halls shall be used to reduce the number of visible doors, unless designed in a row house or townhouse manner oriented toward the street.
(e) Garages shall be designed to be integrated with the building design or sited so as to avoid long monotonous rows of garage doors and building walls. Garages shall be oriented so that they do not visually dominate the building facade or the streetscape.
(C) Standards for multi-family and townhouse developments located within the MF-O District.
(1) Open space shall account for a minimum of 25% of the total land area of the development site (note: Watershed regulations may require more pervious coverage.) For the purpose of this section, open space may include wooded areas, yards, playgrounds, and other active recreation space.
(2) Private active recreation space shall be provided for all complexes containing more than twenty dwelling units at the rate of 100 square feet per dwelling unit. Such space may also count towards the unobstructed open space requirements outlined in subsection (C)(1) above. Recreation space shall be designed to reduce any impact of night lighting or noise on nearby dwelling units located on or adjacent to the site. Said areas shall be developed and maintained in a neat and orderly condition in order to provide a safe, healthful, and attractive living environment. Common recreational areas shall be easily accessible by pedestrian walkways so they can be conveniently and safely reached and used. Furthermore, common recreational areas shall be constructed on substantially flat (no more than 5% grade) land which is well drained and otherwise capable of serving the purposes intended. No streets, access easements, rights-of-way, parking areas, or required buffer shall be used or counted towards the required recreational space.
(D) Standards for multi-family developments located within the NR District.
(1) All buildings shall be constructed to mimic single family or duplex residential dwellings in design, materials, and orientation to the street to the maximum extent practicable. This standard is voluntary for dwellings permitted under the North Carolina Residential Building Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings.
(2) No more than four units per building shall be permitted.
(3) The entrances to each unit in the building may face different streets.
(4) The building shall meet the minimum front yard setback from each street upon which a unit faces and shall meet all other applicable setbacks for the district in which it is located.
(5) Open space shall account for 30% of the total land area of the site. Such space shall be used to provide active recreational facilities for the site.
(6) Any front or side yard off-street parking shall be designed in scale and appearance to mimic parking for single-family or duplex residential dwellings.
(7) Common parking facilities shall be screened from the property line exterior to the development site and shall not be visible to adjacent single-family parcels. Such parking facilities shall not be designed for more than 12 parking spaces and shall not be closer than 100 feet to another such parking facility.
(8) A Type B Buffer shall be required to be planted along the perimeter of the site.
(2003 Code, § 8-3.8.60) (Updated 2009) (Amended 10-4-2022)