(A) Purpose and intent. Transitional features are architectural elements or site aspects that must be used to ease the transition between new development and existing structures and community character. It is the intent of these standards to:
(1) Blend land use types throughout the city to minimize visual conflicts;
(2) Limit the excessive consumption of land though the utilization of large vegetated buffers to separate potentially conflicting use types; and
(3) Limit interruptions in vehicular and pedestrian connections created by efforts to segregate uses.
(B) Applicability.
(1)
Transitional features shall be required when:
(a) Adjacent residential lots contain differing densities (e.g. a single-family home site adjacent to a duplex);
(b) A lot is developing or redeveloping within the R-2, CCD or T-N zoning districts;
(C) Standards. In areas where transitional features are required, one or more of the following approaches shall be used, subject to approval and as required by the Community Development Department, to establish a transition between uses:
( 1) Use 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) Ensure the façade width and height between façades of structures on opposing sides of a street are consistent with each other such that neither façade exceeds the other’s dimensions by more than 25%;
(3) Graduate 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) Use similarly sized and patterned architectural features such as windows, doors, awnings, arcades, pilasters, cornices, wall offsets, building materials, and other building artic ulations included on the lower intensity use as depicted in Figure 4-8;
(5) Locate off-street parking, loading, service, and utility areas to the rear of structures, adjacent to similar site features on surrounding sites;
(6) Prevent incompatible exterior lighting or sources of audible noise or disturbance from building façades facing lower intensity uses;
(7) Prevent abrupt changes in roof form by allowing adjacent incompatible uses to use similar roof types, slopes, or arrangements;
(8) Orient porches, balconies, outdoor space, and other site attributes such as vending machines associated with attached residential development away from adjacent detached residential uses;
(9) Orient primary building façades directly across from opposing primary façades regardless of use type (as seen in Figure 4-9); and
(10) When dealing with multi-building developments on one or more lots, establish a continuum of use intensity where uses of moderate intensity (darkest colors in Figure 4-10) are sited between high-intensity uses (medium colors in Figure 4-9) and low-intensity uses (light colors in Figure 4-9) (i.e. retail to multi-family residential to detached residential).
(11) Provide landscape buffer Type "A" consistent with this chapter.
(Ord. 799, passed 2-27-2023)