A. The mixed use zone is intended to be applied in various locations in the downtown area or redevelopment districts. To create a true mixed use, the master plan and actual development of each location shall be in a manner that the design of the buildings, parking, land uses and landscaping create a compact development and quality design of building and spaces. Attention to the design is required to create a vibrant, interactive and connected development both internally and to its surroundings. The approved project master plan shall demonstrate that the project is developed paying attention to these standards as well as the development theme being proposed. The development agreement and, in redevelopment areas, approval of each phase of the development will determine site specific details, setbacks and building placements and use locations following the concepts of the approved project master plan which incorporates these standards. In order to guide the development of the project master plan each project approval will be guided by the compliance to the following mixed use general development standards.
1. Site Design:
a. Downtown area:
(1) Setbacks: Buildings with ground level commercial uses should be located next to street property lines in order to create a street edge and give visual preference to pedestrian related access to the structures. Some variation for a portion of the building setback may be considered when outdoor spaces for the ground level use are developed such as outdoor dining or entrance features. Buildings with ground level residential use shall have a landscaped transition space from the street property line to the building of not greater than fifteen feet (15') which allows porches, stairways, or a common building entrance to create a transition area from the public sidewalk to the building. All other side and rear setbacks will be determined based on potential impacts of noise, service areas, and objectionable views created by the service areas or use impacts. Other setbacks may be required by the planning commission when the design and the appropriate distance mitigation is needed along the perimeter of the development to transition from the mixed use to the surrounding developments.
(2) Compact Design: Buildings in a mixed use design need to be clustered so that they are easily accessible for pedestrians and to shared parking areas. Clustering occurs by having the buildings tightly grouped along the street frontage or pedestrian access.
(3) Building Orientation: Buildings shall be designed so that the front of the buildings are oriented to the street. Development projects with deep parcel depths that have buildings going into the property away from main streets shall also have the buildings placed on either side of a central plaza, green space, natural feature or walkway with the buildings fronting that walkway or plaza. When space is limited it may be necessary to create a secondary entrance from the parking area to the building which faces the street.
(4) Parking/Access/Service Areas: Parking lots shall be located in the central portions of the development and not along streets so that they can service a variety of buildings. Access to the parking areas should be directed to come from secondary streets when possible in order to create a continuity of buildings along the main street frontage. Surface parking lots shall be landscaped with islands which include trees to help unify the parking lot as a visual amenity to the development. The separation of pedestrian access from vehicular traffic is an important design consideration. Service areas for buildings should be away from pedestrian accesses and public streets. The use of alleys for service of residential parking access is encouraged.
b. Redevelopment districts outside downtown area:
(1) Setbacks: The appropriate setback from the street will be determined based on the uses on either side of the development on the same side of the street. The important consideration is maintaining the character of the existing streetscape massing and having building setbacks that respond appropriately to those characteristics. All other side and rear setbacks will be determined based on potential impacts of noise, height of structures, service areas, objectionable views created by the types of uses and the design and the appropriate mitigation needed along the perimeter of the development to transition from the mixed use to the surrounding developments.
(2) Compact Design: Buildings in a mixed use design need to be clustered so that they are easily accessible for pedestrians and for easy access to shared parking areas. Compact designs create walking connections between buildings. Clustering occurs by grouping the buildings so that several buildings can be accessed from one parking area and from common pedestrian accessways.
(3) Building Orientation: Buildings shall be designed so that the front of the buildings are to the street. When central plazas or walkways are part of the design those central buildings shall front the central plaza, green space, natural features or walkway. When space is limited it may be necessary to create a secondary entrance from the parking area to the building which faces the street.
(4) Parking/Access/Service Areas: Parking lots shall be located to the side of buildings that front on a street or to the rear of the building areas so that they can service a variety of buildings in a clustered design concept rather than creating one large central parking area. Access to the parking areas should be directed to come from secondary streets when possible in order to create a continuity of the streetscape along the main street frontage. When parking is to the side of a building it shall be set back from the face of the building a minimum of one-third (1/3) the depth of the building and the area in front of the parking shall be landscaped. Surface parking lots shall be landscaped with islands which include trees to help unify the parking lot as a visual amenity to the development. The separation of pedestrian access from vehicle traffic is an important design consideration. Service areas for buildings should be away from pedestrian accesses, and public streets. The use of alleys for service access should be encouraged.
2. Parking Requirements:
a. Downtown area: The parking requirements for the land uses shall be based on the requirements of section 15-12-3 of this title and these shall be considered as maximum parking requirements. Shared parking reductions according to section 15-12-7 of this title are encouraged with the exception of shared parking for residential dwelling units. A minimum of one stall per dwelling unit is required. Unless a different standard is adopted in an architectural design book, residential parking shall be designed into the dwelling unit if the design is townhomes, detached dwellings or row houses. Multi-story apartments or condos are encouraged to design the parking into the building as much as possible. Exceptions to reduce the residential parking requirement below the minimum requirement through means such as shared vehicles, mass transit system connections or other means can be considered. Nonresidential parking may also consider parking on the public street as meeting the development's parking requirement.
b. Redevelopment districts outside downtown area: The parking requirements for the land uses shall be based on the requirements of section 15-12-3 of this title and these shall be considered as the maximum parking requirements. Shared parking reductions according to section 15-12-7 of this title are encouraged with the exception of shared parking for residential dwelling units. A minimum of one and one-half (11/2) stalls per dwelling unit is required. Unless a different standard is adopted in an architectural design book, residential parking shall be designed into the dwelling unit if the design is townhomes, detached dwellings or row houses. Multi-story apartments or condos are encouraged to design the parking into the building as much as possible. Exceptions to reduce the residential parking requirement below the minimum requirement through means such as shared vehicles, mass transit system connections or other means can be considered.
3. Building Design:
a. Multilevel mixed use buildings are encouraged to promote architectural quality in building design that a mixed use development needs. Visual interest is an important requirement in the building designs. Visual interest is created by, but not limited to, the following features:
(1) The building design has a visually distinct base, body and cap. These are generally achieved by means of the ground level being the base, the body being the middle portion of the building and the cap being the cornice.
(2) Upper story elements (balconies, windows, terraces) that overlook the street, plaza, and other pedestrian walkways.
(3) The perceived height and bulk of the building is relieved by variation in massing and articulation of facades to reduce the visual length of long walls. Variation of rooflines may also be used to reduce the apparent size of mixed use buildings and provide visual interest.
(4) Building heights vary in the development to create visual relief and the building height transitions from taller buildings to lower heights to achieve compatibility with adjacent properties when the adjacent properties have a one- or two-story maximum height limitation. If the adjacent zone does not have a height limit the taller buildings of the mixed use project shall be located on street corners, major street frontages or as focal points in the development.
b. Quality of the development is related to the choice of exterior materials used in a mixed use project. Brick, atlas brick or stone shall be the main exterior solid surface building materials on the first level of a building as a minimum and preferably as the main solid surface material for all the building exterior. Simulated materials that provide a similar visual appearance may also be considered above the first floor. Trims and accent materials may be stucco, architectural metals, wood or wood appearing materials. If the mixed use project has an architectural design book for architectural styles, building types, design details and material approved with the master plan that design book will determine the design, materials and all other specified requirements for buildings acceptable for the project.
c. Uses which are nonresidential at the ground level shall:
(1) Have the primary frontages of the building either face a street, plaza or pedestrian accessway depending where the primary building frontage is located.
(2) Have the primary frontage designed with a minimum of seventy percent (70%) in transparent glass to create storefront appearances and a transparency between the building and the pedestrian traffic.
(3) Have a floor to ceiling height on the ground level between twelve feet (12') and sixteen feet (16').
d. All sides of the buildings shall receive equal design consideration when they are visible to the pedestrian access areas and the general street system or the building rises above other buildings and is visible from all sides.
4. Open Space: The project master plan shall include an open space element that defines the objectives desired with open space and how open space will be established throughout the development. In approving the open space element of the master plan, the planning commission shall consider how the usable open space shall be provided within the mixed use development with the amount and type of open space depending upon size, scale, and nature of the development. Approved open space may include, but is not limited to, commons, pocket parks, plazas, courtyards, landscape features, water fountains and features, greenbelts, and trail connections. The design shall encourage comfortable and safe pedestrian use, including landscaping, seating areas, and lighting as appropriate as well as connections to public access such as connections to trail systems, and water features. Unless otherwise specified through special agreement or understanding with the city, all open space areas shall be maintained by property owners or homeowners' associations.
5. Signage: Proper signage design in a mixed use development is important to the overall theme of the development and sign locations need to be part of the design of the project.
a. Business signs are limited to flat wall mounted signs and projecting signs designed at a pedestrian scale (between 10 feet and 14 feet above the sidewalk) placed on the storefronts and are the typical sign method that will be considered as appropriate, except that building names, development names and directional signage are also permitted if they integrate into the building or theme design of the development.
b. Developments outside of the downtown area may be allowed one freestanding monument tenant sign not to exceed eight feet (8') in height for each street frontage, provided the monument sign is constructed of the same materials as the adjacent buildings in the development and that the sign fits in context with the development.
c. Other sign types may be used when allowed by a section of this chapter governing a particular mixed use zone.
6. Application To Existing Buildings:
a. When a mixed use zone is applied on property outside of a redevelopment district plan area the project master plan may include the use of all or portions of existing buildings provided there is also new construction on the site in connection with the existing building which create a compact mixed use development following the general development standards. If existing buildings comply with the mixed use building design standards, the new construction shall be designed to integrate its design and materials with the existing buildings. When existing buildings do not meet the standards outlined in this section then revisions to the exterior of the existing buildings to create an integrated mixed use development are required as part of the MU zoning consideration.
b. When the mixed use zoning is applied to a redevelopment district plan area the existing buildings may not be reused if they are deemed a blight by the redevelopment plan or if such reuse of the building hinders the attainment of the overall project master plan by noncompliance with the general development standards and the redevelopment plan.
(Ord. 2013-33, 6-25-2013)