(a) Contextual Design Criteria
To create a coherent and active interface between private development and the public realm that contributes to the sense of place and structure of the neighborhood and enhances the public's experience. Site design that responds to the orientation of adjacent uses and creates opportunities for landscaping and usable open space. Buildings and site design should meet the following criteria:
(1) Buildings that create a street frontage that are compatible with nearby buildings and land uses.
(2) Placement and orientation of doorways, windows, stoops, and landscape elements to create a direct relationship with the street.
(3) Ground floor residential units that have direct entry and presence on the street, and maintain privacy.
(4) Transitional spaces and buffer areas between buildings, parcels, and sites through building setbacks that distinguish private and public spaces.
(5) Buildings that provide side and rear setbacks and/or upper story step backs to create a compatible relationship with abutting lower density residential development.
(6) Landscaped or usable areas that contain a balance between landscape and hardscape.
(7) Optimized building orientation for thermal comfort, shading, daylighting, and natural ventilation and other forms of passive design.
(b) Objective Design Standards
(1) Treatment of Corner Buildings (less than 40 feet)
Corner buildings less than 40 feet in height and end units of townhouses or other attached housing products that face the street shall include the following features on their secondary building frontage:
(A) A height to width ratio greater than 1.2:1
(B) A minimum of 15 percent fenestration area.
(C) At least one façade modulation with a minimum depth of 18 inches and a minimum width of two feet. Examples: Wrap around front porch, bay window.
(2) Treatment of Corner Buildings (40 feet and higher)
Corner buildings 40 feet or taller in height shall include at least one of the following special features:
(A) Street wall shall be located at the minimum front yard setback or build-to line for a minimum aggregated length of 40 feet in length on both façades meeting at the corner and shall include one or more of the following building features:
(i ) An entry to ground floor retail or primary building entrance located within 25 feet of the corner of the building
(ii ) A different material application and/or fenestration pattern from the rest of the façade.
(iii) A change in height of at least four feet greater or less than the height of the adjacent primary façade.
(B) An open space with a minimum dimension of 20 feet and minimum area of 450 square feet. The open space shall be at least one of the following:
(i ) A publicly accessible open space/plaza
(ii ) A space used for outdoor seating for public dining
(ii i) A residential Common Open Space adjacent to a common interior space and less than two feet above adjacent sidewalk grade. Fences and railing shall be a minimum 50% open/transparent.
(3) Primary Building Entry
The primary building entry shall meet at least one of the following standards:
(A) Face a public right-of-way.
(B) Face a publicly accessible pedestrian walkway.
(C) Be visible from a public right-of-way through a forecourt or front porch that meets the following standards:
(i ) For residential buildings with fewer than seven units, building entry forecourts or front porches shall be a minimum area of 36 square feet and minimum dimension of six feet.
(ii) For commercial buildings or residential buildings with seven or more units, building entry forecourts or front porches shall be a minimum of 100 square feet and a minimum width of eight feet.
(4) Ground Floor Residential Units
(A) The finished floor of ground floor residential units, when adjacent to a public right-of-way, shall be within the minimum and maximum heights according to setback distance from back of walk identified in Figure 2. On sites with a cross slope greater than 2% along a building façade, the average height of the finished floor and back of walk shall be used. In flood zones, the minimum floor height shall be defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood zone elevation.
(B) Ground floor units with a setback greater than 15 feet shall have at minimum an average of one tree per 40 linear feet of façade located in the building set back.
(C) Ground floor residential unit entries shall be setback a minimum of ten feet from the back of sidewalk.
(D) Where no minimum building set back is required, all residential units shall be set back a minimum five feet from back of walk.
(E) A minimum of 80% of the ground floor residential units that face a public right-of-way or publicly accessible path, or open space shall have a unit entry with direct access to the sidewalk, path, or open space. (Senior units or other deed-restricted units for special populations are exempt.)
Figure 2a: Finished Floor heights for ground floor residential units, calculation.
where y = ground floor finished floor height, in feet
and x = setback distance from back of walk, in feet
Setback Length | Ground Floor Finished Floor Height (minimum) |
Setback Length | Ground Floor Finished Floor Height (minimum) |
5 ft* | 4 ft |
7.5 ft | 3 ft 4 in |
10 ft | 2 ft 8 in |
12.5 ft | 2 ft |
15 ft | 1 ft 4 in |
17.5 ft | 8 in |
20 ft | 0 ft (grade) |
*Per Section 18.24.040(b)(4)(D), ground-floor residential units shall be set back a minimum five feet from back of walk.
Figure 2b: Finished Floor range for ground floor residential units.
Example 1: Finished floor height greater than 4 feet above sidewalk grade with minimum 5 feet setback.
Example 2: Finished floor height in the middle of the range.
Example 3: Finished floor height at sidewalk grade.
(5) Front Yard Setback Character
Required setbacks shall provide a hardscape and/or landscaped area to create a transition between public and private space. The following standards apply, based on intended use and exclusive of areas devoted to outdoor seating, front porches, door swing of building entries, and publicly accessible open space:
(A) Ground-floor retail or retail-like uses shall have a minimum of 10% of the required setback as landscaped area or planters.
(B) Ground-floor residential uses shall have a minimum of 60% landscaped area in the required setback area.
(6) Side Year Setback Character
(A) Each detached dwelling unit shall have at least one usable side yard, at least six feet wide, between the house and fence or other structure, to provide outdoor passage between the front and rear yards.
(Ord. 5553 § 1 (part), 2022)