The intent of these standards is to promote development of buildings that enhance their surroundings through facades that contribute to street activity, the safe circulation of pedestrians and bicycles to and around buildings, and reduced visibility of utilities and equipment related to buildings.
(a) Site Design.
(.1) Entries.
Each principal building shall have one or more entry doors facing and visible from an adjacent public street.
(.2) Screening.
Utility equipment, transformers, ground mounted chillers or cooling towers, and loading docks including trash loading facilities shall be located in areas that are not visible from adjacent public streets or nearby residential uses, or shall be screened from view. Screening shall be opaque and may include configuration of buildings, permitted fences, lattice structures, topographical changes, and/or plants. Rooftop-mounted equipment shall be screened from view from adjacent public streets, public spaces, or nearby residential uses through the use of parapet walls, roof design configuration, or equipment screens at least as tall as the equipment being screened.
(.3) Access.
(.a) When the lot abuts uses in the parks and open space use categories that are administered by DPR, the site design shall provide access for building occupants to the adjacent parks and open space use if appropriate and permitted by DPR.
(.b) Where the Commission's Philadelphia Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan show a bicycle or pedestrian path or trail abutting the application site, the site design shall provide connections to those paths or trails.
(.4) Multi-Building Projects.
The standards in this § 14-703(5) (Multi-Family Residential, Commercial, and Institutional) shall apply to each building that would be considered a principal building as if it were the only building on the lot.
(b) Building Design.
Facade articulation is required for each building frontage that is greater than 100 ft. wide and that faces a public street 40 ft. or wider. The intent is to ensure that public streets will not be fronted by featureless, monolithic walls. Between the average ground level and a height of 25 ft., a minimum of thirty percent (30%) of the wall area must include one or more of the following features listed in subsections (.a) through (.c).
(.a) Ornamental and structural detail;
(.b) Projections, recesses, bays, overhangs, or other variations in planes; or
(.c) Transparent windows or other transparent glazed area.
(.2) Exposed Side Walls.
The following standards apply to the exposed portion of a wall abutting a side lot line.
(.a) The total height of the exposed portion of a wall abutting a side lot line may be a maximum of 25 ft. in height without any required facade articulation.
(.b) When the exposed portion of a building wall abutting a side lot line exceeds 25 ft. in height, the portion of the wall above 25 ft. must have at least fifteen percent (15%) of its total surface consisting of articulation that indicates the floor level or implied window openings or other elements and materials to provide visual relief consistent with the architecture of the building and the neighborhood. This may be accomplished by, but is not limited to:
(i) blind windows,
(ii) material color or texture change,
(iii) architectural screens, lattices, or baffles, or
(iv) articulated structural spandrels.
Notes
| 836 | Amended, Bill No. 120774-A (approved January 14, 2013). |