The following development standards are established as the minimum deemed necessary to insure the public health, safety, and welfare within the H-P-D Zone and to accomplish the intent and purposes of this article:
(a) Circulation.
(1) Hillside street standards should reflect a rural, rather than urban, character. Street alignments, where possible, should be parallel to contours in valleys or on ridges. Where a location between a valley and ridge is unavoidable, directional pavements should be split, with the principal of grading being half cut and half fill versus all fill or all cut. The detailed design characteristics for each type of street shall be very carefully considered within the framework of requiring absolute minimum geometric standards. The following schedule and diagrams are suggested as being consistent with this premises:
Above fourteen (14%) percent grade, concrete pavement shall be required. Public utility easements may be required outside the street right-of-way if necessary. The Public Works Director and the County Fire Department may modify the above street standards as necessary to meet the purposes and policies set forth in this article.
(2) Sidewalks and walkways shall be provided in accordance with a carefully conceived total pedestrian circulation plan and not rigidly appended onto every street.
(3) Bicycle and equestrian trails should be integrated into the overall circulation plan for any project in this zone.
(4) Street lighting in hillside areas should be of low profile design, unobtrusive, and designed to enhance a rural character.
(b) Parking.
(1) Parking should be provided off the street, and parking lanes may be omitted. The intermittent widening of streets for parking and turnarounds shall be encouraged at appropriate places.
(2) The following on-site parking standards are suggested as being the minimum desirable and acceptable for residential units within this zone. In cases where half spaces occur with single units, the standard would be increased to the next whole figure, notwithstanding the fact that adjoining properties might share common parking areas. Each required parking space shall be accessible at all times and shall be accessible at all times and shall not include driveway or turnaround areas:
Use | Parking Spaces |
Studio units | 1 covered space, plus 0.5 open space |
One-bedroom units | 1 covered space, plus 1 open space |
Two-bedroom units | 1.5 covered spaces, plus 1 open space |
Three-bedroom units | 2 covered spaces, plus 1.5 open spaces |
Four-bedroom units or more | 2 covered spaces, plus 2 open spaces |
Modifications of the above standards may be permitted by the Council if such modifications will better meet the purposes and policies set forth in this article.
(c) Building design. Building design and architectural features shall be compatible with the specific parcel to be developed and with the purposes and policies set forth in this article. Lot sizes, building types, height limits, and setbacks shall be flexible in order to achieve this end; however, safety considerations shall be of foremost concern.
(d) Fire protection.
(1) The lot size and the placement of buildings thereon shall be such that adequate clearance of hazardous, flammable vegetative cover may be performed within the limits of the development.
(2) The roofs and exteriors of buildings shall be of fire retardant materials as provided by the Building Code.
(3) The buildings shall be spaced in such a manner as to minimize the exposure risk, from an adjacent structural fire, from structure to structure as approved by the County Fire Department.
(4) All easements for firebreaks for the fire safety of built-up areas shall encompass access for fire-fighting personnel and equipment which may mean motorized travel in some cases; such easements shall be dedicated to this specific purpose by being recorded.
(5) Where parking lanes are not provided, a lane eight (8') feet wide and fifteen (15') feet on each side of fire hydrants shall be provided and posted “No Parking.”
(6) All brush, as determined by the County Fire Department, shall be removed and cleared within twenty (20') feet of each side of every roadway. This includes all flammable vegetation or other combustible growth. This should not apply, however, to single specimen trees, ornamental shrubbery, and cultivated ground cover, such as green grass, ivy, succulents, or similar plants used as ground covers, provided they do not form a means of readily transmitting tire where brush is removed by the requirements of the County Fire Department.
(7) That portion of any tree which extends within ten (10') feet of the top of the chimney shall be removed or trimmed.
(8) All combustible vegetation cover or other combustible growth shall be removed prior to the construction of buildings a distance of one hundred (100') feet, as specified in the Fire Code.
(9) Grass and other vegetation located more than thirty (30') feet from the structure and less than eighteen (18") inches in height above the ground may be maintained where necessary to stabilize soil erosion.
(e) Erosion control.
(1) All manufactured slopes, other than those constructed in rock, shall be planted or otherwise protected from the effects of storm runoff erosion within thirty (30) days after the completion of the grading. Planting shall be designed to blend the slope with the surrounding terrain and development. Manufactured slopes in rock should be provided with soil pockets to contain landscaping. Irrigation facilities shall be required to provide for the proper maintenance of the planted areas.
(2) Landscaping and irrigation plans shall be submitted and approved in accordance with the established provisions of this Code and the policies for all manufactured slopes and public areas. The Council may require additional landscaping where the Council deems necessary.
(f) Parks and recreation. The provisions of Article 26 of this chapter relating to the dedication of land, payment of fees, or both for park and recreational purposes shall be applicable to land for which H-P-D permits are required.
(§ 1, Ord. 224-NS, eff. September 9, 1971, as amended by § VII, Ord. 376-NS, eff. May 31, 1973, as renumbered by § II, Ord. 383-NS, eff. July 12, 1973)