A. Purpose and Intent. The purpose for these standards is to create vibrant, pedestrian-oriented areas of residential and non-residential use that are located in the same building or in close proximity to one another on the same site. More specifically, these standards are intended to:
1. Create well-designed, desirable places for Town residents and visitors to shop, dine, recreate, and live;
2. Ensure development within mixed use areas is compact and walkable;
3. Shorten travel times and support alternative modes of transportation by reducing the need for automobile travel within urban portions of the Town;
4. Encourage human-scaled development that is pedestrian-oriented;
5. Reduce development costs by facilitating the most dense forms of development in areas easily served by public infrastructure; and
6. Accommodate both vertically mixed-use development within an individual building as well as horizontally mixed-use development on a single site.
B. Applicability. The standards in this section shall apply to all the following:
1. New development within the OI district;
2. New multi-story development within the DTP district;
3. Live/work dwellings;
4. Upper story residential; and
5. Any development that includes principal use types from the residential and commercial or institutional use classifications in Table 4.2.3, Principal Use Table, within the same building or within the same development site.
C. Exemptions. These standards shall not be applied to the following forms of development:
1. Agriculture-related uses;
2. Renovation or redevelopment of existing structures; and
3. Mixed-use development established prior to January 1, 2020.
D. Timing of Review. Review for compliance with these standards shall take place during review of an associated rezoning, site plan, special use permit, or planned development master plan, as appropriate.
E. Design Requirements. Development subject to these standards shall be designed in accordance with the following:
1. Street Network. In cases where mixed-use development involves the construction of new streets or alleys, the new streets shall be configured in accordance with the following standards:
a. Streets shall be organized into a grid pattern with block lengths that do not exceed 500 feet.
b. Streets shall be configured to a design speed of 25 miles per hour.
c. Streets shall include traffic-calming features such as roundabouts, raised pedestrian crossings, bulb-outs, speed tables, raised medians, and chicanes, but excluding speed bumps, which shall not be included.
d. Streets shall include well-defined ADA-compliant crosswalks and small turning radii at intersections.
e. Streets shall include bicycle lanes in accordance with NCDOT standards.
f. Streets shall include sidewalks configured in accordance with Section 6.4, Sidewalks.
g. Mid-block alleys shall be included to facilitate off-street parking and to accommodate service functions.
h. Cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets are prohibited, except where topography or natural features make them necessary.
2. Building Orientation.
a. Single Building Development. New development consisting of a single building shall be oriented such that the long axis of the building is either parallel or perpendicular to the street right-of-way it faces.
b. Multiple Building Development. Development comprised of multiple buildings shall be configured with two or more of the following design elements (see Figure 5.3.2.E.2.b: Multiple Building Development):
i. Site configuration os a series of smaller "blocks" defined by buildings fronting on-site streets and internal vehicle accessways, utilizing pedestrian oriented design such as walkways, or other circulation routes and multi-modal transportation access/waiting areas when appropriate;
ii. Corner buildings designed to front both sides of an adjacent street intersection or entry point to the development in an "L" configuration;
iii. Buildings facing each other across a relatively narrow vehicular access area with pedestrian amenities in a "main street" character;
iv. Buildings enclosing at least three sides of parking areas, public spaces, or other site amenities; or
v. Buildings enclosing outdoor dining or gathering spaces for pedestrians between buildings.
3. Building Location.
a. Buildings on lots bounding streets shall be built to the edge of the sidewalk. In the case of double or reverse frontage lots, the building shall be located adjacent to the street providing the street address for the building.
b. When development is proposed on a corner lot, the building shall be configured to occupy the lot corner at the street intersection.
c. Nothing shall prevent a mixed-use building from exceeding a maximum front or corner side setback being setback, provided the area between the building and the street is occupied by a public gathering space, open space set-aside, or an area used for outdoor dining.
4. Lot Frontage to be Occupied by Building Wall.
a. In order to ensure an inviting and desirable streetscape for pedestrians, mixed use development shall be configured so that at least 70 percent of the lot frontage is occupied by building wall (see Figure 5.3.2.E.4: Occupied Frontage).
b. Areas occupied by gathering areas (like plazas), urban open space set-aside, or outdoor dining areas shall be credited towards the lot frontage requirements.
5. Ground Floor Configuration. The ground floor of vertically-integrated mixed-use buildings and buildings located in the OI district shall be configured to meet the North Carolina Building Code requirements for commercial development. Nothing shall require the ground floor to be occupied by a non-residential use.
6. Off-Street Parking Location.
a. Off-street parking areas shall be located to the side or rear of buildings subject to these standards.
b. Mixed-use buildings located outside the NC district and with two or more habitable stories may be configured to allow up to one row of off-street parking spaces between the building and the street it fronts (see Figure 5.3.2.E.6: Off-Street Parking Location). All other off-street parking shall be located to the side or the rear of a mixed-use building.
7. Building Articulation. Buildings subject to these standards shall be configured so that no single facade fronting a public street shall extend for longer than 35 linear feet without inclusion of one or more of the following features (see Figure 5.3.2.E.7: Mixed-Use Building Articulation):
a. The use of projections or recesses in the building facade wall with a depth of between 18 inches and 36 inches from the primary facade plane and a minimum span of eight feet;
b. The use of columns, pilasters, or other architectural detail harmonious with the general design of the structure with a minimum width of eight inches and spaced no less than every ten feet on-center;
c. Distinct changes in building material that are vertically aligned with variations in roof form and parapet heights; or
d. A single vertical accent or focal point such as a tower feature located on a prominent building corner.
8. Fenestration.
a. Blank, windowless walls facing sidewalks, streets, and other public places shall be prohibited.
b. At least 40 percent of the first floor facade facing a street shall be transparent, whether through the use of glass windows, doors, or both (see Figure 5.3.2.E.8: Mixed-use Building Fenestration).
c. At least 25 percent of each upper story facade facing a street shall be transparent.
d. Ventilation grates or emergency exit doors located at the first floor level oriented toward a street shall be decorative.
9. Building Entrances.
a. Primary structures must be oriented with their main entrance facing the street upon which the project fronts.
b. If the site is on a corner, it may have its main entrance oriented to either street or at the corner.
c. Entrances serving mixed-use buildings shall include at least two of the following features fronts (see Figure 5.3.2.E.9: Mixed-Use Building Entrances):
i. Canopies or porticos;
ii. Overhangs;
iii. Recesses/projections;
iv. Soldier courses or story lines;
v. Galleries or arcades;
vi. Raised corniced parapets over the door;
vii. Peaked roof forms;
viii. Arches;
ix. Architectural detail such as tile work and moldings integrated into the building structure and design; or
x. Integral planters that incorporate landscaped areas and places for sitting.
10. Roof Form.
a. Roof pitches less than 3:12 and flat roofs shall require a parapet wall on all sides visible from the street. Parapet walls shall fully screen all roof-top mechanical equipment from the street.
b. Parapet walls shall have decorative cornices or caps.
c. A pitched roof shall have eaves that extend a minimum of 12 inches from the building face.
d. Roof-mounted mechanical equipment on a pitched roof shall be screened or otherwise camouflaged from view from the street.
11. Weather Protection. Weather protection for pedestrians, such as awnings, canopies, galleries, and arcades, shall be provided along building frontages abutting a public sidewalk or a hard-surfaced expansion of a sidewalk, and along building frontages between a building entrance and a public street or accessway.
12. Drive-Up/Drive Through Prohibited. No building within a mixed-use development or downtown district shall include drive-up or drive through facilities.
13. Signage. Pole signs shall be prohibited on lots with mixed-use development.
F. Dumpster Enclosure Design. The following standards shall apply to dumpster and refuse collection areas for commercial uses.
1. The sides and back of enclosures shall be constructed of the same materials as the primary building and the following materials are prohibited.
a. Natural wood fence panels.
b. Synthetic Stucco or EFIS.
c. Chain-Link.
d. Reflective Corrugated Metal.
2. Gates shall be constructed of a metal panel system and painted or coated black, grey, or similar neutral color.
3. Enclosures shall meet the requirements of Table 5.10.5 Screening Methods.
(Ord. 2020-36, passed 12-2-2019; Ord. 2022-19, passed 10-4-2021; Ord. 2022-40, passed 5-2-2022)