§ 13.4. Special district standards.

13.401 Purpose and applicability.

A.

Purpose. The purpose of these standards is to ensure that development, redevelopment, and substantial improvements create high-quality neighborhood and pedestrian-friendly environments in Olde Towne (District OT) and along Fremaux Avenue (District NC).

B.

Applicability. These standards apply to all new development, redevelopment, substantial improvements, and expansion of nonresidential and mixed use buildings in District OT and District NC. The standards set out in section 13.3, nonresidential and mixed-use design standards, also apply within District OT and District NC, excluding the following sections for District NC:

1.

Section 13.303, façade treatments;

2.

Section 13.304, exterior wall finish materials; and

3.

Section 13.305, building form and design.

C.

Exemptions. Single and two-family dwellings that are used for residential occupancy and located in District OT and District NC are exempt from the standards set out in this section.

13.402 Design standards for District NC.

A.

Applicability. All new development, redevelopment, substantial reconstruction, and expansion of buildings shall be designed and conform to the standards of this section.

B.

Standards. The standards are as follows:

1.

Construction. All buildings shall be of wood or metal frame or masonry construction, or any combination thereof.

2.

Roofing. The main roof of all buildings shall be gabled, hipped, mansard, gambrel, or a combination thereof. Flat roofs, curving roofs, and shed roofs are prohibited. (See Figure 13.203.1, Roof Types) The roof pitch shall be no less than four inches of rise for each 12 inches of run.

3.

Materials. Buildings, including both principal and accessory buildings, shall be sided with wood siding, fiber cement siding, face brick, or with other materials that are pre-approved by the zoning commission. False façades are prohibited.

4.

Corporate architecture. Logo buildings and logo building elements are prohibited.

5.

Building scale. New or redeveloped, substantially reconstructed, or expanded buildings shall not exceed 15,000 square feet.

6.

Lighting. Lighting shall comply with article 11.5, exterior lighting standards.

7.

Bufferyards. Nonresidential structures shall include a Type B bufferyard that includes a six-foot fence or wall.

8.

Signage. Signage shall comply with article 6, signs.

13.403 Design standards for District OT.

A.

Applicability. All new development, redevelopment, substantial reconstruction, and expansion of buildings shall be designed and conform to the standards of this section.

B.

Standards. The standards are as follows:

1.

Façade treatments. Elevations of building walls that are within direct public view shall have certain percentages of decorative façade surfaces as set out for mixed-use and multi-tenant buildings or centers in section 13.303, façade treatments.

2.

Exterior wall finishes. Exterior building finishes shall comply with the standards for decorative, non-decorative, limited, and prohibited materials set out in section 13.304, exterior wall finishes. Materials shall be reviewed for their historic context for which the following materials may be considered:

a.

Walls: Wood, brick, and cement plaster (stucco).

b.

Roofing: Wood shakes, slate/tile, rigid shingles with ridge tiles, metal (corrugated, V-crimp, and standing seam).

3.

Height. No building shall exceed 115 percent or be less than 85 percent of the average height of the buildings on the two nearest developed lots or buildings on either side of the subject lot or building.

4.

Building form and design. Buildings with two or more stories shall be designed as those set out for multi-story buildings in section 13.305, building form and design.

5.

Roofing and roof lines. Sloped roofs are not allowed unless the roof form is concealed by a parapet on all sides of the building. Rooflines shall mimic or complement the character or design of the rooflines of the two nearest developed lots or buildings on either side of the subject lot or building.

6.

Entrances. Buildings must have a primary, passable entrance door facing the street, side-facing alley, plaza or courtyard that has a distinguishing feature, such as a canopy, awning, gallery, or portico. Entrances at building corners satisfy this requirement. Building entrances may include doors to individual shops or businesses, lobby entrances, entrances to pedestrian-oriented plazas, or courtyard entrances to a cluster of shops or businesses.

7.

Recessed entrances. Recessed building entrances are subject to the following standards:

a.

The entrance width may not exceed 12 feet;

b.

The entrance depth may not exceed the entrance width; and

c.

The entrance may not exceed two stories in height.

8.

Elevations. Building wall elevations shall comply with the standards set out in section 13.305, building form and design. A consistent design vocabulary is required for multiple structures on one property. A unifying element such as material, color, or form shall be used for all structures.

9.

Building design. The following standards apply to the design of buildings:

a.

Arcades, galleries, and roofs shall not appear to levitate in space, but shall have a visible means of support with columns and/or brackets. No overhangs in excess of three feet are allowed without a visible means of support. Rafter tails are encouraged on smaller overhangs.

b.

Smaller buildings shall reflect the design elements of historic styles, and larger buildings shall be divided into smaller elements in order to incorporate historic design context.

c.

Buildings should maintain classic proportions. For example, smaller columns should be placed closer together for a more vertical proportion, and as the structure becomes more horizontal in scale, the supports (columns) should have additional mass.

d.

Building fascias may not exceed 16 inches in depth, including the gutter, except for fascias used as a unifying design element or for the placement of signage for multi-tenant buildings.

10.

Corporate architecture. Logo buildings and logo building elements are prohibited.

11.

Architectural relief. For all façades facing a right-of-way, the first two stories or first 28 feet above ground level shall use architectural detail to provide visual interest by incorporating a minimum of two design elements every 25 feet from the options exhibited in Figure 13.305, Architectural Detailing. Along all other façades not facing a right-of-way and not screened by another building located within 15 feet of the façade, there shall be at least two design elements as listed above for every 40 feet. These façades shall be similar and complementary to the primary entrance façade.

12.

Massing. Buildings with a front façade greater than 80 feet in length shall be designed to appear as a group of attached buildings or otherwise given interest while maintaining a harmonious façade, as follows:

a.

The façade shall have a rhythm created by vertical elements with 25-foot on center spacing. The vertical elements shall be differentiated by building offsets of one to three feet. Additional offsets may be allowed to accommodate plazas for outdoor dining or public display.

b.

The floors of buildings shall be aligned within one foot unless the slope conditions on the site require greater differences. The buildings shall articulate the floor levels with horizontal bands of different materials, offsets and shadow lines, changes in window treatments, or changes in material and color, or the inclusion of balconies or railings.

c.

Articulation may include variations in roof or parapet height or design.

13.

Transparency. Buildings shall comply with the following standards for transparency:

a.

At least 60 percent of the pedestrian view plane must be comprised of clear, non-reflective windows that allow views of indoor space or product display areas. On corner lots, this transparency requirement applies along the front elevation.

b.

Display windows that do not provide views into the interior of the building may be counted toward satisfying up to 60 percent of the minimum transparency requirements, provided they are internally illuminated and are at least two feet in depth.

c.

A minimum of 15 percent of the building façade's area above the first floor shall consist of transparent material.

d.

Tinted or reflective glass that blocks more than 40 percent of incident visible light is prohibited. See Figure 13.403, Massing and Transparency Standards.

14.

Colors. Colors shall be reviewed for their historic context for which the following may be considered:

a.

Façade colors shall be non-reflective and subtle. The use of primary, high intensity, fluorescent, or metallic colors is prohibited (other than the sign face).

b.

Any activity that involves changing color or refreshing color shall be pre-approved by the zoning commission. Color samples shall be submitted for approval to the director.

c.

Metallic (except copper and silver metallic-colored roofs) and colors are prohibited on any façade or roof.

d.

A scaled mock-up representing the building architecture, design, materials, and colors shall be erected on the site of the project as set out in section 13.308, project design and materials mock-up.

15.

Canopies and awnings. Canopies and awnings shall comply with the standards set out in section 13.305, building form and design.

16.

Landscaping. Any area between the inside or interior of the sidewalk edge and the building façade and/or parking area not utilized as outdoor café seating is required to be 100 percent landscaped and irrigated. Eligible landscape/streetscape improvements shall include raised masonry planter boxes or planter pots, at-grade planting beds, seating benches, light features, decorative railings, masonry walls not exceeding three feet in height, decorative wrought iron fencing, additional pedestrian areas finished with brick pavers, or other elements proposed as part of the landscape plan. Live plant material must be included where feasible in each plan.

17.

Mechanical equipment and meters. Ground-level and roof- or building-mounted mechanical equipment and meters shall comply with the standards set out in section 13.305, mechanical equipment and meters.

18.

Lighting. Lighting shall comply with article 11.5, exterior lighting standards.

19.

Signage. Signage shall comply with article 6, signs.

13.404 Sidewalks, plazas, pedestrian amenities, and site requirements.

A.

Generally. The planning objective for District OT is for development and redevelopment to create a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use environment in the city's traditional downtown area. Sidewalks, plazas, and other pedestrian amenities are important contributors to this objective.

B.

Requirements. The requirements are as follows:

1.

Sidewalks. The following sidewalk improvements shall be provided for pedestrians:

a.

Sidewalks of not less than eight feet in width parallel to the façade with a customer entrance and connecting to adjacent buildings and parking areas.

b.

Sidewalks of not less than six feet in width connecting sidewalks in public rights-of-way to the sidewalk required by subsection a. above and where to the building entry when the requirements of subsection a. cannot be met.

c.

Sidewalks that cross driving or other surfaces shall be clearly delineated with the use of special materials, e.g. textured or stamped concrete, brick or stone pavers, etc.

d.

The director may approve alternate locations and widths to eliminate encroachments of streetscaping materials that would reduce the clear space of the sidewalk to less than six feet.

e.

A minimum of one sidewalk bench shall be provided for every 50 linear feet of building frontage along a right-of-way. In no case shall more than four sidewalk benches per building façade be required.

2.

Outdoor spaces and amenities. Where provided, outdoor pedestrian spaces shall be visible and clearly accessible to the public. Plazas, courtyards, greens, and other pedestrian areas shall include landscaping and pedestrian-scale lighting. The following are encouraged:

a.

Public art, benches with backs, low seating walls, or other pedestrian amenities and site furnishings; and

b.

Use of brick, paver brick, stone, color-textured or stamped concrete to reinforce the character of Olde Towne.

3.

Outside display of merchandise. The following standards are in lieu of section 4.401, outdoor display of merchandise.

a.

Temporary or portable buildings of any kind are prohibited except during construction of site-planned facilities.

b.

Outside sales/outside display areas shall be located within five feet of a required entrance façade and shall only be located in front of the property/business that is selling item(s). A four-foot minimum clear space on sidewalks shall be maintained.

c.

All merchandise and/or seasonal items used for outside sales or display shall be moved indoors at the end of business each day.

13.405 Parking lots and parking garages.

A.

Generally. In District OT, parking lots and parking garages shall be designed and located according to the standards of this section. These standards are applied in addition to the standards that are set out in part 11, parking, loading, access, and lighting.

B.

Parking lots. Surface parking lots shall be located:

1.

Behind buildings; or

2.

Behind a streetscape buffer that complies with section 11.305, bufferyards for parking lots and vehicular use areas, which incorporates:

a.

A landscaped masonry wall with a minimum height of three feet; and

b.

Street furniture (or benches incorporated into the wall), spaced at intervals of not more than 50 feet.

C.

Parking garages.

1.

The perception of the bulk (or mass) of a parking garage as seen from the street shall be minimized by orienting the garage so that its short dimension is along the edge of the street with the highest functional classification upon which the lot fronts.

2.

The parking garage shall provide retail or other appropriate uses at the ground level and/or along no less than 60 percent of the linear frontage abutting a street, parking area, or open space. Alternatively, the parking garage shall be located behind the principal building (see Figure 13.405.1, Parking Garage with Building Frontage).

3.

Any remaining portions of the façade not devoted to retail or other appropriate uses shall incorporate one or more of the following devices to screen the view of parked cars:

a.

Ornamental grillwork (plain vertical or horizontal bars are not acceptable);

b.

Decorative artwork, such as metal panels, murals, and mosaics; and/or

c.

Display windows for use by nearby merchants.

4.

Vehicular entrances shall be designed to incorporate architectural elements that frame the opening, such as an arch, lintels, pilasters, masonry trim, planters, or ornamental lighting.

5.

Where the dimensions of the parcel proposed for development do not accommodate building frontage as set out above, parking structures and vehicle entrances shall be designed to minimize views into the garage from surrounding and adjacent properties, streets, and sidewalks. Methods to help minimize such views may include, but are not limited to landscaping, planters masonry walls up to 42 inches in height, and decorative grilles and screens. The frontage along the garage shall include street furniture at intervals of not more than 40 feet. See Figure 13.405.2, Parking Garage with Screening.

6.

Parking structures shall be architecturally consistent with exterior architectural elements of the principal structure or adjacent traditional buildings, including rooflines, façade design, articulation, modulation and finish materials.

7.

Parking structure façades shall have brick cladding or a combination of brick and other masonry and have regularly spaced square or rectangular openings.

8.

Security grilles for parking structures shall be architecturally consistent with and integrated with the overall design. Chain link fencing is not permitted for parking structure fencing.

(Ord. No. 3674, 3-12-2013)