§ 8. Residential design standards.

All residential development and redevelopment in an NRD shall comply with the following residential development guidelines:

(1)

Single-family development design: New single-family residential developments shall be designed at densities and building scales that blend in character with surrounding or adjoining single family developments in accordance with the provisions of section 3 of this article. These adjustments to the underlying zoning and development regulations will be established in the approved final development or subdivision plans and described in the governing ordinance. All single-family dwellings shall comply with the following residential design guidelines:

a.

Each residential building shall contain street-facing architectural features which provide the appropriate surrounding neighborhood scale to the facade, enhance the curb appeal, and reinforce local building traditions. Architectural features may include, but are not limited to, bay windows, covered porches, balconies, dormers and cupolas.

b.

All single-family homes, townhouses, and duplexes shall have a street-oriented entrance and street-facing principal window(s). In the case of dwelling units facing courtyards or gardens, entries and principal windows shall face those features as well. A roadway presence shall also be created through the use of front porches and similar architectural treatments and landscaping.

c.

No garage wall shall be closer to the street than any other house wall. Garage or door openings facing a street shall not exceed 50 percent of the width of the house facade.

d.

All new construction shall include durable, high quality exterior building materials. The use of bright colors and highly reflective surfaces shall be limited to accent features only.

e.

The quality of the exterior materials, architectural details and their application shall be consistent and of an equivalent intensity on all sides of the building.

f.

Street trees shall be planted every 45 feet along all streets or as required by the City's subdivision ordinance, whichever is more restrictive.

(2)

Multiple-family architectural design: New multiple-family residential developments shall respect the building bulk, height, form and architectural character of the adjacent residential neighborhood. Site and architectural design shall address views from and to the site, building orientation, proximity to adjacent uses, location of driveways, noise, lighting and landscape. The buildings shall maintain a single-family residential character through design principles of scale, harmony, rhythm and balance as follows:

a.

Building facades shall be articulated by using color, architectural feature arrangement and change in materials to emphasize the design elements on all building facades.

b.

The planes and architectural treatment of exterior walls shall be varied in height, depth, color, texture, and orientation to break up roof lines, define private outdoor areas and admit light and air to unit interiors.

c.

Facades in excess of 50 feet wide or 20 feet tall shall be designed with sufficient building articulation, design features, color and texture variation and landscaping to avoid an overpowering appearance or monotony when used on adjoining structures or units.

d.

Windows, architectural features and projecting wall surfaces shall be used to break up larger wall surfaces and establish visual interest.

e.

Primary facades and building entries shall be oriented toward the street or an entry courtyard and shall be designed to have continuity with the scale, massing and character of adjacent structures within and exterior to the development and incorporate architectural features such as gables, porches, texture, color and windows to complement the surrounding buildings while breaking up the structure's facades.

f.

The same level of architectural design and quality of materials shall be applied to all facades of all buildings. Side and rear elevations, garages, carports, and all accessory structures shall maintain the same level of design, aesthetic quality, and architectural compatibility as the main structure(s).

g.

Developments containing multiple buildings shall share a common architectural theme that is consistent in relation to the design, use of materials, massing, scale, screening and roof pitch, texture, color, fenestration and related architectural detailing.

h.

New development shall maintain a consistent overall height of structure(s).

i.

All building entries shall be defined with an architectural treatment, easily accessible, safe, and clearly marked with building address and apartment numbers.

j.

Building materials shall be durable and low maintenance with at least 25 percent of the primary facade and ten percent of all other facades consisting of brick, stone or other similar materials as allowed by the building ordinance for commercial structures.

k.

Bare or uncoated concrete foundations shall not be exposed by more than 12 inches between the ground and the bottom of the siding material.

l.

All outdoor refuse, recycling and yard waste container storage areas, mechanical equipment, utility meters and related items shall be screened from adjoining properties and rights-of-way with planting materials or structural screens. Structural screens shall be architecturally compatible with the major building components. All screening shall be of least 80 percent opaque to a height of six feet above grade.

(3)

Parking lot landscape requirements: Perimeter landscape buffers and curbed planting islands shall be required in all parking lots of five or more spaces and shall comply with the following requirements:

a.

All parking lots shall be screened from streets, public open spaces, and adjacent properties by complying with one of the following landscaping options, additionally, a two-foot car overhang area shall be provided in any planting area adjacent to parking stalls not intended for parallel parking.

i.

The outside perimeter of all parking areas and drive aisles shall include a landscaped area 12 feet in width offering a mixture of deciduous trees of a caliper of two inches or more or evergreen trees at least six feet in height planted on 50-foot centers and three shrubs per tree in no smaller than five-gallon containers. When a parking lot abuts a public right-of-way the trees shall be planted no less than 30 feet on center; or

ii.

A five-foot wide perimeter-landscaped area with metal ornamental fencing or a masonry wall supplemented with clusters of three shrub plantings of five-gallon size container on 10-foot spacings, or supplemented by a continuous hedge of two-gallon size shrubs interspersed with a deciduous two-inch caliper street (acceptable for street tree) tree planted every 50 feet.

b.

Parking lot landscaping shall include a minimum of one two-inch caliper deciduous or six-foot tall evergreen tree for every 20 parking spaces, or portion thereof.

c.

All planting areas within or adjacent to a parking lot or vehicular use area shall be irrigated.

d.

Unless part of a rain garden or similar runoff collection system, all landscaped areas shall be delineated by a vertical concrete curb no more than six inches tall.

e.

New trees shall meet the city's minimum planting requirements.

4.

Open space and/or common ground areas shall be dedicated in perpetuity by deed or plat dedication in all NRD developments for the benefit, use, and enjoyment of the residential owners/tenants. Such areas may be established and held in common and shall be the sole maintenance responsibility of said owners.

The percentage of a site dedicated to open space/common ground shall be in accordance with the following minimum standards.

Minimum Open Space Requirements
Density (dwelling units per acre)	Open Space required (% of buildable area)
0—5 d.u. per acre	12%
Over 5—10 d.u. per acre	20%

 

(Ord. No. 09-03, § 1, 1-12-09)