§ 30.48.975. Design and Development Standards.

Design and development standards for development within the SOSA Design Overlay District are required within this Part (M). Additional guidelines are contained within the "SOSA Design Standards and Guidelines," which, while not mandatory, should be incorporated into the project's design to the greatest extent possible.

1.

Street and Circulation Design.

A.

Blocks. Blocks with a perimeter greater than 1,980 feet (measured along the pedestrian realm; see page 17 of the "SOSA Design Standards and Guidelines") shall only be permitted when an internal pedestrian walkway, passageway, or street is provided through the middle of the block, which shall not be gated and shall remain open to public access.

B.

Shared Driveways. Shared driveways are required in the rear of developments to provide access to parking and service areas.

i.

Service and loading areas, utility boxes, mechanical equipment and trash enclosure areas shall be screened with landscaping or decorative walls.

ii.

Driveway illumination shall be with light fixtures on the building or light poles adjacent to driveway; however, no light fixtures shall project over the driveway.

C.

Streets. All streets shall be designed and constructed per the "SOSA Design Standards and Guidelines". Gated streets are not permitted within the SOSA Design Overlay.

D.

Pedestrian Crossings. All internal street intersections within SOSA require crosswalks, as well as at mid-block locations if the distance between street intersections exceeds 400 feet. Crosswalks shall be a minimum of 8' wide and constructed of decorative concrete pavement to clearly mark the pedestrian zone.

E.

Pedestrian Realm. The requirements within this part (E) cannot be waived or varied.

i.

A pedestrian realm shall be created on each side of all streets within SOSA. This standard does not apply to the south side of Karen Avenue, the north side of Sahara Avenue, the west side of Joe W. Brown Drive, and the east side of Maryland Parkway (the sides of these streets are not located within SOSA).

a.

Pedestrian realm width shall be 15' wide. The pedestrian realm for Sahara Avenue shall be constructed in accordance with street section figures shown on pages 40 and 42 of the "SOSA Design Standards and Guidelines."

b.

All other development standards shall be in conformance with Section 30.48.770(C)(6).

ii.

Street furniture, public art, planters, and other items may be allowed in the supplemental pedestrian area. Items within the supplemental pedestrian area shall not block pedestrian access (sidewalk), building entrance or path leading to a building entrance.

iii.

Outdoor dining may be allowed in the supplemental zone. If a barrier is provided it may be constructed as a sectional freestanding metal fence, freestanding posts connected by a rope or chain with a minimum diameter of one inch, or a group of planted pots or planter boxes that surround the dining area. The dining area barrier should be 36 to 42 inches tall. Chain link fences, fences with fabric inserts, and wood fences are prohibited.

2.

Architectural Development Standards.

A.

Setbacks. Buildings shall be located at the back of the pedestrian realm. Stoops and stairs may project into the pedestrian realm. Residential buildings shall be set back 5 feet from all other property lines. Commercial buildings shall be set back 5' from the rear property line, unless the building type occupies the entire block, then no setback is required. Awnings/shade structures may project up to 5' from facades, however, it shall not encroach into pedestrian access.

B.

Mass and Height.

i.

The first five floors of a building shall be considered the building base, which shall have a maximum height of 55'.

ii.

All floors above the fifth floor shall be considered the building tower. If the building includes a tower, the tower shall be stepped back 10' from the roof edge of the building base.

C.

Facades.

i.

The primary entrance to any principal building shall be located on a facade that faces a street or public space.

ii.

The ground level floor of a residential building shall be a minimum 3' above the finished grade of the site.

iii.

Windows on a facade fronting a street or public space shall occupy at least 20% of the total area of the facade. Windows shall be provided on all floors of the building.

iv.

External stairways going to upper floors (does not include stoops providing access to the ground floor units) are prohibited along facades that face a street or public space.

v.

The floor to ceiling height of the ground floor shall be at least 16'.

vi.

70% of the ground floor facade of a commercial building (as measured by multiplying the floor's ceiling height by the width of the ground floor facade) shall contain transparent glass.

vii.

Facades facing a street or public space shall be articulated to minimize the visual impact of large, uninterrupted, austere facades. See pages 64 and 79 of the "SOSA Design Standards and Guidelines" for appropriate methods of articulation.

viii.

Building facades adjacent to alleys/shared driveways shall have a decorative finish similar to the front facade, and shall include windows or secondary entrances.

D.

Parking Structure Facades.

i.

Views into the podium parking level shall be screened with decorative metal, dense landscaping or by limiting the size of openings.

ii.

Parking structure facades shall be designed to be compatible with other building facades on the property, and contain patterns, materials, details, and colors that are similar to adjacent facades. Ramps shall be enclosed or screened from the right of way.

E.

Roofs.

i.

Residential buildings may have flat roofs when the roof includes a decorative parapet.

ii.

Variations in all rooflines shall be incorporated to provide architectural character and variety. Horizontal roof lines longer than one hundred feet shall provide articulations in the facade, changing the height of roof portions, or by adding elements such as, but not limited to, towers or domes.

3.

Site Development Standards.

A.

Parking.

i.

Adequate parking should be provided to accommodate the use. The minimum standards of Chapter 30.60 shall not apply to projects within the SOSA Design Overlay, however; when providing less than the number of spaces required per Chapter 30.60, the applicant shall present justification as to why the minimum standards are not necessary.

ii.

Parking areas are prohibited between streets and front building facades.

iii.

All development shall provide a parking and service zone. This zone includes the area of the lot that is more than 20' from the back of the pedestrian realm and 5' from side and rear property lines. Surface parking, parking structures, trash enclosures, and service areas shall be located in this zone.

iv.

Access to parking shall be provided from the rear alleys/shared driveways if available. If the property is not located adjacent to an alley, then a maximum of two driveways from the street are allowed.

B.

Landscaping. Paved pedestrian access/pathway, which may include steps and stoops, shall provide access between sidewalks and building entrances.

C.

Walls/Fences/Screening. Walls and fences should be limited to necessary screening only.

i.

Fence and wall design shall be compatible with the architecture of the main building(s) on the site and shall be constructed with compatible exterior finishes and color materials.

ii.

Walls and fences should be constructed of stone, brick, concrete, stucco, and decorative metal.

iii.

Wood and chain link fences are prohibited. Barbed wired, concertina wire, and glass shards are prohibited on fences and walls.

iv.

All walls shall be designed to minimize visual monotony by articulating the design of the wall surface. Appropriate methods of articulation include:

a.

Providing regularly spaced columns or posts.

b.

Designing the wall with a defined base and cap.

c.

Utilizing more than one type of material or color.

d.

Altering or changing the height of the wall.

D.

Trash Disposal Areas.

i.

Trash enclosures shall be located within parking garages or to the rear of buildings away from pedestrian realms.

ii.

Trash enclosures shall be architecturally compatible with the other buildings on the site and their design should consist of similar forms, materials and colors.

iii.

Trash enclosures shall have a trellis or roof.

E.

Mechanical Equipment. The following items shall be screened from public views; utility meters, power transformers and sectors, irrigation and pool pumps, satellite dishes greater than 18" in diameter, antennas, and all mechanical equipment (including but not limited to heating/cooling, rooftop equipment).

4.

Additional Design and Development Standards. Additional standards for streetscape, including street furniture and landscape materials, as well as way-finding signs, on-premises signs, common outdoor spaces and site lighting are recommended. Specific requirements may be included as a condition of approval of the land use approval for individual projects, including timing for placement of such improvements. See the "SOSA Design Standards and Guidelines" for design guidelines.

5.

Utility Substations: Standards and Guidelines.

A.

The screening walls and building shall comply with the applicable facade standards and guidelines for Residential Flats, as shown within pages 60 through 69 of the "SOSA Design Standards and Guidelines". The facades shall be compatible with the desired form and character of the neighborhood. Facades shall not be designed like conventional utility building screening walls.

B.

All undeveloped areas of the property that are visible from the public street shall be landscaped in compliance with standards and guidelines in Section 9.0 (Landscaping and Screening) of "SOSA Design Standards and Guidelines".

C.

All substation utility lines shall be placed underground.

D.

Utility companies shall improve the streets that are adjacent to the substation property in compliance with the street standards and guidelines in Section 5.0 (Streets) of the "SOSA Design Standards and Guidelines."

(Ord. 3720 § 5 (part), 2008)

(Ord. No. 3955, § 7, 5-18-2011; Ord. No. 4275, § 8, 2-18-2015)