17.69.020 Building and site design.
A. Applicability. This section shall apply to eligible residential projects (described in Section 17.69.010) in all zones, except for the Downtown Commercial (C-D) zone. Building and site design standards for eligible residential projects in the C-D zone are provided in Section 17.69.030 (Downtown building design). In addition to this section, mixed-use projects shall also comply with Sections 17.70.130(D) and (F) through (H) (Mixed-use development).
B. Building Details. Residential projects shall comply with the following building detail standards:
1. Buildings shall use exterior wall materials chosen from the list below.
a. Smooth or sand finished stucco;
b. Cut stone;
c. Rusticated block (cast stone);
d. Precast concrete;
e. Brick veneer;
f. Ceramic or porcelain tiles;
g. Fiber cement board planks, panels, siding, board and bat, etc. (e.g., Hardi plank, Hardi panel);
h. Corrugated metal (within Commercial Zones (C-C, C-T, C-S, C-R, M), or as an accent material, covering no more than fifteen percent on the exterior, within all other zones);
i. Metal paneling (only within Commercial Zones (C-C, C-T, C-S, C-R, M), or as an accent material, covering no more than fifteen percent on the exterior, within all other zones);
j. Corten steel paneling (only within Commercial Zones (C-C, C-T, C-S, C-R, M), or as an accent material, covering no more than fifteen percent on the exterior, within all other zones);
k. Wood plastic composite siding (e.g., Resysta products);
l. Wood siding;
m. Burnished block (only within Commercial Zones (C-C, C-T, C-S, C-R, M).
2. Veneers shall turn corners and terminate into the inside corner of the building or be finished and not expose edges so that finish materials appear “thin” or artificial, as in the example of “brick” veneer applied to a single building face so that it is obviously only one-half inch thick when viewed from the side.
3. Exterior window shutters shall match the size and shape of adjacent window openings.
4. Affordable units and market rate units in the same development shall be constructed of the same materials and details such that the units are not distinguishable from one another.
5. Trim surrounds shall be provided at all exterior window and door openings. In lieu of exterior window trim, windows can be recessed from wall plane by a minimum of two inches.
6. Structures (including garages and carports) shall not exceed one hundred fifty feet in length.
7. Detached garages and carports shall be designed to include a minimum of two of the following from the main building(s): materials, detailing, roof materials, and colors.
8. Stairs and stair wells that provide primary access to units on upper floors shall be covered and fully integrated into the principal and secondary building façades.
9. Service access to the building for loading and maintenance functions shall not exceed twenty percent of the project frontage on any facing street.
10. Where windows are proposed within ten feet of another building, the windows shall be offset horizontally at least twelve inches (edge to edge) or use clearstory windows, glass block or non-operable opaque windows so as not to have a direct line of sight into adjacent units.
11. Residential buildings shall include windows that overlook outdoor public or shared spaces.
C. Roof Designs. Residential projects shall comply with the following roof design standards:
1. Roof lines shall be varied to break up the mass of the building. A building with four or more attached residential units or a residential building with a roofline longer than fifty feet shall incorporate changes in roof heights of at least one vertical elevation change of at least two feet.
2. Overhanging eaves shall extend twelve inches or more past the supporting walls. This requirement does not apply to gable faces.
3. Steeply pitched (forty-five degrees or more) mansard roofs are prohibited.
4. Roof-mounted equipment shall not be visible from the public right-of-way and integrated within the architecture of the building.
5. Roof decks shall be prohibited in residential zones (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4) and the Office (O) zone unless set back fifteen feet or more from side and rear property lines and utilize solid walls or barriers at deck edges. All projects that include rooftop uses shall comply with Section 17.70.150 (Rooftop uses).
6. The termination of a parapet shall not be visible from the public right-of-way or adjacent property. The parapet shall wrap around the entire roof, return at least eight feet around corners, or die into an adjacent, taller wall.
7. Cornices and parapets shall:
a. Be utilized to conceal flat roofs and screen any roof-mounted mechanical equipment from the public right-of-way and adjacent properties.
b. Match the building’s primary façade exterior colors and materials.
D. Massing and Articulation. Residential projects shall comply with the following massing and articulation standards:
1. Any wall of any length on a building without doors or windows shall include the use of at least one of the following treatments:
a. Utilize at least two different materials.
b. Utilize at least two different paint colors.
c. Incorporate offsets. Offsets shall vary in depth and/or direction of at least twelve inches, or be a repeated pattern of offsets, recesses, or projections of similar depth along the length of the wall.
d. Install landscaping that covers twenty-five percent of the wall within ten years.
2. Buildings shall have massing breaks (offsets, recesses, or projections) at least every fifty feet along street frontage through the use of varying setbacks, building entries and recesses, or structural bays. Offsets, recesses, or projections shall vary in depth and/or direction of at least twelve inches and a minimum width of four feet.
3. Buildings three or more stories shall distinguish the first story from the upper stories by using a minimum of two architectural details (e.g., arches, awnings, transom windows, columns, cornices, lintels, moldings, trellises) for every fifty feet of the first story front elevation.
4. Mixed-use buildings three or more stories shall provide a first story elevation that is distinctive from the upper stories through a material change, change in color, or use of different architectural details such as reveals, course lines, decorative cornice, columns, etc.
5. The first floor of a mixed-use project within fifty feet of the street frontage shall be taller than the floors above, with a minimum plate height of ten feet.
6. Buildings three or more stories shall step back the building mass a minimum of five feet for fifty percent of the building facade above the second story.
7. Every residential building shall incorporate two or more of the following building massing and articulation techniques:
a. Vary building height by at least two feet over twenty percent of the main building (as viewed in plan view).
b. Vary the geometry or massing of the roof through changes in type, height, pitch, or orientation.
c. Use offsets, recesses (e.g., courtyards, entryways, alcoves, deep door and window recesses) and projections (e.g., stairs, towers, balconies, cantilevers, dormers, bay windows, awnings) to create a sense of depth.
d. Provide a minimum two-foot roof eave on the front elevation.
E. Common and Private Spaces. Residential projects shall comply with the following common and private space standards:
1. Residential projects within the R-2, R-3, and R-4 zones shall have a minimum of sixty-five square feet of private outdoor space per unit for at least sixty percent of the units and provide a minimum of one hundred square feet per unit, for all units in the project, to common space. Common space is recreation space provided inside or outside a residential building for the use of all the residents for recreation or social purposes and is readily accessible by all the residents. To qualify as private open space, the space must be private and directly accessible from the unit it serves and must have a minimum dimension in every direction of six feet. To qualify as common space, individual spaces must have a minimum dimension in every direction of ten feet.
2. Residential projects within the O, C-N, C-T, C-R, C-C, C-S, and M zones shall provide a minimum of fifty square feet per unit to common space. Common space is recreation space provided inside or outside a residential building for the use of all the residents for recreation or social purposes and is readily accessible by all the residents. To qualify as common space, individual spaces must have a minimum dimension in every direction of ten feet.
F. Landscaping. Residential projects shall comply with the following landscape standards:
1. The landscape design plan shall be consistent with Section 17.70.220 (Water-efficient landscape standards), Section 12.38.090 (Landscaping standards), and include the following information:
a. Location, sizes, and species of all proposed groundcovers, shrubs, and trees with corresponding symbols for each plant material showing their specific locations on plans.
b. The location and description (e.g., colors, materials, etc.) of all hardscapes such as decks, patios, walkways or paths, artificial turf or other pervious or nonpervious materials.
2. All required front and street-facing side setbacks, except for areas used for exit, entry, or common outdoor space shall be landscaped. All projects shall landscape at least ten percent of the project site.
3. Landscaping areas shall consist of any combination of the following: living trees, groundcover, shrubbery, turf, and related natural features such as rock, stone, or bark chips to adequately cover all designated landscaping areas.
4. Landscaping shall be top-dressed with three inches of mulch. Mulch shall be maintained within planted areas and shall not migrate onto hard surfaces, such as sidewalks, patios, and parking lots.
5. Any trees removed from the residential project site shall be:
a. Replaced on site with a 1:1 replanting with a minimum fifteen-gallon sized tree. Required street trees may be counted as part of the replacement plantings; or
b. Replaced off site at a 2:1 ratio by: (i) planting trees off site on private property within the city limits with a minimum fifteen-gallon sized tree, or (ii) planting street trees off site (only after required street trees for the project site has been satisfied);
c. Any street trees planted as a replacement shall be a minimum twenty-four-inch box size.
6. Native tree species with a trunk ten inches or larger in diameter or a non-native tree species (excluding blue gum eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)) twenty inches or larger in diameter or designated heritage trees (of any size) shall be retained and cannot be removed unless they are an imminent hazard to life or property or are dead, dying, diseased or damaged beyond reclamation (see Section 12.24.030 for definitions of heritage tree, native tree, and non-native tree). Diameter shall be measured as follows:
a. If the tree is growing on flat ground, the diameter is measured four and one-half feet from the ground.
b. If the tree is growing on a slope, the diameter is measured four and one-half feet above the point halfway between the upper and lower side of the slope. (Figure 1)
c. If the tree is leaning, the diameter is measured four and one-half feet above the high point of the trunk and perpendicular to the axis of the trunk. (Figure 2)
d. If branches of trees fork below four and one-half feet above the ground or are multi-stemmed (branching at the ground) then each branch/stem diameter is measured individually at four and one-half feet above the ground and summed together for the total diameter. (Figures 3 and 4)
(Ord. 1703 § 4, 2021)