17.70.130 Mixed-use development | San Luis Obispo Municipal Code

17.70.130 Mixed-use development.

A. Purpose. This section provides standards for the design of mixed-use projects to be compatible with existing and planned development on the site and adjacent and nearby properties. Mixed-use projects provide an opportunity to locate housing, jobs, recreation, and other daily needs in close proximity to one another, thereby enhancing vitality and street life in San Luis Obispo and forwarding the city’s sustainability goals.

B. Allowed Uses. A mixed-use project requires a combination of residential units with any other use or multiple uses allowed in the applicable zone by Section 17.10.020 (Use Regulations by Zone). Where a mixed-use project is proposed with a use required by Section 17.10.020 (Use Regulations by Zone) to have use permit approval in the applicable zone, the entire mixed-use project shall be subject to that use permit requirement.

C. Maximum Density. The residential component of a mixed-use project shall comply with the maximum density requirements of the applicable zone, plus density bonuses where applicable.

D. Site Layout and Project Design Standards. Each proposed mixed-use project shall comply with the property development standards of the applicable zone and the following requirements:

a. Ground Floor Limitations. In the Downtown Core (as shown in Section 17.141.020, Figure 8-1) and the C-D zone, residential units shall not occupy any ground floor space. In all other zones, residential units shall not occupy more than fifty percent of the ground floor space within the first fifty feet of floor area measured from each building face adjacent to a street toward the rear of the building, with no more than thirty percent of the building frontage to be occupied by residential uses.

b. Noise. Residential units shall be located on the site to minimize adverse impacts from existing known noise sources in compliance with the city’s noise regulations. When a project is located adjacent to a known noise emission above the residential thresholds, a noise study shall be provided.

2. Mechanical Service and Loading Areas. Service and loading areas shall be screened from residential areas and integrated with the design of the building. Special attention shall be given when designing loading and mechanical facilities in a location that is proximate to residential uses. Techniques such as block walls, enhanced setbacks, or enclosed loading or equipment shall be used to minimize adverse impacts to residents from vehicle and mechanical noise.

3. Trash and Recycling Areas. Areas for the collection and storage of trash and recyclable materials shall be located on the site in locations that are convenient for both the residential and nonresidential uses. The location and design of trash enclosures shall reduce nuisances from odors and noise when residential uses might be impacted.

4. Limitations on Use. The following uses and activities shall not be allowed within any mixed-use development:

a. Major vehicle/equipment repair (e.g., body or mechanical work, including boats and recreational vehicles, vehicle detailing and painting, upholstery, or any similar use);

b. Storage of flammable liquids or hazardous materials beyond that normally associated with a residential use;

c. Manufacturing or industrial activities, including but not limited to welding, machining, or any open flame work; or

d. Any other activity or use, as determined by the review authority, to be incompatible with residential activities and/or to have the possibility of affecting the health or safety of mixed-use development residents due to the potential for the use to create dust, glare, heat, noise, noxious gases, odor, smoke, traffic, vibration, or other impacts, or would be hazardous because of materials, processes, products, or wastes.

E. Design Standards. A mixed-use project shall be designed to achieve the following objectives:

1. The design shall provide for internal compatibility between the different uses in terms of noise, hours of operation, vehicle and pedestrian circulation, access, use of open space, and similar operating characteristics.

2. Potential noise, odors, glare, pedestrian traffic, and other potentially significant impacts on residents shall be minimized to allow a compatible mix of residential and nonresidential uses on the same site.

3. The design of the mixed-use project shall take into consideration potential impacts on adjacent properties and shall include specific design features to minimize potential impacts.

4. The design of the mixed-use project shall ensure that the residential units are of a residential character and that privacy between residential units and between other uses on the site is maximized.

5. The design of the structures and site planning shall encourage integration of the street pedestrian environment with the nonresidential uses through the use of plazas, courtyards, walkways, and street furniture.

6. Site planning and building design shall be compatible with and enhance the adjacent and surrounding built environment in terms of scale, building design, color, exterior materials, roof styles, lighting, landscaping, and signage.

1. Lighting. Lighting for nonresidential uses shall be appropriately designed, located, and shielded to not negatively impact the residential units in the development or any adjacent residential uses and shall also comply with Section 17.70.100 (Lighting and Night Sky Preservation).

2. Noise. All residential units shall be designed to minimize adverse impacts from nonresidential project noise and shall comply with Chapter 9.12 (Noise Control).

3. Air Quality and Odors. All residential units shall be designed to minimize adverse impacts from mechanical equipment and operations of nonresidential project air pollutant emissions and odors in compliance with the Air Pollution Control District Air Quality Handbook and Chapter 8.22 (Offensive Odors).

a. C-N and O Zones. The commercial component of a mixed-use project shall be allowed to operate from seven a.m. to eight p.m. Operation outside of these allowed hours shall require a minor use permit to ensure that the commercial use will not negatively impact the residential uses within the project.

b. All Other Zones that Allow Mixed-Use Projects. The commercial component of a mixed-use project shall be allowed to operate from seven a.m. to eight p.m. Operation outside of these allowed hours shall require a minor use permit to ensure that the commercial use will not negatively impact the residential uses within the project.

c. General. Commercial hours of operation also may be restricted upon evidence of a substantiated complaint or inadequate parking.

5. Residential Noise Notice. Residents of new mixed-use projects, whether owners or tenants, shall be notified in writing before taking up residence that they will be living in an urban-type environment and that the noise levels may be higher than a strictly residential area.

G. Pedestrian Access. On-site pedestrian circulation and access shall be provided per the following standards:

1. Internal Connections. A system of pedestrian walkways shall connect all buildings on a site to each other, to on-site automobile and bicycle parking areas, and to any on-site open space areas or pedestrian amenities.

2. To Circulation Network. Regular and convenient connections between on-site walkways and the public sidewalk and other existing or planned pedestrian routes, such as safe routes to school, shall be provided. An on-site walkway shall connect the principal building entry or entries to a public sidewalk on each street frontage.

3. To Adjacent Areas. Direct and convenient access shall be provided from mixed-use projects to adjoining residential and commercial areas to the maximum extent feasible while still providing for safety and security.

4. To Transit. Safe and convenient pedestrian connections shall be provided from adjacent transit stops to building entrances.

a. Walkways shall have a minimum clear unobstructed width of six feet, be hard surfaced, and paved with concrete, stone, tile, brick, or comparable material.

b. Where a required walkway crosses driveways, parking areas, or loading areas, it must be clearly identifiable through the use of a raised crosswalk, a different paving material, or similar method.

c. Where a required walkway is parallel and adjacent to an auto travel lane, it must be raised or separated from the auto travel lane by a raised curb at least four inches high, bollards, or other physical barrier.

a. Orientation. The principal building of a development shall be oriented to face a public street. Building frontages shall be generally parallel to streets. For all residential, retail, and office uses, at least one primary entrance to a ground floor use shall face the adjacent street right-of-way. Ground-related entrances include entrances to ground floor uses, residential units, clusters of residential units, lobbies, or private courtyards.

b. Nonresidential Entrances. Entries shall be clearly defined features of front façades and of a scale that is in proportion to the size of the building and number of units being accessed. Larger buildings shall have a more prominent building entrance, while maintaining a pedestrian scale.

c. Transitional Space at Residential Entries. New residential buildings shall provide transitional spaces in the form of stoops, overhangs, and porches between public areas fronting the primary street and entrances. This type of element or equivalent shall be required for each unit or group of units, but no less than one of this type of element shall be provided.

2. Building Articulation. No street frontage wall may run in a continuous plane for more than twenty feet without an opening or offsets, or as approved by the review authority if the project is constrained by unusual parcel size, shape, use, or other features that the responsible review authority accepts as rendering this requirement infeasible. Openings fulfilling this requirement shall have transparent glazing and provide views into work areas, display areas, sales areas, lobbies, or similar active spaces. Offsets shall vary in depth and/or direction of at least eighteen inches, or a repeated pattern of offsets, recesses, or projections of similar depth. (Ord. 1726 § 5, 2023; Ord. 1705 § 24, 2021; Ord. 1650 § 3 (Exh. B), 2018)