23.49.162

Standards for the facades of structures are established for the following elements: Minimum facade heights; Setback limits; Facade transparency; Blank facade limits; and Landscaping. These standards shall apply to each lot line that abuts a street designated on Map 1F or another map identified in a note to Map 1F as having a pedestrian classification, except lot lines of open space TDR sites. The standards on each street frontage shall vary according to the pedestrian classification of the street on Map 1F or another map identified in a note to Map 1F, and whether property line facades are required by Map 1H. A. Minimum Facade Height. 1. Minimum facade height shall be as described in the table below (and see Exhibit 23.49.162 A), but minimum facade heights shall not apply when all portions of the structure are lower than the elevation of the required minimum facade height listed below. All Streets Where Property Line Facades Are Required Minimum Facade* Height Class I Pedestrian Streets and Green Streets Minimum Facade* Height Class II Pedestrian Streets Minimum Facade* Height 35 feet 25 feet 15 feet * Except as modified by view corridor requirements. 2. On designated view corridors, Section 23.49.024 , the minimum facade height shall be the required elevation of the setback, when it is less than the minimum facade height required in subsection A1. B. Facade Setback Limits. 1. Setback Limits for Property Line Facades. The following setback limits shall apply to all streets designated on Map 1H as requiring property line facades: a. The facades of structures fifteen (15) feet or less in height shall be located within two (2) feet of the street property line. b. Structures greater than fifteen (15) feet in height shall be governed by the following standards: (1) No setback limits shall apply up to an elevation of fifteen (15) feet above sidewalk grade. (2) Between the elevations of fifteen (15) and thirty-five (35) feet above sidewalk grade, the facade shall be located within two (2) feet of the street property line, except that: i. Any exterior public open space that satisfies the Downtown Amenity Standards, whether it receives a bonus or not, and any outdoor common recreation area required for residential uses, shall not be considered part of a setback. ii. Setbacks between the elevations of fifteen (15) and thirty-five (35) feet above sidewalk grade at the property line shall be permitted according to the following standards (See Exhibit 23.49.162 B.): (a) The maximum setback shall be ten (10) feet. (b) The total area of a facade that is set back more than two (2) feet from the street property line shall not exceed forty (40) percent of the total facade area between the elevations of fifteen (15) and thirty-five (35) feet. (c) No setback deeper than two (2) feet shall be wider than twenty (20) feet, measured parallel to the street property line. (d) The facade of the structure shall return to within two (2) feet of the street property line between each setback area for a minimum of ten (10) feet. Balcony railings and other nonstructural features or walls shall not be considered the facade of the structure. c. When sidewalk widening is required by Section 23.49.022 , setback standards shall be measured to the line established by the new sidewalk width rather than the street property line. 2. General Setback Limits. The following setback limits shall apply on streets not requiring property line facades as shown on Map 1H. Except when the entire structure is fifteen (15) feet or less in height, or when the minimum facade height established in subsection A of this section is fifteen (15) feet, the setback limits shall apply to the facade between an elevation of fifteen (15) feet above sidewalk grade and the minimum facade height established in subsection A of this section (see Exhibit 23.49.162 C). When the structure is fifteen (15) feet or less in height, the setback limits shall apply to the entire street facade. When the minimum facade height is fifteen (15) feet, the setback limits shall apply to the portion of the street facade that is fifteen (15) feet or less in height. a. The maximum area of all setbacks between the lot line and facade shall be limited according to an averaging technique. The maximum area of all setbacks along each street frontage of a lot shall not exceed the area determined by multiplying the averaging factor by the width of the street frontage of the structure along the street. (See Exhibit 23.49.162 D.) The averaging factor shall be five (5) on Class I pedestrian streets, twenty (20) on Class II pedestrian streets, and thirty (30) on designated green streets. Parking shall not be located between the facade and the street lot line. b. The maximum width, measured along the street property line, of any setback area exceeding a depth of fifteen (15) feet from the street property line shall not exceed eighty (80) feet, or thirty (30) percent of the lot frontage on that street, whichever is less. (See Exhibit 23.49.162D.) c. The maximum setback of the facade from the street property line at intersections is ten (10) feet. The minimum distance the facade must conform to under this limit is twenty (20) feet along each street. (See Exhibit 23.49.162E.) d. Any exterior public open space that satisfies the Downtown Amenity Standards, whether it receives a bonus or not, and any outdoor common recreation area required for residential uses, shall not be considered part of a setback. (See Exhibit 23.49.162C.) e. When sidewalk widening is required by Section 23.49.022 , setback standards shall be measured to the line established by the new sidewalk width rather than the street property line. C. Facade Transparency Requirements. 1. Facade transparency requirements apply to the area of the facade between two (2) feet and eight (8) feet above the sidewalk, except that where the slope along the street frontage of the facade exceeds seven and one-half (7½) percent, the facade transparency requirements apply to the area of the facade between four (4) feet and eight (8) feet above sidewalk grade. Only clear or lightly tinted glass in windows, doors, and display windows is considered to be transparent. Transparent areas shall allow views into the structure or into display windows from the outside. 2. Facade transparency requirements do not apply to portions of structures in residential use. 3. When the transparency requirements of this subsection are inconsistent with the glazing limits in the Energy Code, this subsection applies. 4. Transparency requirements are as follows: a. Class I pedestrian streets: A minimum of sixty (60) percent of the street-level facade shall be transparent. b. Class II pedestrian streets and designated green streets: A minimum of thirty (30) percent of the street-level facade shall be transparent. c. When the slope of the street frontage of the facade exceeds seven and one-half (7½) percent, the required amount of transparency shall be reduced to fifty (50) percent on Class I pedestrian streets and twenty-five (25) percent on Class II pedestrian streets and designated green streets. D. Blank Facade Limits. 1. General Provisions. a. Blank facade limits apply to the area of the facade between two (2) feet and eight (8) feet above the sidewalk, except where the slope along the street frontage of the facade exceeds seven and one-half (7½) percent, in which case the blank facade limits apply to the area of the facade between four (4) feet and eight (8) feet above sidewalk grade. b. Any portion of a facade that is not transparent is considered to be a blank facade. c. Blank facade limits do not apply to portions of structures in residential use. 2. Blank Facade Limits for Class I Pedestrian Streets. a. Blank facades shall be limited to segments fifteen (15) feet wide, except for garage doors which may exceed fifteen (15) feet. Blank facade width may be increased to thirty (30) feet if the Director determines that the facade is enhanced by architectural detailing, artwork, landscaping, or similar features that have visual interest. The width of garage doors shall be limited to the width of the driveway plus five (5) feet. b. Any blank segments of the facade shall be separated by transparent areas at least two (2) feet wide. c. The total of all blank facade segments, including garage doors, shall not exceed forty (40) percent of the street facade of the structure on each street frontage; or fifty (50) percent if the slope of the street frontage of the facade exceeds seven and one-half (7½) percent. 3. Blank Facade Limits for Class II Pedestrian Streets and Designated Green Streets. a. Blank facades shall be limited to segments thirty (30) feet wide, except for garage doors which may exceed thirty (30) feet. Blank facade width may be increased to sixty (60) feet if the Director determines that the facade is enhanced by architectural detailing, artwork, landscaping, or similar features that have visual interest. The width of garage doors shall be limited to the width of the driveway plus five (5) feet. b. Any blank segments of the facade shall be separated by transparent areas at least two (2) feet wide. c. The total of all blank facade segments, including garage doors, shall not exceed seventy (70) percent of the street facade of the structure on each street frontage; or seventy-five (75) percent if the slope of the street frontage of the facade exceeds seven and one-half (7½) percent. E. Reserved. F. Landscaping Requirements. 1. Street Tree Requirements. Street trees are required on all streets that have a pedestrian classification and abut a lot. If areaways are located beneath the sidewalk, the street trees shall be planted in below-grade containers with provisions for watering the trees. Street trees shall be planted according to street tree planting standards in the Right-of-Way Improvements Manual. 2. Landscaping in the Street Right-of-way if Green Factor standards do not apply. New development that is not required to achieve a Green Factor score shall provide landscaping in the sidewalk area of the street right-of-way. The square feet of landscaped area provided shall be at least 1.5 times the length of the street lot line. The following standards apply to the required landscaped area: a. The landscaped area shall be at least 18 inches wide and shall be located in the public right-of-way along the entire length of the street lot line. b. Exceptions shall be allowed for building entrances, vehicular access or other connections between the sidewalk and the lot, but exceptions shall not exceed 50 percent of the total length of the street lot line(s). c. As an alternative to locating the landscaping at the street lot line, all or a portion of the required landscaped area may be provided within 5 feet of the curb line. d. Landscaping provided within 5 feet of the curb line shall be located and designed in relation to the required street tree planting and take into consideration use of the curb lane for parking and loading. e. Landscaping shall not reduce unobstructed sidewalk width to less than 5 feet on east/west streets or less than 8 feet on avenues, except that in South Downtown, landscaping shall not reduce unobstructed sidewalk width to less than 8 feet on east/west streets or less than 5 feet on avenues. f. All plant material shall be planted directly in the ground. A minimum of 50 percent of the plant material shall be perennial. g. Landscaping shall be consistent with applicable landscaping guidelines for designated green streets or approved street design concept plans identified in the Right-of-Way Improvements Manual. 3. Landscaping in Setbacks if Green Factor standards do not apply. This subsection 23.49.162.F.3 applies to development that is not required to achieve a Green Factor score. a. At least 20 percent of areas on the street lot line that are not covered by a structure, have a depth of 10 feet or more from the street lot line, and are larger than 300 square feet, shall be landscaped. Any area under canopies or marquees is considered uncovered. Any setback provided to meet the minimum sidewalk widths established by Section 23.49.022 is exempt from the calculation of the area to be landscaped. b. All plant material shall be planted directly in the ground or in permanently installed planters. A minimum of 50 percent of the plant material shall be perennial and shall include trees if the setback area exceeds 600 square feet. Exhibits 23.49.162A, 23.49.162B Exhibits 23.49.162C, 23.49.162D, 23.49.162E (Ord. 127099 , § 36, 2024; Ord. 123589, § 31, 2011; Ord. 123046, § 65, 2009; Ord. 122054 § 67, 2006; Ord. 121477 § 21, 2004; Ord. 120443 , § 57, 2001; Ord. 118409 § 190, 1996: Ord. 117263 , § 44, 1994: Ord. 116744 § 18, 1993; Ord. 112519 § 26, 1985; Ord. 112303 § 3(part), 1985.)