Santa Clara City Code ch. 18.26, Downtown Form-Based Code § 3.1 Summary of Regulating Topics
Throughout the Code, standards are grouped into the regulatory topics summarized on this page. Each of these topics represents a section of the Code; the section number is noted alongside each title. This topical organization enables the Code to systematically implement the vision as articulated in the Precise Plan and follow the approach described in the previous section, Section 2. Before referencing the standards found in the remainder of this Code, applicants proposing any new development in the Downtown Zone should familiarize themselves with Section 2 as well as the Santa Clara Downtown Precise Plan. After covering each of these topics, the Code concludes with a glossary of the specialized terms which are used throughout.
CH. 4: THE DOWNTOWN ZONE & CHARACTER OVERLAYS
A Downtown Zone is applied to the 10 blocks of the Plan Area to implement the standards of this Code and the vision of the Precise Plan. Character Overlays are used to further calibrate the standards of the Code to the multiple unique environments within the Downtown Zone.
CH. 5: BUILDING PLACEMENT
Building placement standards ensure that new buildings are sited and oriented to appropriately define and engage new and existing streets, public spaces, courts, and paseos.
CH. 6: BUILDING HEIGHT
Building heights are regulated in order to properly concentrate intensity at the heart of Downtown while scaling appropriately to the existing context.
CH. 7: BUILDING MASSING
Building massings are regulated to ensure that new large developments do not have massive, monolithic facades that feel overbearing to pedestrians. Buildings are required to reflect the rhythm and scale of the historic Downtown.
CH. 8: FACADE DESIGN
This section ensures that building facades have an appropriate amount of windows and doors, and that those windows, doors, and other facade elements are organized into a rational composition of floors and bays.
CH. 9: PRIVATE FRONTAGES
Private frontage standards regulate the building face and everything between that building face and the sidewalk. Design is to be calibrated to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship between the private property and the public realm.
CH. 10: ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTIONS
Architectural projects are the elements which stick out from the facade into the private setback. These elements enhance the relationship between the building and the public realm.
CH. 11: SIGNAGE DESIGN
Signs will be a strength of Downtown buildings. They will be beautiful and bring visual interest to the street while drawing patrons to businesses and other destinations within the Downtown Zone.
CH. 12: BUILDING USE & PARKING
Use regulations ensure that upper floors have the flexibility to accommodate a wide range of activity in Downtown and that ground floors are occupied by uses which are appropriate to their Downtown context—regulated by Character Overlay. This section also ensures the proper placement of parking within buildings.
CH. 13: SITE STANDARDS & GUIDELINES
Site standard and guidelines regulate a wide range of private realm elements— including waste and utilities, site walls, lighting, and on-site open space—to ensure that such elements contribute to the Downtown environment while serving building occupants.