Urban Design Regulations
San Diego Municipal Code § 156.0311
in effect§156.0311 Urban Design Regulations
The following urban design standards are intended to create a distinct urban character for the Centre City Planned District, ensure that development is designed with a pedestrian orientation, and foster a vital and active street life.
(a) Downtown Design Guidelines. The City Council has adopted the Downtown Design Guidelines by Resolution R-307143 which are on file in the office of the City Clerk as Document No. RR-307143. The Downtown Design Guidelines contain guiding principles for the design of downtown's major streets, buildings, and the public realm. The Downtown Design Guidelines are to be used in conjunction with this Article to evaluate developments for which a development permit is applied for under this Article.
(b) Building Materials. The building base shall be clad in durable high-grade materials (stone, tile, metal, brick, glass or similar) from at least the floor slab of the second floor down to 1 inch of the finished sidewalk grade, and these materials shall wrap corners of exposed interior property line walls a minimum of 3 feet. No stucco is allowed. Exit corridors, garage openings, and all recesses shall provide a finished appearance to the street with street level exterior finishes fully wrapping into the openings a minimum dimension of 10 feet.
Designated historical resources are exempt from these standards, but shall utilize materials consistent with the historical significance of the resource(s) as established through the review and approval processes for historical resources contained in Chapters 11 through 14 of the Land Development Code.
(c) Utilities.
(1) Electrical transformers and generators may be located above grade only if located on private property, outside the public right-of-way. Electrical transformers and generators shall be located below grade if within the public right-of-way. If located within a below-grade vault within the public right-of-way, the access hatch to the vault shall be located at least 6 feet back from the street curb, except that a minimum width access hatch may be located less than 6 feet from the street curb if it does not interfere with the placement of street trees. Areas housing trash, storage, or other utility services shall be located in the garage or be completely concealed from view from the public right-of-way and adjoining developments, except for utilities required to be exposed by the City or utility company.
(2) Subsurface utility equipment located under the sidewalk shall utilize fill-type lids covered with matching sidewalk material. As an alternative to fill-type lids, for covers that are less than 31 inches by 49 inches in size, an applicant may propose ductile-iron, traffic-rated, and slip-resistant vault lids that are painted or stained to match the color of the surrounding sidewalk materials, to the satisfaction of the City Engineer.
(3) Backflow prevention devices are to be located in a building alcove, landscaped area, or utility room within the building, outside of the public right-of-way, and completely screened from view. Utility services shall not be located above grade in the public right-of-way within the Centre City Planned District unless no feasible alternative would better protect an historical building.
(d) Transparency
(1) A minimum of 60 percent of the street-facing building façade containing non-residential uses between 3 and 12 feet above the sidewalk shall be comprised of clear, non-reflective windows that allow views of indoor space. Interior blinds, drapes, and shelving for product displays visible from the public right-of-way may obscure a maximum of 30 percent of the transparent area of each storefront or structural bay.
(2) A minimum of 25 percent of each street facing ground level residential unit between 3 and 12 feet above the sidewalk shall be comprised of clear, non-reflective windows. Windowsills may be no higher than 5 feet above the sidewalk level.
(e) Blank Walls
Blank walls on the ground level of buildings are limited in order to provide a pleasant and rich pedestrian experience.
(1) No more than 30 percent of the linear frontage of the first-story street wall may consist of blank walls. The maximum length of any continuous blank wall is 20 feet, or 40 feet if the blank wall includes either living walls or fragrant planters along 30 percent of the blank wall frontage.
(2) All blank walls shall be enhanced with architectural detailing, material texture, ornamentation, or artwork.
(3) On lots of 10,000 square feet or less, the percentage of linear frontage that may be blank wall may be increased to 40 percent.
(4) On lots 5,000 square feet or less, the percentage of linear frontage that may be blank wall may be increased to 50 percent.
(5) Within the Industrial/Transportation and Mixed Commercial districts, buildings designed for warehousing, storage, or light industrial uses may increase the percentage of blank wall to 40 percent, up to a maximum length of 50 feet.
(f) Exterior Projecting Balconies Enclosures for projecting balconies that face public streets shall be comprised of an average of at least 40 percent open or transparent materials (perforated mesh, translucent glass, or open rail) from 18 inches above the balcony walking surface to the top of the balcony enclosure.
(g) Rooftops
(1) Penthouse space, mechanical equipment, stair and elevator overruns, heliports, vertical roof attachments, and decorative roof construction are permitted to achieve distinctive building tops, provided that the building top is designed as an integral part of the architectural design.
(2) All mechanical equipment, appurtenances, and access areas shall be intentionally grouped and architecturally screened within fully covered enclosures consistent with the overall composition of the building. Mechanical enclosures shall have a screened or louvered top to improve views from above and to provide required air circulation. Multiple roof-top individual condenser units located in orderly and linear patterns may be exempted from overhead screening through the design review process.
(h) Encroachments into the Public Rights-of-Way
To ensure pedestrian safety and prevent excessive encroachments into the public right-of-way, the following criteria shall apply:
(1) Encroachment Agreement. An Encroachment Maintenance and Removal Agreement may be required by the City of San Diego pursuant to Chapter 12, Article 9, Division 7 of the Land Development Code.
(2) Oriel Windows. Oriel windows are subject to the following standards:
(A) Oriel windows must be at least 12 feet above the adjoining sidewalk grade.
(B) The maximum width of any oriel window is 12 feet. Such windows must be horizontally separated by at least 6 feet.
(C) Oriel windows may constitute no more than 30 percent of the building facade surface area on which they are located. If two adjacent oriel windows are connected by a balcony (open or solid railing), the entire perimeter of oriels and balconies is treated as one projecting surface for purposes of this calculation.
(D) Oriel windows (measured to finished exterior dimension) shall not project more than 4 feet into a public right-of-way and shall not extend beyond the curb line.
(E) Oriel windows shall contain glass on at least two of three projecting surfaces, and vision glass shall constitute at least 70 percent of each floor-to-floor area on these surfaces.
(F) Oriel windows may contain bench seating or floor area, but shall not contain floor area for bathrooms, kitchens, closets, or bedrooms (unless the floor area within the public right-of-way is in excess of a minimum bedroom dimension of 10 feet measured inside of the property line).
(3) Subterranean Garages and Basements. Encroachments may be permitted in accordance with Chapter 12, Article 9, Division 7 of the Land Development Code and City Council Policy 700-18 subject to the following additional criteria:
(A) Underground encroachments extending 8 feet below the top of the sidewalk shall not be located within 6 feet from the curb face, except to accommodate access hatches to underground vaults. Such hatches shall be located to avoid interference with street tree planting.
(B) No encroachment shall be allowed to conflict with any approved plan for street tree planting and shall maintain a continuous clear zone for such planting for a depth of 8 feet.
(i) Building Identification
Development constructed on sites larger than 5,000 square feet shall install building identification located between 3 and 5 feet above the sidewalk level near the primary entrance or at a corner, to the following specifications:
(1) The building identification shall be made of a durable permanent plaque or shall be inscribed in the most durable base material;
(2) The inscription area or plaque face shall be 1 to 4 square feet in area;
(3) The letters shall be at least 1 inch in height and shall be raised or incised; and
(4) The text shall include the original building name and the year completed. The primary development entity, architect, and general contractor may be added to the extent space allows.
(j) Historical Resources
Historical resources should be retained and integrated into larger development with adaptive use, where feasible. If a proposed development may have a significant impact on an historical resource and the City determines that no feasible alternative exists that would preserve the historical resource on its existing site, the City will determine if relocation of the historical resource to a site within the Centre City Planned District is feasible. If full retention is not feasible, the retention and reuse of notable architectural fragments or features is strongly encouraged, especially when particular elements are identified as significant in respective neighborhood guidelines, with possible use as part of a public art program. The alteration of historical resources pursuant to this Section shall be reviewed and approved according to the regulations for historical resources contained in Chapters 11 through 14 of the Land Development Code.
(k) Ballpark Mixed-Use District Design Guidelines
(1) Design Guidelines
(A) Along the J Street Corridor (between Sixth Avenue and Eleventh Avenue)
(i) Built-to Lines: With the exception of where plazas are planned, a street wall should be built within 5 feet of the public right-of-way along 100 percent of the building frontage.
(ii) Street Wall Façade: The street wall façade should be architecturally modulated to create visual interest and diversity, and to reinforce the pedestrian scale and character of the street.
(iii) The height of buildings along the street wall should create a building base and complement the height of older buildings in the corridor. Generally, street wall height should not exceed five stories or 60 feet in keeping with the character of existing nineteenth and early twentieth century commercial and warehouse structures.
Tower elements of the street wall which do not exceed 50 feet in width may exceed 60 feet in height so long as architectural fenestration, detailing and exterior materials create a podium appearance compatible with adjacent structures and visually break-up the appearance of the street wall. Any development with its highest occupiable floor level above 75 feet, which is greater than 50 feet wide, should be stepped back by at least 50 feet.
(iv) Building mass and scale should complement the incremental parcelization of the street, introducing changes in building plane, fenestration rhythm, materials, or other elements at intervals of approximately 50 to 100 feet.
(v) The design of building façades should provide a well-composed treatment of recessed and large punctured openings within a solid wall. Large expanses of curtain wall are discouraged in this area.
(vi) Vertical and horizontal articulation of the facade utilizing cornices, belt courses and banding, plane changes, variation in window openings, and other architectural elements are encouraged.
(vii) Building facades should be visually terminated through the use of cornices, parapets, hip and stepped terraces, and other forms of multi-faceted tops.
(viii) Facades should introduce special treatments at major entrances, building corners, street corners, and street-end view termini.
(ix) Use of building materials that extend and complement the character of existing nineteenth and twentieth century commercial and warehouse structures (e.g., brick, metal, stucco, ornamental cement, terra cotta, wood, or steel sash) is encouraged.
(x) Large well-composed punctured window openings, in the spirit of existing commercial and warehouse structures should be provided on the building façades to extend the character and scale of these nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings. To further these objectives, buildings along this corridor should introduce high floor-to-floor dimensions (e.g., greater than 12 feet on upper floors and greater than 15 feet on the ground floor).
(xi) Vehicular Access: Curb cuts are strongly discouraged along J Street. The number and size of curb cuts for all development should be minimized.
(B) Within the Sixth/Seventh Avenue Transition Zone (between L Street and the J Street Corridor):
(i) Built-to Lines: With the exception of where plazas are planned, a street wall should be built within 5 feet of the public right-of-way along 100 percent of the building frontage.
(ii) Street Wall Façade: The street wall façade should be architecturally modulated to create visual interest and diversity, and to reinforce the pedestrian scale and character of the street.
(iii) Buildings should be built to a maximum height of six floors or 80 feet to complement and transition the scale of the PETCO Park to the Gaslamp District. Development above this height should be stepped back by 10 feet or introduce a clear material delineation that achieves the same visual effect.
(C) Street Level Treatment and Pedestrian Entrances. All developments should provide active commercial uses along a majority of each street frontage in order to provide an active pedestrian-oriented experience. These active commercial uses should include clear, or lightly tinted, glass storefronts and windows and pedestrian entrances. Extended areas of solid walls should be minimized and mitigated through architectural articulation.
(D) Parking Garages. Parking garages should be set back behind multi-story residential or commercial uses where appropriate and feasible to buffer the garages from facing residential or commercial uses. The façade treatment of freestanding parking garages should create an integrated and complementary architectural expression with adjacent or attached buildings along a public right-of-way, such that parked cars are predominantly screened from public view; sloped floors are not expressed; and a visually composed façade of openings, plane changes, belt courses, cornice treatments, and other architectural devices are developed.
(l) Mid-Block Walkways, Courts and Walls
Where site constraints, such as public utility easements or documented earthquake faults, prohibit the construction of building area on a portion of a site, development should incorporate semi-public, through-block walkways, courts, or urban open space to support ground-floor commercial activities or provide alternate circulation paths. These areas shall be designed to ensure public safety and promote maximum visibility and surveillance from adjacent uses and shall be maintained by the record owner(s).
(m) Preservation of Mature Trees
For the purposes of Section 156.0311(m), mature tree means an existing tree with a height and spread of at least 15 feet that is located in the public right-of-way or within 10 feet of the property line. Development shall receive an FAR bonus of 0.2 FAR for each preserved mature tree. Development shall provide at least one of the following for each street frontage where 50 percent or more of the mature trees are proposed to be removed:
(i) An active sidewalk with a double row of canopy trees along the ground floor street frontage;
(ii) An FAR bonus payment in an amount equal to the purchase of 0.5 FAR; or
(iii) Two trees for each mature tree removed, either on-site or at an offsite location within the Centre City Planned District.
(Amended 9-7-2007 by O-19664 N.S; effective 10-7-2007.) (Amended 5-6-2010 by O-19947 N.S; effective 6-5-2010.) (Amended 12-7-2011 by O-20117 N.S.; effective 1-6-2012.) (Amended 5-15-2014 by O-20368 N.S.; effective 6-14-2014.)
[Editors Note: Amendments as adopted by O-19947 N. S., O-20117 N. S. and O-20368 N. S. will not apply within the Coastal Overlay Zone until the California Coastal Commission certifies them as Local Coastal Program Amendments. Click the link to view the Strikeout Ordinance highlighting changes to prior language http://docs.sandiego.gov/municode_strikeout_ord/O-20368-SO.pdf ]
Amended 2-1-2021 by O-21288 N.S.; effective 3-3-2021.) (Amended 3-7-2023 by O-21619 N.S.; effective 5-6-2023.)
[Editors Note: Amendments as adopted by O-21619 N.S. will not apply within the Coastal Overlay Zone until the California Coastal Commission certifies it as a Local Coastal Program Amendment. Click the link to view the Strikeout Ordinance highlighting changes to prior language http://docs.sandiego.gov/municode_strikeout_ord/O-21619-SO.pdf ]
(Amended 7-22-2024 by O-21837 N.S.; effective 10-5-2024.)
[Editors Note: Amendments as adopted by O-21837 N.S. will not apply within the Coastal Overlay Zone until the California Coastal Commission certifies it as a Local Coastal Program Amendment.
Click the link to view the Strikeout Ordinance highlighting changes to prior language http://docs.sandiego.gov/municode_strikeout_ord/O-21837-SO.pdf ]
(Amended 6-15-2026 by O-22110 N.S.; effective 7-15-2026.)
[Editors Note: Amendments as adopted by O-22110 N.S. will not apply within the Coastal Overlay Zone until the California Coastal Commission certifies it as a Local Coastal Program Amendment. Click the link to view the Strikeout Ordinance highlighting changes to prior language http://docs.sandiego.gov/municode_strikeout_ord/O-22110-SO.pdf ]
Source: City of San Diego Office of the City Clerk, San Diego Municipal Code and City Charter (docs.sandiego.gov PDFs)URL: https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter15/Ch15Art06Division03.pdf#page=59Fetched: 10/28/2026