§ 27-526. Multifamily site design standards.

All multifamily site design shall conform to the principles outlined in the 47th and Mission Road Concept Plan. All new freestanding multifamily development within the zoning overlay shall consist of townhouses or senior housing and include the following development standards. Multifamily residential units are allowed as mixed-use development in the village area described in the attached exhibit A, according to section 27-524(b).

(1)

Building placement.

a.

Front setback. All new buildings shall have a minimum front setback of ten feet and a maximum front setback of 20 feet from the right-of-way line. However, in the event that an established existing building line on an adjacent lot on the same side of a block, in no case shall the front setback be more than ten feet closer to the right-of-way line, than the established existing building line. Covered front porches or uncovered stoops may encroach up to five feet into the minimum front setback.

b.

Side setbacks. The minimum side setbacks shall be:

1.

Zero feet, provided each sidewall of all buildings on the zero-foot side are constructed with a fire wall. No more than six side by side units may be constructed without a separation between buildings.

2.

Otherwise, a minimum ten-foot side setback or a minimum 20-foot building separation is required.

3.

Property abutting single-family residential districts, shall have a side setback equivalent to that of the abutting single-family residential district. In this case, the side setback area shall be used to provide a buffer according to subsection (5) of this section.

c.

Rear setback. Minimum rear setbacks shall be 20 feet except that property with a rear lot line abutting a single-family residential district shall have a setback equivalent to the single-family residential district. In such case, the rear setback shall be used to provide a buffer according to subsection (5) of this section.

d.

Main entrance. The main entrance of all buildings shall be oriented to the street. This requirement may be satisfied by a main entrance of each unit opening onto the street, or a common entrance of each unit opening onto the street. All main entrances shall be directly connected to the sidewalk with pedestrian access. All individual dwelling units shall have frontage on the street, whether through windows, balconies, or a direct entrance into the units.

e.

Density. Residential density shall be established by the underlying zoning ordinance.

f.

Building area. In addition to meeting all site requirements for landscaping, parking, and building setbacks, no building shall occupy more than 60 percent of the total lot area.

g.

Building height. Buildings are limited to 3½ stories or 40 feet, whichever is less.

(2)

Site access.

a.

Pedestrian access. All buildings shall have a continuous sidewalk along the frontage of the lot. The sidewalk shall be a minimum of five feet wide.

b.

Vehicle access. Curb cuts in the 47th and Mission Road area should be minimized. Wherever possible, multifamily residential lots should be accessed by a rear alley.

(3)

Parking. Parking requirements shall be according to the underlying zoning ordinance. However, no parking or vehicle storage entrances shall be provided on the front of any building. In addition, no more than 25 percent of a lot area shall be dedicated to surface parking.

(4)

Architectural features.

a.

Enhanced entrances. All main entrances shall be enhanced by architectural details. Such details may include recessed or slightly protruding entrances, building material variations, color variations, or artistic elements and other special treatments.

b.

Building materials. The preferred building material in the overlay district is masonry, including brick or stone. Commercial grade materials should only be incorporated into the building as accent features.

c.

Colors. Primary building colors should be earth tones. Trim or other specialty features should compliment the material and color of the building. Brighter or more dramatic color applications may be provided on doors, windows, awnings, and signs.

d.

Roofs. Pitched roofs are required, which shall not have a reflective finish and shall have a color complementary to the building color and design.

(5)

Landscape and screening.

a.

Residential buffers. All multifamily uses shall provide a landscape buffer from any single-family uses. The landscape buffer shall be of a density to provide an all-season visual screen from the single-family property. Treatments may include a combination of earth-berms, masonry walls or privacy fences, and tree, bush and shrub plantings. The buffer shall be a minimum of ten feet in width.

b.

Landscape materials. All private landscape materials shall be consistent with the standards for public landscape improvements in the 47th and Mission Road Area, and be consistent with the 47th and Mission Road Area Concept Plan.

c.

Screening. Specialty equipment such as antennas, satellite dishes, trash and recycling containers, meter and utility boxes and HVAC equipment shall be screened from direct view from streets, sidewalks, and other areas of regular public access. Ground-mounted equipment shall be screened from view with year-round landscape coverage or masonry wall enclosure consistent with the main building material. Roof-mounted equipment shall be placed far enough from the roof edge or shall be screened with architectural elements incorporated into the design of the building so as to not be seen from the sidewalk across any adjacent street.

(Code 1988, § 27-1209; Ord. No. O-49-02, § 1, 6-27-2002)