City of Parkville, MO Chapter 406 Special Districts

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Aldermen of the City of Parkville 2-7-2017 by Ord. No. 2884. Amendments noted where applicable.]

Section 406.010 Old Town District - OTD.

A. Building Types. In order to prioritize the form, scale, and transitions of buildings in this compact, mixed-use downtown, the area, bulk and height standards are regulated by building types. The following building types are enabled in the Old Town District.

1. Height, Area And Bulk Standards.

Table 406-1: Height, Area and Bulk Standards
Building Type	Lot Size			Building Standards
	Area (square feet)	Minimum Width (feet)	Building Coverage	Front Setback (feet)	Side Setback (feet)	Rear Setback (feet)	Maximum Height (feet/stories)
Small commercial	1,500 to 4,000	20 to 40	100%	0 to 10	5; 0 if party wall	0; 20 if abutting residential	45/3
Small mixed use	4,000 to 10,000	40 to 80	85%	0 to 10	5; 0 if party wall	0; 20 if abutting residential	45/3
Large mixed use	10,000 minimum	40 to 120	70%	0 to 10	5; 0 if party wall	0; 20 if abutting residential	45/3
Small civic	4,000	50 to 200	70%; 60% if lot over 20,000 square feet	10 to 25	10	20	45/3

2. Building Type Descriptions.

	a.	Small Commercial.
		Small building footprints designed to accommodate small retail, commercial, service or office uses, encouraging pedestrian traffic. The front facade is built to engage and provide a comfortable street wall for pedestrians.
	b.	Small Mixed Use.
		A small building footprint similar to small commercial, however, it allows multiple uses within the same structure. The mix of uses encourages the intermingling of pedestrians. Retail, commercial, and office typically occupy the lower story while residential or office are on upper floors in this building type.
	c.	Large Mixed Use.
		An expanded version of small mixed use. This building type offers larger lot sizes to accommodate larger uses while still permitting a mix of uses.
	d.	Small Civic.
		Buildings designed to house civic, institutional or public uses on a small lot blending into the surrounding small-scale context it is found in. These buildings often enhance the streetscape similar to some commercial frontages.

B. Building Design.

1. Primary Entry Feature. All buildings shall have a primary entry feature on the street and any pedestrian ally or open space. Multi-tenant and larger mixed-use buildings shall have an entrance at least every fifty (50) feet of street frontage. Entry features shall be clearly defined and emphasized with combinations of the following:

a. Awnings, porticos, or overhangs.

b. Transoms and/or display windows.

c. Architectural details such as tile work and moldings, lintels, pediments, pilasters or columns.

d. Integral planters or wing walls that incorporate landscaping and/or places for sitting, statues, or public art.

2. Transparency. The location, orientation, size and proportion of openings establish a relationship of the building to the public realm. All buildings shall meet the following transparency requirements:

a. Commercial and mixed-use buildings shall have between sixty percent (60%) and ninety percent (90%) transparency on the first story, which shall be measured between two (2) feet and eight (8) feet above the street level. Upper stories shall have between twenty percent (20%) and fifty percent (50%) transparency on front facades measured between the floor level and ceiling of each story.

b. Civic buildings shall have between twenty percent (20%) and fifty percent (50%) transparency on each story facing a public street or public space.

3. Massing. Massing creates the relationship of the building to the streetscape and public spaces. To ensure human-scale massing, large masses shall be broken up to relate better to public spaces.

a. Freestanding buildings and ground level tenancies of mixed-use buildings shall not exceed two thousand five hundred (2,500) square feet, except where specifically enabled by this code or through a major site plan or site plans associated with a conditional use permit in Chapter 403.

b. The first floor shall be level with the sidewalk.

c. The first story shall be between twelve (12) feet and twenty (20) feet high. Any upper stories shall be between eight (8) feet and twelve (12) feet high.

d. Buildings greater than two (2) stories or wider than one hundred (100) feet should use massing that breaks down the components of the main mass.

e. No single wall plane should be longer than one hundred (100) feet without having off-sets of at least one (1) foot to add depth and proportion to the wall.

f. Use structural bays, projections, balconies, cantilevered floors or step backs from the main mass to break up larger wall planes and relate the building scale to nearby buildings.

4. Articulation. Articulation is the method of styling different parts of a building in a way that breaks the scale into smaller elements, but unites the building into a complete and compatible mass.

a. Horizontal articulation should establish a base, body and top of all buildings. In general this shall be a distinct foundation, main facade, and an embellished roof structure, such as eaves and facia for pitched roofs, or cornices and parapets for flat roofs. For three-story buildings, the first floor should be clearly differentiated from upper stories through belt courses, cornice lines or similar architectural detailing.

b. Vertical articulation shall distinguish different structural components of the building through changes in material and/or color.

c. Where materials are stacked (i.e., one above another), the transition between materials should include a sill, cap, frame, roof (if at ceiling height), or similar element to separate the two (2) materials.

d. Where materials are side-by-side, the transition between materials should occur at interior corners or at the trim line where the change is emphasizing different structural bays for a building.

5. Ornamentation. Any other blank wall areas larger than eight (8) feet tall by twenty-five (25) feet wide shall be broken up by ornamental architectural details.

C. Access And Parking Limits. Access and parking limits are necessary to maintain the character of the streetscape, ensure the continuity of sidewalks, and ensure that facilities designed for the car are located to the rear of lots or are understated.

1. All on-site parking shall be located to the side or behind the building. Any surface parking within thirty (30) feet of a public street and not otherwise screened by a building shall have a low ornamental wall, using materials compatibly to the principal building, extend along the street front at the extension of the front building line.

2. Access to parking shall generally be limited to side streets or alleys, or otherwise limited to maintain the integrity of the streetscape and avoided interruptions to pedestrians. Access to individual lots shall be limited to no more than fifteen percent (15%) of the lot frontage and no more than ten percent (10%) of the entire block face.

D. Limitations On Specific Uses.

1. Non-Retail Uses. Uses that do not create active pedestrian environments should not be located on street fronts. Office uses and service uses that do not generate frequent customer traffic shall only be allowed on the upper stories. Office and service uses may be located at street level as an exception approved by the Director subject to the following:

a. The street-level storefront has been vacant for at least three (3) months, and evidence of active marketing and advertisement for lease through brokers or agents, on-line listings, signs or other methods is shown.

b. The proposed use demonstrates an effort to create a more vibrant street-front through either accessory sales, storefront displays or other activities to create street-front interest.

2. Residential Uses. Residential uses shall be limited to upper stories. Accessory residential dwelling units may be located on the ground level for any building that contains retail space along the street level.

E. Design And Performance Criteria. Buildings and sites shall be designed to meet the following performance standards. Any exceptions or discretionary approvals shall be judged against these design and performance standards.

[Ord. No. 2960, 9-18-2018]

1. All buildings and sites shall promote vibrant streetscapes with active uses and attractions located in storefronts of buildings, frequent windows, and a repetitive pattern of doors which are the primary entrance.

2. For new construction, a building must incorporate architectural styles, design features, building materials and accents that are compatible with original materials used throughout the surrounding block. For alterations or expansions, the materials and design should be consistent with the original building elements and characteristic of the building period, and should not cover, destroy or otherwise minimize original architectural elements.

3. As a general rule, buildings must maintain similar base courses, cornice lines and horizontal lines of windows complementary to those used in surrounding buildings.

4. Buildings must not have long, monotonous, uninterrupted walls or roof planes visible from the street or other public rights-of-way. Building walls more than fifteen (15) feet in length must include elements that add architectural interest and variety such as projections, recesses, offsets, windows, painted features or blank window openings trimmed with frames, sills or lintels.

5. Facades visible from the public right-of-way should be architecturally emphasized through the arrangement of windows, entrance treatments and details.

6. Light fixtures attached to the exterior of buildings should be compatible with the style, materials, colors and details of the building and the character of the district.

7. Walls and fences should be architecturally compatible with the style, materials and colors of the principal building on the same lot.

8. With the exception of the following, paint color is considered to be a matter of choice, and has no bearing on the preservation of structures.

a. Owners are encouraged to use historically appropriate colors schemes and contrasts, including use of primary building colors with trim, doors, awnings and other accents in complimentary colors.

b. Only traditionally painted materials, such as wood, should be painted.

c. Original materials such as brick and stone that are traditionally left unpainted shall only be painted when already painted prior to the effective date of Ordinance No. 2815 (June 16, 2015), or when expressly approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission, as necessary, to unify disparate parts of a building that have been altered or expanded over time, or as an approved mural.

d. Inclusion of logos, images, or patterns, including but not limited to stripes, dots, waves, and similar patterns, used primarily to attract attention to a structure shall not be permitted unless approved as signage in accordance with Chapter 410.

e. Murals may be painted on walls, fences or structures — provided the design is permitted by the property owner, presented to the Main Street Parkville Association for a recommendation by their Officers (approval, denial or no recommendation) along with an explanation of said recommendation, and then approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

(1) Murals deemed advertising signs, billboards or graffiti are not encouraged.

(2) Murals shall not imitate or appear to imitate any official traffic sign or device which appears to regulate or direct the movement of traffic or which interferes with the proper operation of any traffic sign or signal, or which obstructs or physically interferes with a motor vehicle operator’s view of approaching, merging, or intersecting traffic.

(3) Murals shall not contain vulgar, obscene or offensive material, including offensive material of a sexual nature. This includes material that when taken as a whole: (1) applying contemporary community standards, its predominant appeal is to prurient interest in sex; and (2) the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find the material depicts or describes sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and (3) a reasonable person would find the material lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.

(4) Murals shall be kept in good condition and preserved in the manner in which they were originally created.

Section 406.020 Mixed-Density Residential - R-4.

A. Building Types. In order to prioritize the form, scale, and transitions of buildings in this mixed-density neighborhood, the area, bulk and height standards are regulated by building types. The following building types are enabled in the Mixed-Density Residential District.

1. Height, Area And Bulk Standards.

Table 406-2: Height, Area And Bulk Standards
Building Type		Lot Size			Building Standards
		Area (square feet)	Minimum Width (feet)	Building Coverage	Front Setback1 (feet)	Side Setback (feet)	Corner Side (feet)	Rear Setback (feet)	Maximum Height (feet/stories)
Detached house - large lot	□	1/2 acre or more	70	20%	25 to 50	10	20	25	35/2.5
Detached house - neighborhood lot	▪	5,000 to 1/2 acre	50	40%	10 to 35	5	10	25	35/2.5
Detached house - compact lot	▪	3,500 to 6,000	35	50%	10 to 35	5	10	25	30/2
Duplex	▪	5,000 to 8,000 2,500 per unit	50	40%	10 to 35	5	10	25	35/2.5
3- to 4-plex	□	5,000 to 8,000 2,000 per unit	50	40%	10 to 35	5	10	25	35/2.5
Row house	□	5,000 to 8,000 1,500 per unit	60 18 per unit	70%	10 to 25	5/102	10	20	40/3
Walk-up apartment	□	6,000 to 10,000 3 to 12 units per building	50 to 100	70%	10 to 25	5/102	10	20	40/3
Small civic	□	6,000	50 to 200	60%	10 to 25	10	10	10	35/2.5

NOTES:
	= Permitted by right
□	= Permitted by conditional use permit
1	Front setbacks may be modified based on averaging of the setback of existing residential buildings on either side of the lot or as otherwise specifically platted and recorded prior to adoption of these standards.
2	Walk-up apartments and row houses shall have a ten-foot side setback when abutting a detached house.

2. Building Type Descriptions.

	a.	Detached House - Large Lot.
		A residential building designed for a single dwelling unit within a suburban or rural context. This building is located on a large lot of half an acre and accommodates a variety of home sizes.
	b.	Detached House - Neighborhood Lot.
		A residential building designed for a single dwelling unit within an urban or suburban context.
	c.	Detached House - Compact Lot.
		A residential building designed for a single dwelling unit within an urban context.
	d.	Duplex.
		A multi-unit residential building designed for two (2) dwelling units within an urban and sometimes suburban context. Duplexes share a common wall or floor/ceiling and are designed as a single structure. This housing type may be platted as separate lots or as a single lot.
	e.	3- to 4-Plex.
		A multi-unit residential building designed for three (3) to four (4) dwelling units within an urban and sometimes suburban context. Three- and four-plexes share common walls or floors/ceilings and are designed as a single structure. This housing type may be platted as separate lots or as a single lot.
	f.	Row House.
		A multi-unit residential building designed for three (3) to eight (8) dwelling units within an urban and sometimes suburban context. Row houses abut one another sharing an adjoined party wall. These units are conjoined, however, each unit has its own private entry. Units may be on a single lot subject to common ownership restrictions or platted on separate lots along the common wall subject to platting restrictions.
	g.	Walk-Up Apartment.
		A multi-unit residential building designed for three (3) to twelve (12) dwelling units within an urban and in some cases a suburban context. Located on a small to moderately sized lot, they are often designed for and located in walkable or mixed-use contexts. Units are accessed via a common entry at the building's front.
	h.	Small Civic.
		Buildings designed to house civic, institutional or public uses on a small lot blending into the surrounding small-scale context it is found in. These buildings often enhance the streetscape similar to some commercial frontages.

B. Front Entry Features. Front entry features create a human-scale relationship of buildings to the street. They provide opportunities for subtle variations in design on the streetscape and can help create compatible relationships between buildings of different size. All buildings shall have an entry feature of a porch or stoop, meeting the following:

1. Porches shall at least six (6) feet deep and covering at least fifty percent (50%) of the front facade.

2. Stoops shall be at least eight (8) feet by eight (8) feet and include ornamental features to accent the door, such as a canopy, transom windows, enhanced trim and molding or other similar accents.

3. Entry features shall be single-story, so that the roof structure and any ornamentation occurs between eight (8) feet and sixteen (16) feet above the floor-level of the entry feature.

4. Entry features shall remain unenclosed.

5. All entry features shall have a sidewalk of at least four (4) feet wide directly connecting the entry feature to the public sidewalk or street.

6. Entry features meeting this requirement may encroach up to ten (10) feet in front of the required front building line.

7. To maintain neighborhood character, variations in the front entry features shall create diversity among adjacent buildings along a block face, so that the same or similar entry feature does not occur within two (2) buildings on either side. Variations may include any combination of:

a. Different types: such as stoop or porch;

b. Different roof styles: such as gable, hip, shed, flat or arched;

c. Different locations and extent: such as centered, shifted, wrapped; and half or full.

Figure 406-1 Residential Front Entry Feature

Front entry features are required in the R-4 District to create variety while preserving a unity between scale and massing. The top three (3) illustrations depict Subsection (B)(3), illustrating entry features needing to be below sixteen (16) feet in height to keep the human scale of entry features with a compatible relationship to the streetscape. The bottom three (3) illustrations are depicting Subsection (B)(7), different entry feature types, roofs, and locations on the facade, leading to a wide variety of options within this compatible pattern.

C. Access And Parking Limits. Access and parking limits are necessary to maintain the character of the streetscape, ensure the continuity of sidewalks, and ensure that facilities designed for the car are located to the rear of lots or are understated.

1. Alley access required wherever feasible; where not feasible or no alleys exist, the following shall be used, based on the width of lots at the streetscape frontage.

2. As a general rule, driveway access shall be no more than fifteen percent (15%) of the lot width. This means the driveway design options in Table 406-3 are available based on the context and size of the lot:

Table 406-3: Access Types
Access Type	Frontage Width (feet)
	Less Than 55	55 to 100	101 to 160	151 to 220	More Than 220
Alley	▪	▪	▪	▪	▪
Shared single-lane driveway	▪	▪	▪	▪	▪
Single-lane driveway to back or double pad		▪	▪	▪	▪
Double lane driveway			▪	▪	▪
Single internal drive aisles				▪	▪
Double internal drive aisles					▪

3. Detached, side-loaded and rear-loaded garages shall be used wherever feasible. Any front-loaded garages shall be limited and understated elements of the front elevation.

a. No front-loaded garage shall be located in front of the front building line of the principal building.

b. Front-loaded garages shall be limited to no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the front building line.

c. Front-loaded garages may be as much as forty percent (40%) of the front building line if they are set back at least twenty (20) feet from the forward-most point of the front entry feature.

d. All other garages shall be side-loaded, rear-loaded or in a detached accessory structure.

e. No required vehicle parking, whether surface parking or in a garage, may be located between the front building line and the street.

D. Design And Performance Standards. Buildings and sites shall be designed to meet the following performance standards. Any exceptions or discretionary approvals shall be judged against these design and performance standards.

1. Human-scale streetscapes, with slow traffic speeds, well-connected sidewalks, and shade and enclosure offered from street trees.

2. Buildings that orient to and activate the streetscape, while promoting effective transitions from public spaces, to semipublic spaces, to private spaces on the lot.

3. Compatible building scales by using similar forms, common elements and consistent and continuous relationships to the streetscape even in areas that allow transitions to different building types.

4. Quality aesthetics by using natural and traditional materials, especially within frontages, such as retaining walls, fences, entry features.

5. Minimize the impact of car access on the neighborhood character and the streetscape design by using subtle driveway access patterns, detached or rear-access parking, or understated garages to the extent any are visible from the streetscape.

6. Promote human-scale buildings through front entry features and building massing that is comparable to adjacent structures and breaks up larger masses into smaller components that relate to human-scale streetscapes and open spaces on the site.

7. Reinforce the neighborhood character with quality materials and architectural details that provide interest, depth and texture to those experiencing a neighborhood on foot.

8. In addition to the requirements specified for the R-4 District in this Section, each application of the R-4 District may adopt guidelines to supplement these design and performance criteria, if approved and incorporated into this Title as an appendix. These guidelines shall not be used to amend any standards of this Section unless specifically authorized as a planned district as provided in Section 403.040, The following specific guidelines are incorporated by reference:

a. The Old Town District-Residential Design Guidelines are included in Appendix C,[1] and apply to areas zoned R-4 near Downtown, and generally bounded by East Street on the east, First Street on the south, lots fronting on West Street or the extension of Bell Road on the west, just north of 60th Street and extensions on the north, and including the area just west of 9 Highway and north of 13th Street zoned R-4.

[1] Editor's Note: Appendix C is included as an attachment to this Title.

Section 406.030 Business Park District - BP.

A. Development Standards. In addition to all other use, development and design standards in this code, the following specific development standards shall apply to the Business Park District - BP:

Table 406-4: Business Park District (BP) Development Standards
Minimum district size	20 acres
Minimum lot area	1 acre
Minimum lot width	100 feet at the right-of-way 150 feet at the front building line
Building setback	Front: 20 feet Side: 10 feet Rear: 10 feet 20-foot minimum building separation for multiple buildings on same lot
Height	Buildings: 45 feet/3 stories Structures other than buildings or signs: 75 feet, provided that they are setback from the property line a distance equal to their height
Lot coverage (maximum pervious surface)	Less than 5 acres: 80%/30,000 square feet cap 5 to 10 acres: 85%/55,000 square feet cap More than 10 acres: 87%/no cap
Minimum open space	20% for the district; at least 5% on each lot. Open space shall be designed and located as specified in Section 404.020.

B. Design And Performance Standards. In addition to all other use, development and design standards in this code, the following specific design and performance standards shall apply to the Business Park District - BP, and shall be used in interpreting and applying standards in this district.

1. Existing natural features of the site, such as groves of trees, extreme slopes, areas intended to serve as buffers and areas not intended for development, shall be retained and incorporated into the design of the park to the maximum extent reasonable.

2. Occupancy shall be of a type that has limited contact with the general public (except permitted retail establishments), does not produce unusually high traffic volumes and involves a low incidence of heavy truck traffic.

3. Internal circulation shall be provided by an internal access street network, meeting the designs and standards of Section 404.010, including internal pedestrian circulation throughout the Business Park and to all buildings and sites within the Business Park.

4. All products or materials that are stored, sold or used in production shall be kept inside a building or, if stored outside, shall be screened or buffered from public streets, including State highways and interstates, and adjoining residential property by a solid wall, fence, berm, landscaping, terrain, topographic feature or a combination of these elements.

5. A small amount of products for retail sale may be displayed in the side or front yards without having to be screened, provided that the display does not block pedestrian or vehicular traffic, does not reduce the number of parking stalls and is orderly and well maintained.

6. Loading and maneuvering areas for trucks or other utilitarian areas shall be screened or buffered from public streets, including State highways and interstates, and adjoining residential property by a solid wall, fence, berm, landscaping, terrain, topographic feature or a combination of these element.

7. All utility distribution lines shall be installed underground within the park. Existing distribution lines that serve a regional area are excluded from this requirement.

8. Rooftop and ground-level mechanical equipment which is visible from ground level of any adjacent public street or residential property, up to a maximum of three hundred (300) feet away, shall be screened from view to the maximum extent reasonable by a wall, fence, berm, landscaping, terrain, topographic feature or combination of these elements. Screening material shall be coordinated with the building to maintain a unified appearance.

9. Stormwater management should be analyzed and designed based on the entire park so that site-by-site stormwater retention or detention facilities may be avoided. Stormwater facilities which provide a recreational or aesthetic amenity or areas with a slope greater than eight percent (8%) may, individually or combined, constitute up to fifty percent (50%) of the required amount of open space.

10. Natural mitigation of stormwater runoff, drainage and erosion control shall be utilized (i.e., filter strips, vegetated swales, vegetated channels, pervious pavement systems, sand filters, bioretention, etc.) to the maximum extent possible.

11. Buildings shall be designed with a high degree of architectural quality. Horizontal and vertical elements shall extend completely around the building and utilize the same, compatible or complementary materials on all building facades so that all sides appear finished and possess architectural elements.

12. Any building elevations which shall be visible from an adjacent or nearby street shall be designed with architectural elements (windows, awnings, columns, etc.) and differing textures, shadow lines and contrasting shapes in order to avoid monotony, articulate the building facade and create visual interest.

13. Building facades shall be oriented so that loading docks, loading areas and other utilitarian areas are positioned on the back or non-prominent side of the site.

14. Buildings shall primarily be constructed of high-quality materials, such as brick, stone, stucco and split-face block; colored, textured, sandblasted, waterwashed, exposed aggregate concrete or other materials that provide similar relief and character. Tilt up, cast-in-place or precast concrete construction may be utilized, provided that the relief and character are similar to the previously mentioned materials. The use of twin T and double T construction shall be prohibited on exterior facades. Materials such as vinyl, metal and other similar manufactured materials shall be prohibited, except that the Board of Aldermen may approve the use of such materials.