(Ordinance 2021-07-47 adopted 7/6/21)
The standards within this Subsection shall apply to all development within the MF-15 – Multifamily-15 District and MF-19 – Multifamily-19 District.
(A) 
Minimum front yard.
(1) 
Adjacent to a townhouse, duplex, or single-family zoning district or area shown on Future Land Use Plan for single-family residential.
Building Height
Yard Depth
One-Story
Fifty (50) feet
Two-Story
Fifty (50) feet
Three-Story
MF-15 – Multifamily-15 District: One hundred fifty (150) feet
MF-19 – Multifamily-19 District: Seventy-five (75) feet
(2) 
Adjacent to a nonresidential or multifamily zoning district or area shown on the Future Land Use Plan as nonresidential or multifamily.
Building Height
Yard Depth
One-Story
Twenty-Five (25) feet
Two-Story
Twenty-Five (25) feet
Three-Story
MF-15 – Multifamily-15 District: One hundred (100) feet; Fifty (50) feet along the Dallas North Tollway for existing multifamily zoning as of May 1, 2001.
MF-19 – Multifamily-19 District: Fifty (50) feet
(B) 
Minimum side yard.
(1) 
Adjacent to a residential zoning district or PD – Planned Development District that allows Residential or an area designated as single-family residential, excluding multifamily, on the Future Land Use Plan.
Building Height
Yard Depth
One-Story
Fifty (50) feet; Detached accessory buildings and garages can be reduced to twenty-five (25) feet
Two-Story
Seventy-five (75) feet; Setbacks for two-story buildings can be reduced to fifty (50) feet if adjacent to a golf course or a Major Creek provided that a minimum setback from a single-family lot line of one hundred fifty (150) feet is maintained.
Three-Story
One hundred fifty (150) feet
(2) 
Adjacent to a nonresidential or multifamily zoning district or PD – Planned Development District that allows nonresidential or multifamily development.
Building Height
Yard Depth
One-Story
Twenty-five (25) feet
Two-Story
Twenty-five (25) feet
Three-Story
MF-15 – Multifamily-15 District: One hundred (100) feet
MF-19 – Multifamily-19 District: Sixty (60) feet
(C) 
Minimum rear yard.
(1) 
Adjacent to a residential zoning district or PD – Planned Development District that allows Residential, or an area designated as single-family residential, excluding multifamily, on the Future Land Use Plan.
Building Height
Yard Depth
One-Story
Fifty (50) feet; Detached accessory buildings and garages can be reduced to twenty-five (25) feet
Two-Story
Seventy-five (75) feet; Setbacks for two-story buildings can be reduced to fifty (50) feet if adjacent to a golf course or a Major Creek provided that a minimum setback from a single-family lot line of one hundred fifty (150) feet is maintained.
Three-Story
One hundred fifty (150) feet
(2) 
Adjacent to a nonresidential or multifamily zoning district or PD – Planned Development District that allows nonresidential or multifamily development.
Building Height
Yard Depth
One-Story
Twenty-five (25) feet
Two-Story
Twenty-five (25) feet
Three-Story
MF-15 – Multifamily-15 District: One hundred (100) feet
MF-19 – Multifamily-19 District: Sixty (60) feet
(D) 
Minimum lot area.
(1) 
Five (5) acres unless otherwise specified within a Planned Development or other zoning district.
(2) 
Areas zoned multifamily that are developed to single-family standards must meet lot areas as described for the zoning districts listed in 2.03.12(B)(2) above.
(3) 
Properties that are zoned multifamily which are less than five (5) acres prior to April 5, 2011 are exempt from this requirement.
(E) 
Minimum dwelling area.
Number of Rooms
Minimum Dwelling Area
One bedroom
Six hundred fifty (650) square feet
Two bedroom
Nine hundred (900) square feet
Each additional bedroom over two (2) bedrooms
An additional one hundred fifty (150) square feet of dwelling area (See Dwelling Unit Area)
(F) 
Maximum height regulations.
Building Height
Measured Height in Feet
One-Story
Thirty (30) feet for any portion of the building
Two-Story
Forty (40) feet for any portion of the building
Three-Story
Fifty (50) feet for any portion of the building
(Ordinance 2021-07-47 adopted 7/6/21)
(A) 
Stormwater detention.
Unless otherwise approved by the Director, above ground stormwater detention is prohibited within required landscape areas and open space areas unless associated with a lake or body of water that has a constant pool elevation. Additionally, dry detention ponds utilized as amenities may be approved by the Director to be within required landscape areas and open space areas.
(1) 
These detention areas are subject to approval by the Director of Engineering Services and shall be designed to be an amenity for the property that allows the required volume of stormwater to raise the water surface elevation for the duration of the storm.
(B) 
Pedestrian connections.
Gated or un-gated pedestrian connections will be provided to adjacent schools, parks, and nonresidential developments.
(Ordinance 2021-07-47 adopted 7/6/21)
(A) 
Parking.
(1) 
Parking is only allowed between the building and a public street when located at or beyond the required landscape buffer and screened with a headlight screen of earthen berms and/or a row of shrubs.
(2) 
Parking between the building and a public street is also subject to tree planting requirements specified in 4.12.04(B) Other Parking and Circulation Requirements.
(3) 
Buildings with enclosed garages, when adjacent to a public street, must face garage doors internally to the development. Garage doors may not face a public street.
(B) 
Detached garages.
(1) 
No detached garages may be located between residential buildings and a public street.
(2) 
Structured parking garages consisting of more than one (1) level must meet appropriate building setbacks as specified in 2.03.12(C) Area Regulations.
(C) 
Fiber cement siding.
Fiber cement siding is allowed for architectural detailing and exterior trim work.
(D) 
Building design.
(1) 
All main structures within the MF-15 and MF-19 districts must have a minimum of eighty (80) percent masonry on the first and second floors and fifty (50) percent on all other floors.
a. 
Fiber cement siding may be used for areas not considered conducive for masonry, as determined by the Chief Building Official, and architectural features, including but not limited to bay windows, dormers, chimneys not part of an exterior wall, and gables with an area of less than ten (10) square feet.
(2) 
Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) are allowed as an alternative to stucco construction.
a. 
These construction methods are limited to areas nine (9) feet above the average finish grade and may not exceed ten (10) percent of the building facade elevation.
(3) 
Flat roofs are prohibited.
(4) 
All residential windows shall be operable, with the exception of decorative windows, transoms, and side lights. The windows in living areas and bedrooms, except for dormer windows, shall be a minimum fifteen (15) square feet in size.
(5) 
All stairs (except entry stairs and stoops to individual units and shared hallways) and elevated walkways shall be screened with architectural features to avoid a direct view of a stairwell from public streets and open space.
(6) 
All multifamily buildings must use four (4) or more of the following architectural features.
a. 
Awnings/Canopies.
b. 
Balconies (a minimum of twenty-five (25) square feet in size).
c. 
Dormers.
d. 
Offsets within each building (minimum twenty (20) feet to receive credit).
e. 
Patio (a minimum of twenty-five (25) square feet in size).
f. 
Porches (a minimum of twenty-five (25) square feet in size).
g. 
Stoops (a minimum of two (2) feet tall by four (4) feet wide).
h. 
Varied roof height in building (minimum ten (10) foot difference).
i. 
Others as approved by the Director.
(7) 
Mailrooms or mail kiosks shall be one hundred (100) percent masonry and constructed of the same materials as the main structure.
(8) 
A facade plan shall be submitted with the Preliminary Site Plan and Site Plan for a MF development and shall comply with all MF architectural design standards set forth in this ordinance.
a. 
Buildings may not face each other and have the same facade and/or architectural features, except as otherwise approved by the Director.
(9) 
Facade plans shall be reviewed according to Subsection 6.16 Facade Plan Review.
(E) 
Building orientation.
(1) 
The residential building angle to public streets and single-family zoning districts will be between a minimum of twenty (20) to a maximum of seventy (70) degrees, unless parking is provided between the building and the street.
(2) 
As an alternative to angling the buildings along the public street, adjacent buildings may be offset a distance equal to one-half (1/2) the width of the building closest to the street, not to be less than thirty (30) feet.
Figure 4.12.03.1: MF - Building Orientation
(F) 
Structure separation.
(1) 
Multifamily structures on the same parcel shall have the following minimum distance between structures.
a. 
From main structure to main structure with walls that have openings for doors or windows on facades facing each other.
Site Layout
Distance between Structure
Face to Face
Fifty (50) feet
Face to End
Thirty (30) feet
Corner to Face or End
Thirty (30) feet
End to End
Thirty (30) feet
b. 
From main structure to main structure with walls that do not have openings, the minimum distance between structures is twenty (20) feet for one- and two-story buildings and thirty (30) feet for three-story buildings.
c. 
From main structure to accessory buildings or pools, the minimum distance between structures is twenty (20) feet.
d. 
From main structure to free standing garage building, the minimum distance between structures is thirty (30) feet.
(2) 
A multifamily structure on a parcel of land shall not be closer than a distance of fifty (50) feet to any nonresidential building, excluding garages, on an adjacent property.
(3) 
The mailrooms or mail kiosk can be incorporated into another building or they must be separated from all other buildings by a minimum of twenty (20) feet.
Figure 4.12.03.2: MF - Structure Separation
(Ordinance 2021-07-47 adopted 7/6/21)
(A) 
Garages, when provided.
(1) 
Garages shall be one hundred (100) percent masonry and be constructed of the same materials as the main structure.
(2) 
The garage may be part of the dwelling structure.
(3) 
Garage parking can only be counted toward required parking if the garage is attached to, and directly accessed from, the apartment unit that it serves through an internal doorway.
(4) 
Additional garage parking can be provided, but will not count towards required parking calculations.
(5) 
Garages shall be set back a minimum of eight (8) feet from the circulation aisle.
(6) 
The garage shall not be used for storage, thereby prohibiting the parking of an operable vehicle.
(B) 
Other parking and circulation requirements.
(1) 
Parking located between the building and a public street shall be at or beyond the required landscape buffer and requires a large tree every five (5) parking spaces along the first row of parking and a head light screen in addition to perimeter landscaping requirements.
(2) 
Sub-grade parking under all or a portion of the building will not count against building height if half or more of sub-grade parking is below the average finish grade of the first floor.
(3) 
When provided, trailer and recreational vehicle (RV) parking shall be limited to specific areas as designated on the approved Site Plan. Trailer and RV parking spaces shall be ten (10) feet by twenty-five (25) feet. These spaces shall be specifically called out on the Site Plan in an area behind the building line. A solid living screen shall be placed around the specified area.
(4) 
Dead-end drive aisles shall have a maximum of ten (10) parking spaces.
(5) 
Mail kiosk shall have a minimum of five (5) of the required parking spaces for the development within fifty (50) feet, unless a drive-through facility is provided.
(6) 
Enclosed garage parking spaces shall be a minimum of ten (10) by twenty (20) feet.
(7) 
Tandem parking spaces only count toward required parking when located in front of a detached garage. Tandem parking spaces shall be a minimum of nine (9) by twenty (20) feet.
(8) 
Drive aisles within the apartment complex must be configured to decrease speed and shall have a maximum of five hundred (500) feet in a straight length without an offset of a minimum of thirty (30) feet, unless other traffic calming measured are approved by the Director, Director of Engineering Services, and Fire Chief.
(9) 
Access to a public street in a single-family neighborhood will be limited access and will not function as a primary access point for the complex.
(10) 
Access to single-family alleys is prohibited.
(11) 
Direct access to a median opening is required when the property is located on a divided thoroughfare. This shall be one of the minimum two points of access required.
(Ordinance 2021-07-47 adopted 7/6/21)