The Design Standards and Guidelines for Small Lot and Multifamily Development are adopted by the City of University Place to implement the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan. Specifically, these guidelines implement the City’s Comprehensive Plan land use policies relevant to urban design, pedestrian circulation, neighborhood and community identity, housing choice and residential design. The design standards and guidelines supplement UPMC Title 19 zoning regulations and will be used by the City to evaluate design review applications for qualifying small lot and multifamily projects.
Comprehensive Plan policies encourage a diversity of housing types that respond to market demand for a greater choice of housing options than is currently available in the community. An objective is to accommodate housing at moderately higher densities in specific areas of the City than has traditionally been constructed in single-family neighborhoods. The design standards and guidelines direct two such types of housing, small lot and multifamily development, to be built to high standards and achieve pedestrian-oriented designs that encourage interaction among neighbors. They also provide strategies to efficiently and effectively manage and protect the City’s existing natural systems, including water quality, habitat and biological resources, from the harmful effects of land development and stormwater runoff. The guidelines and standards are intended to ensure that low impact development components are integrated into the designs of future small lot and multifamily development. The goal is for this new housing to become a valued addition to the City’s existing residential neighborhoods and enhance the community’s positive identity.
(Ord. 559 § 6 (Exh. A § 1))
The primary purpose of this document is to provide design professionals, property owners, residents, staff, and decision-makers with a clear and common understanding of the City’s expectations for the planning, design and review of small lot and multifamily development proposals in University Place.
The design standards and guidelines provide a framework to evaluate new development projects against the City’s objective to ensure that these projects are well designed, integrated compatibly into the neighborhood context, and contribute to an enhanced community aesthetic.
These guidelines are intended to do the following:
A. 
Provide a basis for making fair and consistent decisions in design review;
B. 
Ensure compatibility of new homes within existing neighborhoods;
C. 
Provide incentives for investment;
D. 
Enhance property values; and
E. 
Serve as a design tool and reference document for residents, designers, property owners, staff and decision-makers.
(Ord. 559 § 6 (Exh. A § 1(A))
A. 
The design standards and guidelines apply to “small lot” single-family and “multifamily” developments. “Small lots” typically are those less than 6,000 square feet, and small lot developments encourage diversity in the size of dwelling units by promoting and preserving smaller homes on smaller lots. “Multifamily” buildings are designed for occupancy by three or more families in three or more dwelling units, and multifamily developments can be designed to accommodate rental or owner-occupied units. The standards and guidelines apply to new small lot developments in R1 Residential and R2 Residential zones and new multi-family developments in Multifamily Low (MF-L) and Multifamily High (MF-H) zones. They will also apply to infill single-family dwellings on existing substandard lots of record and qualifying modifications to existing small lot and multifamily development. Provisions are organized by and based on development type, rather than zoning designation.
B. 
For a complete listing of qualifying and exempt residential projects, see UPMC § 19.53.030.
C. 
Qualifying residential projects will be subject to design standard review in accordance with UPMC § 19.85.050 to ensure conformance with the design standards and guidelines. In some cases, design provisions are mandated and in other cases there is more flexibility in how a project can meet a particular design objective. Generally, the following rules apply to language used in Articles IV and V of this chapter:
1. 
“Shall” or “must” indicates a design standard and means that conformance is mandatory.
2. 
“Should” or “encouraged” means the guideline is intended to be a recommendation about how to implement the goals of the design standards and guidelines.
D. 
The design standards and guidelines shall be used in conjunction with other documents adopted by the City that contain goals, development parameters, and more specific regulations relative to a development. Projects shall comply with applicable provisions of the Comprehensive Plan, zoning code and other municipal code requirements. When provisions included in the design standards and guidelines conflict with other requirements of this title, these standards and guidelines shall apply unless otherwise provided.
(Ord. 559 § 6 (Exh. A § 1(B)); Ord. 741 § 1 (Exh. J), 2020)
One of the paramount goals of the City’s Comprehensive Plan is to retain or create the qualities that comprise livable, memorable and diverse community life. Zoning and other numerical standards and formulas are inadequate tools, by themselves, for building a livable community in that they cannot ensure quality of physical design. Design review is intended to be a complementary means of retaining, enhancing, or creating a sense of community through its physical structures. Design standard review (UPMC § 19.85.050) is a discretionary process established to determine the compliance of a development proposal with applicable design standards and guidelines. The design standard review process ensures that there is a harmonious balance between the natural and built environments in a community. It is also used to ensure quality development in accordance with the City’s design objectives and to ensure that the appearance of development will be compatible and harmonious with the use and enjoyment of surrounding properties.
Applicants should review this document’s stated purpose and objectives, design goals and concepts section, and design standards and guidelines section, to understand the rationale and spirit of the guidelines. Applicants should contact the City early in the project planning and design process to determine application and processing requirements and discuss key issues particular to a specific site.
(Ord. 559 § 6 (Exh. A § 1(C)); Ord. 741 § 1 (Exh. J), 2020)
The Design Standards and Guidelines for Small Lot and Multifamily Development document is structured into the following articles:
A. 
Article II, Introduction.
B. 
Article III, Design Goals and Concepts.
C. 
Article IV, Small Lot and Multifamily Design Standards.
D. 
Article V, Landscape Design Standards and Guidelines.
Article III introduces overall design goals and design concepts. Article IV includes specific standards and guidelines that meet the design goals and implement the neighborhood design concept. Article IV is organized into separate sections for small lot residential development and multifamily development. For each residential use type, there are key design components with specific approval standards and corresponding design guidelines to meet the City’s design objectives. Graphics and photos are used throughout Article IV to illustrate design objectives, but are not intended to depict the only design solution to a specific criterion or guideline. Article V includes standards and guidelines for landscape design that is common to small lot and multifamily projects. This document also includes appendices for definitions of special terms used (see UPMC § 19.53.100), a checklist for small lot development applications, and a checklist for multifamily development applications.
(Ord. 559 § 6 (Exh. A § 1(D)); Ord. 741 § 1 (Exh. J), 2020)
Articulation:
The way portions of a building form are expressed (materials, color, texture, pattern, modulation, etc.).
Authentic architectural style:
Architecture that encompasses many styles within an architectural theme, a holistic approach. Possessing appropriate architectural characteristics, massing, and detail consistent with a specific architectural style.
Canopy:
A roofed structure constructed of fabric or other material placed to extend outward from a building providing a protective shield for doors, windows, and other openings, supported by the building and supports extended to the ground directly under the canopy or cantilevered from the building.
Compatible:
Capable of existing together without conflict or detrimental effects.
Cornice:
A continuous, molded projection that crowns a wall or other construction, or divides it horizontally for compositional purposes.
Deck:
An open, unroofed porch or platform extending from a house or other building.
Design elements:
The individual visual components within an architectural composition.
Design guidelines:
These minimum guidelines or recommendations are intended to guide the design of buildings, lighting, landscaping and neighborhoods. Where conditions are not specifically addressed in the guidelines, it is the responsibility of the proponent to show that the proposed design solution meets the intent of the most closely related guidelines.
Easement:
The legal right to use a described piece of land for a particular purpose. It does not include fee ownership, but may restrict the owner’s use of the land.
Effective impervious surface:
Those impervious surfaces that are connected via sheet flow or discrete conveyance to a drainage system. Impervious surfaces on single-family residences are considered ineffective if the runoff is dispersed through at least 100 feet of native vegetation.
Facade:
The front or principal face of a building, a side of a building that faces a street or other open space.
Human scale:
The size or proportion of a building element or space relative to the structural or functional dimensions of the human body. Used generally to refer to building elements that are smaller in scale, more proportional to the human body, rather than monumental (or larger scale).
Low impact development (LID):
Low impact development (LID) is an innovative stormwater management approach with a basic principle that is modeled after nature: manage rainfall at the source using uniformly distributed decentralized micro-scale controls.
Massing:
The three-dimensional bulk of a structure: height, width and depth.
Modulation:
Means a stepping back or projecting forward of portions of a building face within specified intervals of building width and depth, as a means of breaking up the apparent bulk of a structure’s continuous exterior walls.
Natural grade:
Natural grade is considered existing topography prior to proposed construction.
Pedestrian scale:
The proportional relationship between an individual and his or her environment.
Privacy fence:
A structure serving as an enclosure, a barrier, or a boundary, usually made of posts or stakes joined together by boards, wire, or rails.
Scale:
The spatial relationship among structures along a street or block front, including height, bulk, and yard relationships. Proportional relationship of the size of parts to one another and to the human figure.
Standards:
Minimum/maximum requirements based on quantifiable criteria.
Xeriscape:
A landscaping method that employs drought-resistant plants native to the region in an effort to conserve resources.
(Ord. 559 § 6 (Exh. A § 5(A)); Ord. 741 § 1 (Exh. J), 2020)