In granting and denying approval of a design in accordance with this chapter, the city shall consider, among other criteria, the criteria set forth in this section. This list is intended as a guide for prospective developers, showing representative design features. This list is not intended to be exhaustive and the administrator may address design features not included among the criteria set forth below.
(1) Site Design.
(a) Sidewalks. Intent: to provide safe, comfortable sidewalks that encourage walking.
(i) On vehicular-oriented streets, sidewalk area shall maintain a clear zone of five feet for pedestrian travel.
(ii) On pedestrian-oriented streets, sidewalk area shall maintain a clear zone of five feet for pedestrian travel. Areas outside of the pedestrian travel zone may be used for dining or display for adjacent businesses. No objects, including signs, shall be placed within the pedestrian travel zone.
(iii) On neighborhood streets, sidewalk area shall maintain a clear zone of five feet for pedestrian travel. The city shall approve paving material.
(b) Street Trees. Intent: to support the natural setting as fundamental to the character of Washougal.
(i) Street trees shall be spaced equivalent to one every 30 feet in tree grates or four-foot-wide planted area. Trees may be grouped.
(ii) The city shall approve street trees.
(iii) Tree pits may be planted or have pavers or grates.
(c) Street Furnishings. Intent: to reinforce a cohesive image and simplify maintenance and replacement.
(i) Use city-approved standardized fixtures for benches, trash receptacles and bike racks located in the public right-of-way.
(d) Plazas, Courtyards and Seating Areas. Intent: to provide a variety of open space.
(i) Such space shall be located where it is visible and accessible from either a public sidewalk or a pedestrian connection.
(e) Pedestrian Lighting. Intent: to reinforce a cohesive image and simplify maintenance and replacement.
(i) Use city-approved standardized fixtures for sidewalk lighting.
(f) Screening of Trash and Service Areas. Intent: to screen trash and service areas from public view.
(i) Screen from view on all sides with solid evergreen plant material or architectural treatment similar to the design of the adjacent building.
(g) Curb Cuts. Intent: to maintain a continuous sidewalk by minimizing driveway access.
(i) Driveways should not exceed 24 feet in width. Distance between curb cuts should not be less than 100 feet.
(ii) The sidewalk pattern and material shall continue across the driveway.
(iii) Adjacent developments should share driveways to the greatest extent possible (cross-over agreements between properties strongly encouraged).
(iv) Preferred access to parking and loading shall be from north-south streets.
(h) Drive-Through Lanes. Intent: to reduce vehicle/pedestrian conflicts and improve the pedestrian environment.
(i) Drive-through lanes are not allowed between the building and the public right-of-way.
(i) Location of Parking. Intent: to reduce the visual impact of parking and enhance the pedestrian experience.
(i) Parking should be located under, behind or to the side of buildings. On pedestrian-oriented streets parking is not permitted between the building and the street.
(j) Parking Lot Landscape. Intent: to reduce the visual impact of surface parking lots.
(i) Surface parking lots shall be landscaped at a ratio of one tree to every six stalls. Trees shall have a minimum caliper of two inches at the time of planting and may be grouped.
(ii) Surface parking along pedestrian-oriented streets must be screened by one or a combination of the following:
(A) Low walls made of concrete, masonry, or other similar material and not exceeding a maximum height of three feet.
(B) Raised planter walls planted with a minimum of 80 percent evergreen shrubs not exceeding a total height of three feet.
(C) Landscape plantings consisting of trees of which at least 80 percent are deciduous and shrubs and groundcover materials of which at least 80 percent are evergreen.
(iii) All plant material and other physical elements used for parking lot screening shall provide clear views between three and eight feet above the ground surface for surveillance purposes.
(iv) Trees and shrubs planted within bioretention facilities located in or at the perimeter of a surface parking lot may count toward required trees and screening.
(k) Parking Lot Lighting. Intent: to improve safety and reduce light pollution.
(i) Lighting should have cut-off design (shields, optics) to direct light downward.
(l) Pedestrian Connections within Parking Lots. Intent: to create a network of safe and attractive linkages for pedestrians.
(i) Clearly defined pedestrian connections not less than five feet wide shall be provided through parking lots to building entrances and sidewalks.
(2) Building Design.
(a) Buildings Set to Back of Sidewalk. Intent: to reinforce an active pedestrian experience along pedestrian-oriented streets.
(i) Buildings along pedestrian-oriented streets shall be set to the back of the sidewalk, with the exception of providing open space for public use such as plazas, courtyards and seating areas.
(b) Entrances. Intent: to ensure that entrances are easily identifiable and accessible from streets and sidewalks.
(i) Locate primary entrances so that they are visible from the public right-of-way. The entry should be marked by architectural elements such as canopies, ornamental lighting fixtures and/or fixed seating that offer visual prominence.
(c) Transparency. Intent: to provide a visual connection between activities inside and outside of buildings.
(i) Along neighborhood streets, a minimum of 15 percent of any ground floor facade between two feet and 12 feet above grade and visible from any street shall be comprised of windows with clear, "vision" glass.
(ii) Along vehicle-oriented streets, a minimum of 30 percent of any ground floor facade visible from any street shall be comprised of windows with clear, "vision" glass.
(iii) Along pedestrian-oriented streets, a minimum of 60 percent of any ground floor facade facing a street or public space shall be comprised of clear, "vision" glass.
(d) Massing/Articulation. Intent: to reduce the apparent bulk of multistory buildings and maintain pedestrian scale.
(i) Buildings above 30 feet in height will distinguish a "base" at ground level using articulation and materials such as stone, masonry, or decorative concrete.
(ii) The "top" of the building will emphasize a distinct profile or outline with elements such as a projecting parapet, cornice, upper level setback or pitched roofline.
(iii) The "middle" of the building may be distinguished by a change in materials or color, windows, balconies, stepbacks and signage.
(e) Ground Level Details. Intent: to reinforce the character of the streetscape.
(i) Facades of commercial and mixed-use buildings that face the street shall be designed to be pedestrian-friendly through the inclusion of at least three of the following elements:
(A) Kickplates for storefront windows;
(F) Containers for seasonal plantings;
(f) Roofline. Intent: to ensure that rooflines present a distinct profile and appearance for the building and express the neighborhood character.
(i) Buildings with pitched roofs shall have a minimum slope of 4:12 and a maximum slope of 12:12.
(ii) Buildings with flat roofs shall have projecting cornices to create a prominent edge when viewed against the sky. Cornices shall be made of a different material and color than the predominate siding of the building.
(g) Screening Rooftop Equipment. Intent: to screen rooftop mechanical and communications equipment from the ground level of nearby streets and residential areas.
(i) Mechanical equipment shall be screened by an extended parapet wall or other roof forms that are integrated with the architecture of the building.
(h) Blank Wall Treatment. Intent: to reduce the visual impact of blank walls by providing visual interest.
(i) Blank walls longer than 30 feet shall incorporate two or more of the following:
(A) Vegetation, such as trees, shrubs, ground cover and/or vines adjacent to the wall surface;
(B) Artwork, such as bas-relief sculpture, murals, or trellis structures;
(C) Seating area with special paving and seasonal plantings; and/or
(D) Architectural detailing, reveals, contrasting materials or other special interest.
(i) Screening of Parking Structures. Intent: to reduce the visual impact of structured parking located above grade.
(i) At ground level, parking structures shall comply with guidelines addressed under subsection
(2)(e) of this section, Ground Level Details.
(ii) Upper levels of structured parking should be screened or treated architecturally by roughly square openings rather than horizontal, planting designed to grow on the facade, louvers, expanded metal panels, decorative metal grills, spandrel (opaque) glass, and other devices, as approved, that meet the intent.
(iii) Parking fixtures within garages should be screened from view from the street.
(3) Sign Design.
(a) Creativity. Intent: to encourage interesting, creative and unique approaches to the design of signage.
(i) Signs should be highly graphic in form, expressive and individualized.
(ii) Signs should convey the product or service offered by the business in a bold, graphic form.
(iii) Projecting signs, supported by ornamental brackets and oriented to pedestrians, are strongly encouraged.
(b) Historic Signage. Intent: to preserve the unique character of the town center.
(i) Retain existing historic signs that feature the character of the area, wherever possible.
(c) Pedestrian-Oriented Signs. Intent: to provide signs that complement and strengthen the pedestrian realm.
(i) Pedestrian signs include projecting signs (blade signs), window signs (painted on glass or hung behind glass), logo signs (symbols, shapes), wall signs over entrances, sandwich board signs, and ground signs.
(d) Ground Signs. Intent: to ensure that signs are not principally oriented to automobile traffic.
(i) Pole signs shall be prohibited. All freestanding signs outside of the core shall be ground signs no higher than five feet.
(ii) The base of any ground sign shall be planted with shrubs and seasonal flowers.
(e) Size and Review.
(i) Signs shall comply with Chapter
18.60 WMC unless modified consistent with this chapter. Review of signs shall be through a Type I site plan review.
(Ord. 1547 § 3 (Exh. A), 2006; Ord. 1821 § 1 (Att. A), 2016; Ord. 1849 § 1 (Exh. A), 2018)