The purpose of this chapter is to provide architectural and site design standards for mixed-use and multi-unit residential dwelling development projects (referred to as "projects" or the "project"). It is the intent of these standards to provide applicants and property owners with a clear understanding of the city’s expectations for development. The objective design standards also further the goals, policies, and programs of the general plan, which encourage high quality design and streamlining of housing development.
The standards contained in this chapter are written as requirements, rather than guidelines; therefore, all qualifying mixed-use and multi-unit residential projects applying for streamlined approval in accordance with Section 17.46.020 (Applicability) shall comply with each standard contained in this chapter. Proposed projects shall also comply with all applicable development requirements in the municipal code, including but not limited to building permit requirements, zoning code requirements, grading permit requirements, and development standards such as height, setbacks, floor area ratio, etc.
(Ord. 24-01 § 2(Exh. A-1))
A. 
Applicability. The standards established in this chapter shall apply to the following projects which qualify for ministerial streamlined approval in accordance with Government Code Section 65913.4:
1. 
Mixed-Use. A structure consisting of residential and nonresidential uses (e.g., commercial retail, retail service, office, civic, and institutional) with at least two-thirds of the square footage designated for residential use, transitional housing, or supportive housing.
2. 
Multi-Unit Residential Dwelling. A residential structure containing two or more residential dwelling units, each of which is for the occupancy by one or more persons, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, apartments, condominiums, and townhouses.
B. 
Objective Standards. As defined by Government Code Section 65913.4, objective design standards are standards that involve no personal or subjective judgment by a public official and are uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark. The standards established in this chapter shall be mandatory for all projects identified in subsection A of this section for which a streamlined approval process is requested pursuant to Government Code Section 65913.4. Projects seeking exceptions or deviations to the standards contained herein, or projects which do not qualify for a streamlined approval process, shall be subject to existing discretionary design review process and development standards established by this zoning code.
(Ord. 24-01 § 2(Exh. A-1))
The director shall use the standards established in this chapter to review and approve developments that meet all the criteria established in Government Code Section 65913.4. The director’s approval can be appealed in compliance with Chapter 17.114 (Appeals).
(Ord. 24-01 § 2(Exh. A-1))
A. 
Structure Orientation and Location. Eligible projects shall comply with the following structure orientation and location standards:
1. 
Orientation of Structures. Project structures that are not adjacent to the street shall be oriented to create internal courtyards, open space, and/or paseos.
2. 
Separation Between Multiple Structures. There shall be a minimum of fifteen feet between structures. The space between structures shall be unobstructed, accessible to all residents, and include sidewalks, sitting areas, or live plantings.
3. 
Staggered Setback. Multiple structures located parallel to a public right-of-way shall have a staggered setback for each structure with a minimum variation of three feet as measured from the property line abutting the public right-of-way.
4. 
Controlled Vehicular Entries. Controlled vehicular entries (e.g., gates, boom barrier, guard booth) shall be located a minimum of twenty feet from the property line to provide adequate stacking space for vehicles entering the site/parking structure.
5. 
Residential Adjacencies. The side and rear walls of any structure within fifteen feet of a required setback area shall be limited to maximum height of fifteen feet higher than the directly adjacent existing residential structure, or the exterior wall plane of each floor above the ground floor shall be stepped back by a minimum of eight feet along the entire facade. There is no setback requirement for structures located more than fifteen feet away from the required setback line.
B. 
Entries, Stairwells. Eligible projects shall comply with the following entry and stairway standards:
1. 
Residential Entries. Residential units that are not adjacent to the street shall have front entries that are oriented to common areas such as paseos, courtyards, parking areas, and active landscape areas.
2. 
Entryway Design. Street facing entries shall be accentuated by a minimum of one of the following:
a. 
A change in roof pitch or form, such as a gable, that extends a minimum of one foot past the sides of the door jamb;
b. 
An increase in roof height of at least one foot to accentuate the entry; or
c. 
Wood, stone, tile, or brick accent materials covering a minimum of thirty percent of the entryway wall surface area, inclusive of windows and doors.
3. 
Exterior Stairwells. Exterior stairwells shall not be oriented to the street. For safety and security, exterior stairwells shall face interior spaces, such as plazas and gathering areas, parking areas, and pedestrian pathways and shall not be separated from these areas by landscaping, fences, or walls taller than three feet.
4. 
Entry Connection. All structure entries shall be connected to a public sidewalk by a pedestrian walkway a minimum of five feet in width.
5. 
Garage Doors. For projects containing five or more units, garage doors shall not face a public street(s) but may be oriented toward an alley or a private street/driveway that is internal to the project.
6. 
Commercial/Office Units. Commercial/office unit entrances shall face the street, a parking area, or an interior common space.
7. 
Residential Units. Residential units in a mixed-use development shall be located on the upper floors of any elevation that faces a public street with residential access provided through a separate entry along each street frontage or a single entry at the corner.
C. 
Parking and Circulation. Eligible projects shall comply with the following parking and circulation standards:
1. 
Vehicular Circulation. All parking areas shall be internally connected and shall use shared driveways within the development.
2. 
Corner Parcel Parking Location. Projects located on corner parcels shall locate parking facilities to the side or rear of the parcel (opposite the side facing the street).
3. 
Parking Facility Screening. Parking areas, both covered and uncovered, shall be screened from all public street frontages by incorporating evergreen landscaping or a planted earth berm with a minimum height of three feet.
4. 
Parking Areas Adjacent to Structures. Parking areas adjacent to residential structures shall be separated by a walkway a minimum of five feet in width and a landscape strip a minimum of seven feet in depth.
5. 
Parking Space Location. Parking spaces shall be located a minimum of fifteen feet from any curb cut entering the parcel to provide adequate ingress/egress. The distance shall be measured from the property line to the first parking space.
6. 
Carports. Carports shall be painted with the approved color palette for the project.
7. 
Pedestrian Circulation. All structures, entries, facilities, amenities, and parking areas shall be internally connected with pedestrian pathways. Pedestrian pathways shall connect to the public sidewalk along each street frontage. Pedestrian pathways shall be separated from roads and parking areas by a physical barrier, such as a grade-separation, of six inches or more or a raised planting strip.
8. 
Parking Area Landscaping. Uncovered parking areas shall provide minimum of one fifteen-gallon size tree for every six consecutive parking stalls. Trees shall be provided in tree wells with a minimum interior size of six feet by six feet.
9. 
Parking Facing a Public Street. For all parking facing a public street, including surface parking, carports, and garages, but excluding underground parking and parking located behind structures, the total width of parking visible from the street shall not exceed zero percent of any public street frontage. For corner lots, this standard shall only apply to the primary street frontage.
D. 
Lighting. Eligible projects shall comply with the following lighting standards:
1. 
Lighting Type and Color. All exterior lighting shall use light emitting diodes (LEDs) with a maximum color temperature of three thousand five hundred kelvins.
2. 
Lighting Required. All entryways, porch areas, pathways, and gates shall include lighting for safety and security.
3. 
Lighting Required. All structures, entries, parking areas, refuse enclosures, active outdoor/landscape areas, and pedestrian pathways shall be illuminated from one-half hour before dusk until one-half hour after dawn.
4. 
Parking Fixture Height. The maximum height of parking lot light fixtures shall not exceed fifteen feet when abutting a residential development. Otherwise, the parking lot light fixtures shall be a maximum of twenty feet.
5. 
Lighting Spill. Lighting shall be fully shielded, directed downward (not above the horizontal plane), and shall not spill onto or be directed toward adjacent properties.
E. 
Utility and Service Areas. Eligible projects shall comply with the following utility and service standards:
1. 
Screening. All exterior mechanical and electrical equipment shall be incorporated into the design of the structure or screened from public view using walls, fencing, or landscaping. Mechanical or electrical equipment includes, but is not limited to, roof-mounted equipment, air conditioners and condensers, utility meters, irrigation control valves, electrical transformers, utility meters, cable, and telephone equipment.
2. 
Refuse Enclosures. Trash, recycling, organic waste, and green waste bins and dumpsters shall be consistent with fire and building codes and shall be housed in a covered refuse enclosure with a gate that screens the trash receptacles. Sizing of the enclosures shall conform to solid waste provider requirements.
3. 
Refuse Enclosure Materials and Colors. Refuse enclosures shall be constructed of the same primary wall material and color as the most adjacent building within the development.
4. 
Refuse Enclosure Access. Refuse enclosures shall have both a vehicular access gate with a concrete apron, and a pedestrian entrance. Gates shall be opaque. Access shall conform to solid waste provider requirements.
F. 
Open Space. Eligible projects shall comply with the following open space standards:
1. 
Private Open Space. All dwelling units in a project shall include private open space in compliance with the following:
a. 
Private open space shall be provided in the form of a private yard, porch, balcony, roof garden, or patio.
b. 
Private open space shall be contiguous to the dwelling unit it serves.
c. 
Private open space located at ground level shall be a minimum of one hundred twenty square feet in area with a minimum dimension of ten feet in width and depth.
d. 
Private open space located above ground level shall be a minimum of sixty square feet in area with a minimum dimension of six feet in width and depth.
2. 
Common Open Space. All projects shall include common outdoor open space in compliance with the following:
a. 
Projects shall provide common outdoor open space with amenities in accordance with subsection (F)(3) of this section, and Table 17.46-1 (Outdoor Amenities).
b. 
Common outdoor open space shall be unobstructed, accessible to all residents of the structure it serves, and shall have no dimension less than ten feet in any direction.
c. 
Internal courtyards and common areas shall be visible from the street, parking areas, pedestrian pathways, and/or interior structure entries.
d. 
Paved areas shall not exceed fifty percent of the required front or street side setback area.
3. 
Outdoor Amenities. Projects shall provide outdoor amenities according in compliance with Table 17.46-1 (Outdoor Amenities). Required amenity areas may be combined into a single area if the minimum requirements for each amenity area are met within the combined area.
a. 
Passive Amenities. Passive amenities include community gardens, outdoor gathering/seating area, picnic/barbeque area, pet area/dog park, or courtyard/plaza. Each passive amenity area shall include a minimum seating capacity of one for each ten units and at least one of the following: trellis, gas fire pit, BBQ, or picnic table.
b. 
Active Amenities. Active recreation amenities include playgrounds, tot lots, sport court or field, outdoor fitness area, swimming pool, exercise structure or complex, clubhouse with associated kitchen, recreation hall, or community room.
Table 17.46-1 Outdoor Amenities
Number of Units in Project
Required Passive Recreational Amenities
Required Active Recreational Amenities
2 — 10
2 with a minimum area of 200 sq. ft. total
0
11 — 30
2 with a minimum area of 300 sq. ft. total
1 with a minimum area of 500 sq. ft. total
31 — 60
2 with a minimum area of 400 sq. ft. total
2 with a minimum area of 800 sq. ft. total
61 — 100
2 with a minimum area of 500 sq. ft. total
2 with a minimum area of 1,000 sq. ft. total
101+
2 with a minimum area of 600 sq. ft. total
2 with a minimum area of 1,500 sq. ft. total
(Ord. 24-01 § 2(Exh. A-1))
A. 
Massing and Articulation. Eligible projects shall comply with the following massing and articulation standards:
1. 
Maximum Structure Length. Structures shall not exceed two hundred feet in length on any facade.
2. 
Horizontal Articulation. Horizontal (or depth) articulation refers to the structure modulation by stepping a portion(s) of the facade forward or backward from the predominant structure plan facade. At least one of the following features shall be integrated into the project design:
a. 
Variations in wall plane with a minimum facade break of four feet in width, and two feet in depth for every thirty feet of facade length;
b. 
Vertical elements such as pilasters, that protrude a minimum of one foot from the wall surface and extend the full height of the structure;
c. 
Step back the ground floor a minimum of two feet; or
d. 
Projections of recession every thirty linear feet with a minimum width of two feet, a minimum height of eight feet, and a minimum depth of two feet.
3. 
Vertical Articulation. Vertical (or height) articulation refers to the modulation of a structure by stepping a portion(s) of the facade upward or downward from the predominant structure height. All the following features shall be integrated into structure design:
a. 
Rooflines shall be vertically articulated at a minimum of forty-foot intervals along the street frontage with a change in height a minimum of two feet;
b. 
Rooflines shall include architectural elements such as parapets, varying cornices, clerestory windows, gables, or dormers; and
c. 
In structures with four or more floors, the top floor(s) of the structure shall be set back a minimum of five feet from the remainder of the facade.
B. 
Facade Design. Eligible projects shall comply with the following facade design standards:
1. 
Facade Transparency. At least sixty percent of the ground floor, street facing walls of nonresidential units shall include transparent window or door glazing between two and ten feet in height from grade, providing unobstructed views into the nonresidential space. Where it is infeasible to provide glazing, such as a parking garage, trash room, mechanical room, or electrical room, landscaping with a minimum dimension of eighteen inches in depth and a width equivalent to seventy percent of the wall shall be provided to soften the appearance of a blank wall on the ground floor.
2. 
Blank Walls. To avoid the appearance of blank walls, street-facing and publicly visible walls shall incorporate a minimum of one of the follow features:
a. 
A change in contrasting color or material a minimum of every thirty feet;
b. 
Bay windows, box windows, or other similar projecting windows that project a minimum of one foot from the structure facade a minimum of every fifteen feet;
c. 
Above ground balconies located a minimum of one every thirty feet on each floor;
d. 
Horizontal or vertical reglets or stucco control joints located a minimum of one every thirty feet (horizontal or vertical); or
e. 
Horizontal or vertical accent lines that project a minimum of two inches from the structure facade a minimum of every twenty feet.
C. 
Colors and Materials. Eligible projects shall comply with the following color and material standards:
1. 
Colors. Structures shall have a color palette that consists of at least two body colors and two accent colors (not including roof color). Projects with two or more residential structures shall include a minimum of two color palettes and shall not use a single color palette on more than seventy percent of the residential structures. Stone, brick, and rock facades shall not be painted.
2. 
Primary Wall Finish Material. The primary wall finish covering the largest percentage of surface of any structure’s face or elevation shall be wood, stone brick, stucco, or fiber cement or other cementitious material. T1-11 siding and all grooved or patterned wood panels or composite wood siding are prohibited.
3. 
Wrap-Around Materials. Exterior finish materials shall wrap structure corners and terminate at an inside corner or logical termination point, such as structure trim.
D. 
Windows and Doors. Eligible projects shall comply with the following window and door standards:
1. 
Windows and doors shall include a trim with a minimum width of four inches and shall protrude from the wall plane a minimum of three-quarters of an inch. Stucco-textured foam trim molding shall be allowed only on the second floor or above.
2. 
In lieu of exterior window trim, windows can be recessed from the wall plane by a minimum of three inches.
E. 
Fences and Walls. Eligible projects shall comply with the following fence and wall standards:
1. 
Allowed Fence and Wall Materials. Acceptable wall and fence materials include masonry, brick, wrought iron, or other tubular metal materials, and wood (excluding plywood or other composite panels less than five-eighths inches thick). Chain link, barbed wire/concertina wire, and electric fencing is prohibited.
2. 
Wall Variation Required. To minimize long, uninterrupted walls, the design of the structure shall include a minimum of one of the following:
a. 
Walls facing a public street shall have variations in wall plane with a minimum break of six feet in width, and two feet in depth for every fifty feet of wall length;
b. 
Walls shall incorporate a trim cap and shall incorporate decorative pillars at minimum distance every thirty feet.
3. 
Pedestrian Connections. Where walls are located adjacent to a street frontage, a minimum of one pedestrian connection along each street frontage shall be provided. Where such connection is provided, a minimum opening of fifteen feet in width or twice the height of the wall shall be provided, whichever is less. Gates are not required.
(Ord. 24-01 § 2(Exh. A-1))