10.717 Multiple-Family Dwellings, Special Development Standards.
(1) Building Orientation and Entrances.
(a) Buildings shall be oriented to public streets and public street intersections.
(b) Buildings located at intersections shall incorporate a corner building entrance.
(c) For buildings located within 30 feet of a street, the main entrance(s) of ground floor units must face the street frontage. Main entrances may provide access to individual units, clusters of units, courtyard dwellings, or common lobbies. Deviations from this standard are allowed as follows:
(i) On corner lots the main building entrance(s) may face either of the streets or be oriented to the corner.
(ii) For buildings with more than one entrance serving multiple units, only one entrance must meet this standard.
(iii) For buildings proposed to be perpendicular to public streets due to access requirements and/or dimensional constraints not created by the applicant, main entries may face up to 90 degrees away from the street provided both of the following apply:
(A) They are visible from the street.
(B) The building side facing the street shall contain windows occupying a minimum of 15 percent of the area of the facade (see Section 10.716B(3)).
(2) Building Mass and Facade.
(a) Outside of the Central Business Overlay District, residential buildings located within 30 feet of a street shall be limited in length to 150 feet, and any other residential buildings on the site shall be limited in length to 200 feet. There is no maximum building length within the Central Business Overlay District.
(b) On buildings greater than three stories in height, all facades shall be divided into three elements (base, middle, and top) and visibly articulated to define each element.
(i) The building base consists of the lowermost floor or two floors. The building top consists of the uppermost floor or two floors. The building middle consists of the remainder of the façade between the base and the top.
(ii) The building base, middle, and top shall each be differentiated through horizontal articulation and/or a discernible change in materials.
(c) Street-facing facades shall contain windows covering a minimum of 15 percent of the area of the facade (see Section 10.716B(3)).
(3) Building Articulation.
(a) In order to preclude long expanses of uninterrupted wall surfaces, exterior elevations of buildings shall incorporate design features such as off-sets, projections, balconies, bays, windows, entries, porches, porticos, or similar elements. Rear and/or side elevations that are only visible from the interior of the site are not subject to these articulation requirements. ‘s’
(i) Horizontal surface: at least two of the design features outlined above shall be incorporated along the horizontal face of the building, to be repeated at intervals of no more than 40 feet.
(ii) Vertical surface: at least two of the design features outlined above shall be incorporated along the vertical face of the building, to be repeated at intervals of no more than 30 feet.
(b) When off-sets and projections are used to fulfill articulation requirements, they shall vary from other wall surfaces by a minimum of 2 feet, and such changes in plane shall have a minimum width of 6 feet.
(c) Individual and common entries shall be articulated by roofs, awnings, or porticos that are a minimum of 6 feet wide and 4 feet deep.
(d) Windows shall be inset a minimum of 1.5 inches from the adjacent wall plane, or fully surrounded by trim in order to create the necessary minimum inset depth of 1.5 inches.
(4) Building Materials.
(a) The following primary building materials shall be utilized on a minimum of 65% of the street-facing façade:
(i) Brick;
(ii) Stone;
(iii) Stucco;
(iv) Flat metal composite panels;
(v) Wood siding and wood simulation materials;
(vi) Fiber reinforced cement siding or panels;
(vii) Ceramic tile; and
(viii) Transparent glass.
(b) The following building materials shall not be allowed on more than 35% of each individual facade:
(i) Corrugated metal;
(ii) Plain or split-faced concrete block;
(iii) Plain concrete; and
(iv) Spandrel glass.
(c) Vertical changes in wall cladding materials shall take place on inside corners. Horizontal changes in wall cladding materials shall take place at cornices, belt courses, and other such horizontal elements.
(d) The following building materials are prohibited:
(i) Vinyl siding; and
(ii) Plywood siding (e.g. T1-11).
(e) Fencing materials shall be durable, maintainable, and attractive. The following fencing materials are prohibited:
(i) Plastic or vinyl fencing; and
(ii) Chain link fencing.
(5) Roof Forms.
(a) All sloped roofs shall have a minimum 4:12 pitch.
(b) All sloped roofs shall have eaves projecting a minimum of 12 inches from the building wall.
(c) All roofs with a slope of less than 4:12 pitch shall be articulated by a parapet wall projecting a minimum of 12 inches above the roof line, or be architecturally treated such as with a decorative cornice.
(6) Vehicle Circulation and Parking.
(a) In order to strengthen the presence of buildings on the street, no parking lots shall be located within any required front yard area, and no automobile circulation or parking lots shall be located between buildings and the street. Any proposed deviation from this standard shall be subject to a request for an exception as outlined in Section 10.186, except when within the C-B Zoning Overlay. Applicants electing to deviate from this standard when within the C-B Zoning Overlay shall be subject to Section 10.719, Optional Adjustments of Special Development Standards, Review Criteria.