Chapter 5 Form District Regulations Part 4 Residential Site Design Standards Page 1 of 3

5.4.1 Traditional Form Districts (except for DFD)

Traditional site design pattern. Residential lots in traditional form districts exhibit a distinct pattern of placement of principal and accessory structures, their relationship to streets and alleys, and provision for open areas. To reflect these characteristics, residential lot and building design requirements are described in terms of the following four basic components of a lot or building site: the public realm area, the principal structure area, the private yard area, and the accessory use/structure area. New and infill context development in the traditional forms shall maintain this pattern.

Alternative Development Standards. Sites developed in accordance with the Alternative Development Incentives regulations (Chapter 4 Part 5) or the Planned Residential District (Section 2.7.3) shall meet the lot and setback dimension standards of 5.2.2.D. instead of the requirements established in Table 5.2.2

NOTE: Public Realm is defined as the area of the lot between the public right-of-way and the front of the principal structure or to the required principal structure setback/build-to line if there is no principal structure on the lot.
  1. Table 5.2.2 shall be used for the non-infill requirements related to maximum building height, setbacks/yards, minimum lot size and minimum lot width as well as paragraphs A through E of this section (excluding infill standards). Where 50% or more of the street frontage (linear distance) within the same block face is occupied by principal structures, Infill Context requirements apply, in addition to the standards of paragraphs A through E of this section. For infill sites, the following standards take the place of applicable standards in Table 5.2.2. General infill standards apply to the following:
    1. New lots in an Infill Context shall not be less than 80% of the established lot pattern (average lot width and depth) and shall comply with the minimum lot size of the applicable zoning and form districts.
    2. Single Family Residential Tree Requirement
      1. Construction of a new single family or duplex structure on a residential lot shall provide at least one Type ‘A’ or two Type ‘B” trees on the lot. Preservation of existing trees that meet the required tree type shall fulfill this requirement. Street trees do not fulfill this requirement.
  2. Public Realm Area (see figure 5.4.1)
    1. Encroachments/accessory structures. Encroachments and accessory structures are not permitted in the Public Realm except:
      1. Fences and walls that are no more than 42 inches in height may be located within the required front and street side yards and fences must be either painted or stained. Pickets must be vertical and spaced no less than 4 inches apart.
      2. Steps, stoops and open, unenclosed porches may encroach up to 100% of the distance of the principal structure setback from the right-of-way, provided that the encroachment occupies no more than 33% of the public realm and does not conflict with utility easements.
      3. Awnings may extend 48 inches into the public realm.
      4. Porches and awnings must be constructed as extensions of the principal structure and shall not be freestanding.
      5. Parking is permitted only in driveways that lead to a garage or rear yard parking area.
      6. Public utility easements.
    2. Access. An improved means of pedestrian access to the principal structure shall be provided between the right-of-way/sidewalk and the principal structure entrance that is facing the street.
    3. INFILL CONTEXT
      1. Front Setbacks. New structures shall be built within the setback lines of the two nearest existing residential structures.

        Exception: Corner structures shall not be used in the setback/build-to analysis unless they continue the residential street wall. In cases where the above conditions do not apply, the setback/build-to line will be that specified in Table 5.2.2.

      2. Encroachments - Infill context. Open, unenclosed porches may encroach into the Public Realm by the average amount of encroachment of the two closest properties with open, unenclosed porches.
  3. Principal Structure Area

    NOTE: principal Structure Area is defined as the area of the lot located between the Public Realm Area and teh Private Yard Area and is occupied by one or more principal structures.
    1. Orientation. The entrance of the principal structure(s) shall be oriented to the primary street.
    2. Parking. Off-street parking is prohibited in the principal structure area unless there is no alley access and the primary ingress and egress to the parking is from the public realm area. In this case, parking is allowed in a driveway, garage or in a driveway leading to a garage or rear yard only. Detached garages may be allowed in the Principal Structure Area where there is no alley access (lots not adjacent to an alley or where access to an alley is infeasible based on a determination by the Public Works Director) as long as the required side yards as specified in Table 5.2.2 are maintained. See paragraphs C3, C4 and C5 below for specific design standards.
    3. An attached front loaded garage may be located in the Principal Structure Area with access from the primary street when there is no alley or where access to an alley is infeasible based on a determination from Public Works. The front façade of the garage shall be set back at least four feet from the front façade of the house. Garages shall comprise no more than 50% of the total linear feet of the front façade of a dwelling unit.

    4. Detached Garage. On lots without alley access as defined in paragraph B.2, a detached garage may be located within the Principal Structure Area if it is setback at least 20 feet from the front façade. Detached garages shall be at least six feet from the principal structure.
    5. Garages for Single Family Attached units shall meet one of the following options:
      1. Front Facing. A garage door facing a street shall not exceed a width of ten feet. No more than two garage doors facing a street may be located in a row, and such rows of garage doors must be separated from any other garage door facing a street by at least ten feet.
      2. Side Entry. Garage doors are perpendicular to the street which the front façade faces.