Chapter 5 Form District Regulations Part 6 Building Design Standards

5.6.1 Non-Residential and Mixed Use Building Design Standards

1. Building Façade Treatment for buildings within Traditional Form District (excludes DFD)
   1. There shall be no blank walls facing public streets, sidewalks, and adjacent front yards of residential uses. Ground floor facades at these locations shall be articulated to provide visual interest and a human scale that are representative of the form district. Such facades shall employ the use of windows, columns, pilasters, piers, variation of material, entrances, storefront windows, and other animating features along no less than 75 percent of their length.
      
      Exception: Within the TWFD, animating features of the façade shall be designed along no less than 50% of the length of the façade.
2. Building Façade Treatment for buildings within the Suburban Form Districts
   1. There shall be no blank walls facing public streets. Ground floor facades at these locations shall be articulated to provide visual interest and a human scale that are representative of the form district. Such facades shall employ the use of windows, columns, pilasters, piers, variation of material, entrances, storefront windows, and other animating features along no less than 60 percent of their length. In addition, façades greater than 100 feet in length, measured horizontally, shall incorporate any combination of the following features: wall plane projections having a depth of at least 18 inches or recesses having a depth of at least 3 feet, or building entrances/glassed in areas extending at least 20 percent of the length of the facade. No uninterrupted length of any façade shall exceed 100 horizontal feet..
      
      Exceptions:
      1. Within the RCFD, SMCFD and SWFD, Ground floor level of primary façades having the principal customer entrance shall have a combination of the following animating features along no less than 60 percent of their horizontal length:
         1. Transparent doorways and entry areas that allow a view into the building; measures to control sunlight are specifically authorized;
         2. Display windows open to the store interior with a minimum height of eight feet and having a maximum sill height of two feet (retail uses);
         3. Windows that comprise at least 50% of the area of the ground floor façade (office uses);
         4. One tree shall be planted within 15 feet of the building, for each 50 feet of façade length. Trees may be clustered but distance between trees shall not exceed 100 feet. Tree species shall be selected from the Preferred Plant List that will equal or exceed the height of the adjacent building, at maturity. This requirement shall be in addition to trees required in parking lot interior landscape areas.
      2. Within the CFD, no uninterrupted length of any primary façade shall exceed 50 horizontal feet.
3. Building Window Design
   
   Enliven facades by providing visibility into building interiors from the street or other public space
   1. Commercial, including but not limited to retail, wholesale, bank, office, and service establishment uses shall have 50% of the wall surfaces at street-level consisting of clear windows and doors. Display cases with a depth of 18 inches or less and that are attached to or recessed in the outside wall do not qualify. Entrances and windows shall be clear glass and allow a view into the building. Measures to control sunlight are specifically authorized. The tops of windows shall be at least eight feet high measured from the sidewalk. The bottom of the windows shall be no more than two feet above the sidewalk. Where entrances of buildings on corner lots are not located at the corner, display windows facing both streets are required at the corner.
      
      Exception: For restaurant uses, the tops of windows shall be at least eight feet high measured from the sidewalk and shall be at least four feet high in total vertical height.
4. Roof lines, rooftop equipment, etc.
   
   Roof lines shall be varied to reduce the massive scale of large buildings and to complement the character of roofs within the Form District. Building facades of Commercial, Retail, and Institutional uses that exceed 100 feet in length measured along the street frontage shall have variations in roofline or rooftop parapet to reduce the massive scale of large buildings and to complement the character of the form district. Rooftop equipment shall be concealed behind parapets or screened from view by pedestrians. Sloping roofs with a vertical rise that exceeds the average height of supporting walls are not allowed.

5.6.2 Downtown Form District Building Design Standards

Building design standards have been established within the Downtown Form District to allow for architectural diversity while encouraging design of buildings that relate to and reinforce the overall character of their immediate surroundings and to create a strong building-to-pedestrian relationship through the use of building details that establish a human scale. Building design standards shall be applied as follows:

1. Spacing/Rhythm
   
   The primary facade of a new building shall be designed to reflect the rhythm characterized by the surrounding buildings on the same block face.
   1. Vertical rhythm – Building facades shall use columns, piers, and window design/placement or similar architectural features spaced no less then every 20 feet and no greater than 40 feet to create vertical breaks at regular intervals.
      1. Horizontal rhythm – A clear visual division between the ground floor and upper level floors shall be established using cornice lines, windows or similar architectural elements. The horizontal line established through the use of such architectural elements shall vary in elevation by no more than 36” from one building to the next.
         

         Vertical Rhythm

         
         
         

         Horizontal Rhythm

         
2. Building Facade Treatment
   1. Lower Façade –
      1. When the ground floor use is nonresidential, at least 50% of the storefront shall consist of clear windows and doors that allow a view into the working areas, lobbies or display windows set into the wall.
      2. Principal entry doors shall be oriented toward the street and recessed, covered or otherwise clearly identifiable through the use of architectural design elements. Entry areas shall be well lighted.
   2. Upper Façade
      1. Windows shall be individually distinguished through the use of sills, lintels, trim, or other architectural elements.
      2. Window proportions shall be designed so the vertical dimension is larger than the horizontal dimension.
         
         
         
         
         
         
3. Historic Structures
   1. Development occurring within a designated Preservation District shall conform to the Louisville Landmarks Commission’s procedures and Design Guidelines.
   2. Outside designated Preservation Districts, renovation/restoration of the primary facades of Historic Structures, as identified by the Downtown Development Plan or as listed on the National Register of Historic Places, shall conform to the current edition of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Demolition of Historic Structures, as identified by the Downtown Development Plan or as listed on the National Register of Historic Places, shall not be permitted for the creation of surface parking lots or open space.
4. Awnings/Canopies
   1. Awnings, when used, shall be installed so that the valance is at least 7’-6” above the sidewalk.
   2. The width of a single awning shall extend the full width of the window and shall not exceed 40 feet
   3. Canopies shall be at least 18” from the face of curb. Awnings shall not extend into the Streetscape Zone.
5. Lighting – To help create a greater sense of activity, security and interest for the pedestrian, lighting shall be integrated into the exterior design of all structures.
   1. Lighting shall be designed in accordance with Chapter 4 Part 1, Lighting Standards.
   2. Lighting shall be directed to illuminate the building facade, entries, and storefront windows.
6. Roofs - All mechanical or utility equipment shall be screened or fully integrated into the overall design through the use of like or complementary materials, color, and scale.
   1. Parking structures shall adhere to all building location and design standards set forth in Sections 5.2.9 and 5.2.11 of these regulations.
   2. Ramped floors shall not be visible from the street.
   3. At least 50 percent of the first floor street facade must be developed for Retail or Office uses. Areas designed to accommodate these uses may be developed at the time of construction, or may be designed for later conversion to such uses.
   4. Garage entries and exits for both pedestrians and vehicles shall be clearly marked by materials, lighting, signage, etc., to ensure pedestrian safety.

Parking Garage Integrated with existing Architecture

5.6.3 Multi-Family Residential Building Design Standards

1. Plain, monolithic structures with long, unbroken wall surfaces of fifty (50’) linear feet or more are prohibited. At least every 50 linear feet, any façade facing a public street or including the principal entrance shall include animating features such as offsets or setbacks with a differential in horizontal plane of three feet, porches, bay windows, balconies, variation in building materials, or other design features approved by the Planning Director or his designee.
2. All sides of a multi-family building shall display a similar level of quality and architectural interest when abutting a public street or perimeter property line.
   1. Multi-family structures with attached front facing garages shall meet one of the following standards:
   2. The garage doors shall not comprise more than 50% of the total length of a multi-family building’s front façade; or .
   3. Every two single-bay garage door(s) or every double garage door shall either be offset by at least four feet from the plane of an adjacent garage door(s) or shall be located no closer than 15 feet to the nearest adjacent garage door.
3. Detached accessory structures shall be subject to the following standards:
   1. Shall not exceed a height of 20 feet
   2. Shall not exceed a length of 100 feet
   3. Shall have building design and materials similar to the primary structure(s)
4. Roof Requirements
   1. On buildings where sloping roofs are the predominant roof type, each building shall have either a variety of roof forms such as a gable or hip configuration or complimentary sheds, dormers, and other minor elements at least once every fifty feet of building wall length.
   2. On buildings where flat roofs are the predominant roof type, parapet walls shall vary in height and/or shape at least once every fifty feet of building wall length.
   3. Roof forms shall be designed to correspond and denote building elements and functions such as entrances and arcades.
   4. Rooftop equipment shall be screened so as not to be visible from the ground surface.