§ 27-514.06. Design Standards and Building Material Requirements.

(a)

General.

(1)

The Village Proper shall be arranged in a generally rectilinear network of interconnecting streets and blocks, and should generally be located so as not to conflict with sensitive environmental areas. The Village Fringe should be arranged in a generally irregular network of interconnecting streets, balanced with the need to leave environmentally sensitive areas undisturbed. In general, cul-de-sacs in the Village Proper should be avoided and long cul-de-sacs are strongly discouraged.

(2)

The Village Fringe and the Village Proper shall be connected through a logical extension of the street network, so as to provide clear connections between the peripheral lots and the village center and a cohesive design for the Village Zone.

(3)

The length of a block in the Village Proper shall generally range from one hundred (100) to four hundred (400) feet in length, and the length of a block in the Village Fringe shall generally range from eight hundred (800) to one thousand (1000) feet in length, as measured along the property (right-of-way) line, although block sizes may vary from this standard due to topographic, environmental, or other valid design considerations.

(4)

Each block which includes storefront or townhouse unit lots shall be designed to include a private alley.

(5)

The highest density shall be located in the center of the community, or around the Village Commons, with lower density on the periphery of the Village Proper, and the lowest density in the Village Fringe.

(6)

At the option of the applicant, the Village Zone may include an unplatted village expansion area at its periphery, which area is reserved for future expansion of uses. Such area shall not encroach on or be counted as part of the Buffer Area or required open space. The unplatted expansion space shall not be platted or built unless it is shown in full detail as part of an approved Specific Design Plan.

(7)

Lot layout, path, and sidewalk design shall ensure pedestrian access to each lot in the Village Proper.

(8)

A consistently high quality of architecture shall be used throughout this development. The mass and spatial relationships should emulate traditional villages and regional context in style, materials, and character. It is recommended that the development in this zone conform to the scale, materials, colors, facade modulation, fences, and landscaping which emulate the historic character of the existing buildings and streetscapes in the region. The public realm is the critical visual feature of the village and consists of the spaces, streetscape, and proportions between the heights of buildings and the distance between buildings along the street fronts, the sidewalks, squares, parks and open spaces, the sense of enclosure and visual terminations. These design qualities shall be considered just as important as the buildings which define these spaces. Streetscape design, including street trees, sidewalks, street lighting fixtures, front fences and hedges, building massing, and the spaces between buildings, paving design and materials, and street furniture, shall be subject to the same standards as the architecture for high quality and historic village character.

(9)

General architectural guidelines are as follows:

(A)

Facade modulation shall reference the historic scale, facades, and details of the region. Articulation of the front facade may be handled through various creative methods with significant architectural elements, such as offsets, porches, sunrooms, bay windows, trellised gardens, privacy walls, and multiple wall planes.

(B)

Intermixing of gabled roofs, hipped roofs with articulated cornices, flat roofs, flat roofs with built up parapet walls, and roofs with different pitches is encouraged on different buildings along a street, as a way of introducing diversity into the streetscape.

(C)

In order to maintain the high standards of this residential development, the use of "natural materials" is encouraged. The term "natural materials" shall constitute the following: brick, stone, stucco, iron, steel, and wood. Vinyl and aluminum siding are discouraged. Only the highest quality of vinyl and aluminum siding shall be permitted. Roof material shall be wood, slate, cooper, standing seam metal, fiber glass, architectural grade asphalt, or shall emulate these materials.

(D)

Any side wall that parallels the street shall comply with the same architectural guidelines as required for front facades.

(E)

Multifamily buildings shall be compatible in style, scale, materials, and colors with surrounding dwellings.

(10)

The streetscape and streetscape elements shall be designed to provide a sense of visual harmony with the buildings, pedestrian and street network, and open space. These elements shall include street trees, sidewalks and plazas, street lighting fixtures, signage, and street furniture such as benches, trash receptacles, and phone kiosks. To insure consistency through the development, a conceptual streetscape plan shall be approved as part of the Comprehensive Design Plan, and shall be implemented and approved in each Specific Design Plan. Street furniture elements shall be compatible in form, material, and finish. Style shall be coordinated with that of existing or proposed site architecture and decorative street lighting. Selection of street furniture shall consider the architectural styles of the village, durability, maintenance, and aesthetic impact.

(11)

An integrated public street system with a variety of street standards shall be conceptually designed as part of the Comprehensive Design Plan. The street hierarchy shall be related to the street's function on the site, the average daily traffic (ADT) levels, lot frontage, design space, and the need for on-street parking. The design of the public street system shall include typical cross-sections showing paving widths, medians, parking, greenway and landscaping, sidewalks, and utility easements. The conceptual street system shall be approved by the Department of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement as part of the Comprehensive Design Plan, and shall be implemented through the Specific Design Plan. The public street system shall be designed to emulate the vehicular, parking, pedestrian, and landscape patterns found in typical historic village settlements.

(12)

Porches and Yards.

(A)

All Village Houses and Narrow Lot Line Houses should have a front porch. Front porches are encouraged for all residential dwellings.

(B)

All one-family dwelling units within the Village Proper shall have clearly defined front and rear yards using landscaping, walls, or fencing.

(C)

A hedge, wooden picket type fence, decorative metal fence, or wall approximately three (3) feet high is required in the front yards of fifty percent (50%) of the one-family residential dwellings.

(D)

All townhouses and duplexes should have a separate entrance articulated with a covered entranceway, porch, or canopy.

(13)

Walls and Fences.

(A)

Walls and fences shall be erected where required for privacy, screening, separation, security, to define common versus private space, or to serve other necessary functions.

(B)

Design and materials shall be functional, they shall complement the character of the buildings, and they shall be suited to the nature of the development.

(C)

Chain link fences are not permitted in any yard in the Village Proper. Chain link fences may be used to enclose side or rear yards only in the Village Fringe, but should not be visible from a public street.

(14)

Parking design standards.

(A)

No parking for townhouses shall be permitted in parking bays perpendicular to the street frontage or in front yards. Parking shall be provided in the rear yards, perpendicular to the alley, and fenced or screened from the yard, or shall be provided in a common off-street parking area. Such common parking areas or garages shall be adequately buffered from residences.

(B)

Parking for duplexes shall be provided for in garages in the rear or side yard, or in perpendicular spaces in the rear yard, accessed from an alley. Adjacent driveways shall be offset from the property line by a minimum of four (4) feet. Garages are strongly recommended as separate structures in the rear yard which can be connected to the house with a walkway. If a garage is attached, side yard entrances are recommended. If garages cannot be located in the rear yard or cannot have a side yard access, garages must be set back a minimum of ten (10) feet from the front facade.

(C)

Where otherwise not required, private alleys are encouraged for all dwelling units within the Village Proper.

(D)

Garages and carports shall comply with the general architectural criteria applicable to dwellings.

(15)

Building and Design Requirements for Civic and Storefront Buildings.

(A)

Civic.

(i)

Civic buildings shall not exceed thirty-six (36) feet in height, unless waived by the District Council.

(ii)

Civic buildings and structures should be of materials, scale, and colors compatible with each other and distinct from the character of other buildings in the Village Proper.

(B)

Storefront.

(i)

Storefront buildings fronting on the same street and located on the same block may be attached, provided a limited number of pedestrian walkways are located between storefront buildings. Storefront buildings shall have at least sixty percent (60%) of their front facade coincident with their block frontage.

(ii)

The principal entrance shall be from the sidewalk along the street.

(iii)

The construction of open colonnades over a sidewalk which adjoins storefront buildings may be permitted subject to an appropriate easement.

(16)

Different architectural styles may be used throughout the development, emulating the growth of a typical village through time. However, all buildings must be of the highest architectural quality. In order to ensure such quality, to ensure the compatibility of the architecture styles, and to ensure that each village development has a distinct, individual appearance, specific architectural design standards shall be incorporated as part of the Comprehensive Design Plan, to address such details as historic styles, variety of unit types and facades, materials, colors, windows (size, type, placement), relationship between first floor and finished grade, roof lines, roof pitches, and other facade details. These specific design standards shall be implemented by, and approved at, Specific Design Plan stage.

(17)

Lot size, yard, height and lot coverage requirements for dwelling units shall be as follows unless alternative standards that are consistent with the purposes and guidelines of the zone are approved by the District Council at the time of Comprehensive Design Plan approval. Minimum and maximum lot size requirements shall not be varied.

	TOWN HOUSE	SEMI- DETACHED	NARROW LOT LINE	VILLAGE HOUSE	LARGE LOT
Net Lot Area (minimum sq. ft.)	1,600 per unit	4,500 per unit	6,000	8,800	22,000
Net Lot Area (maximum sq. ft.)	-	-	-	13,000	-
Front yard (minimum)	12'	15'	15'	15'	25'
Front yard (maximum)	18'	25'	25'	25'	-
Lot width minimum at street line	18'	40'	50'	70'	-
Lot width minimum at building line	-	-	-	80'	120'
Lot width maximum	32'	70'	70'	100'	-
Rear yard minimum (with perpendicular parking)	55'	55'	-	-	-
Rear yard minimum (without perpendicular parking)	35'	35'	50'	50'	50'
Side yards (minimum)
One	-	-	4'	5'	17'
Both	-	-	10'	12'	35'
Minimum lot depth	100'	100'	75'	100'	150'
Minimum space between end buildings	30'	15'	-	-	-
Maximum height	36'	36'	36'	36'	36'
Coverage (maximum percentage of net lot area)	70	70	60	50	30

 

NOTE:  Front open porches projecting from the facade may lie within the front yard to within 10 feet of the property line (right-of-way line).

(18)

The lots on which Storefront buildings are located shall be subject to the following standards, unless alternative standards that are consistent with the purposes and guidelines of the zone are approved by the District Council at the time of the Comprehensive Design Plan approval. The height requirements shall not be varied.

HEIGHT	MINIMUM LOT DEPTH	MINIMUM LOT WIDTH	MAXIMUM LOT WIDTH
Minimum 2 stories, maximum 3 stories, minimum 25 feet, and maximum 40 feet	96 feet	16 feet	48 feet

 

(19)

Lot coverage, yard, and height requirements for accessory buildings shall be as follows unless alternative standards that are consistent with the purposes and guidelines of the zone are approved by the District Council at the time of Comprehensive Design Plan approval.

	DETACHED (LARGE LOT)	ALL OTHER ONE-FAMILY DWELLING UNITS
Coverage (Maximum Percentage of Yard)	25	25
Setback (Minimum in Feet):
From front street line	80	60
From side lot line	15	2
From rear lot line	10	2
From alley line	10	5
If a corner lot:
From side street line (along which an abutting lot fronts)	30	30
From side street line (along which an abutting lot does not front)	25	15
From rear lot line	12	10
Height (Maximum in Feet above the Ground)	15	15

 

1  Requirements for setback from front street line and alley line are the same as for accessory buildings in general.

(CB-53-1991; CB-10-1992; CB-49-1995; CB-29-2014)