§ 27A-402. General Provisions.

The following apply to all BES, unless expressly stated otherwise within an individual BES or otherwise designated on the Regulating Plan.

(a)

Transitions.

When the BES designation shown on the Regulating Plan changes along a property's Build-to Line (BTL), that property owner has the option, for his property's Street Frontage only, of applying either BES for a maximum additional distance of fifty (50) feet in either direction along the Build-to Line (BTL).

(b)

Façade Composition.

Façade composition is the arrangement and proportion of Façade materials and elements (windows, doors, columns, pilasters, bays). The Urban Centers and Corridor Nodes Development and Zoning Code focuses on Façade design that incorporates architectural articulation and expression through design and materials to maintain and protect a human-scale for the Street-Space.

(1)

Façades along the Build-to Line (BTL) shall present a complete and discrete vertical Façade composition (see Section 27A-402(b)(3) for additional clarification) at an average Street Frontage length of no greater than sixty (60) feet for Storefront frontage sites; seventy-five (75) feet for General and Small Apartment/Townhouse frontage sites; and one hundred (100) feet for Workshop and Detached frontage. This standard shall be measured for each Block face.

(2)

Each Façade composition shall include a functioning Street entry door. This requirement may be satisfied through the use of liner shops for large floor-plate buildings. Individual infill projects on lots with frontage of less than one hundred (100) feet are exempted from the overall Façade composition requirement, but shall still include a functioning Street entry.

(3)

"A complete and discrete" composition is like a new Façade, much as for a new building. To achieve this within a single building frontage requires, at a minimum, item (A). below and two additional items:

(A)

Clearly different Ground Story Façade composition (both materials and Fenestration proportions) from that of the upper stories.

(B)

Clearly different window proportions (minimum difference twenty percent (20%)).

(C)

Clearly different Façade composition (clearly different 'bay' rhythm, e.g. 'ABA' - 'ABBA' - 'BAAB' - 'ABCBA').

(D)

Clearly different wall material (color changes shall not be considered as different wall materials).

(E)

Clearly different Fenestration percentage, with a minimum difference of twelve percent (12%). Ground floor Façades are exempt from this provision.

(c)

Building Size.

The maximum floor-plate (footprint) for a building shall not exceed twenty-five thousand (25,000) square feet; beyond that limit a variance is required in accordance with Section 27A-214. Grocery use sites designated on the Regulating Plan are exempt from this standard. Parking structures built according to this Subtitle are also exempt from this standard.

(d)

Neighborhood Manners.

For any BES frontage except Detached and Small Apartment/Townhouse, the following rules apply:

(1)

Where a site has a Common Lot Line with a single-family residential property, there shall be a forty (40) foot setback for any structures.

(2)

Where a site abuts or is adjacent to (having only an Alley on between) a single-family residential property, a Garden Wall four (4) to six (6) feet in height shall be constructed on that site within one (1) foot of the Common Lot Line or Alley.

(3)

Where a site is located within fifty (50) feet of an existing single-family residential zoning district, the maximum eave or parapet height for that portion of the site shall be thirty-two (32) feet. This requirement supersedes the minimum Story Height requirement.

(e)

Height.

(1)

The height of all buildings is measured in stories, with an ultimate limit in feet, measured relative to the fronting sidewalk elevation, unless otherwise designated in this Subtitle.

(2)

Attic stories are permitted for all sites and do not count against the maximum Story limit. Attic stories may have only Dormer windows on the Build-to Line (BTL) Façade.

(3)

Top-floor mezzanines, penthouses, and lofts count against the maximum Story limit. For the purposes of this Subtitle, two-Story penthouses or lofts are considered to be two separate stories that both count against the maximum Story limit.

(4)

If an individual Story exceeds the maximum floor-to-floor height, it shall be counted against another Story, and no individual building height may exceed the BES prescribed ultimate height.

(5)

Where a parking structure is within forty (40) feet of any building constructed after approval of the Regulating Plan, that portion of the structure shall not exceed the building's primary ridge or parapet height.

(6)

Mezzanines that have a floor area greater than one-third (1/3rd) of the floor area of the Story in which they are located shall count as an additional full Story in the Story Height measurement.

(7)

The prescribed minimum Story clear height shall be met for at least eighty percent (80%) of the area of the specified Story.

(f)

Siting.

(1)

The building Façade shall be built to the Build-to Line (BTL) within thirty (30) feet of a Block Corner.

(2)

A Street Wall shall be required along any Build-to Line (BTL) frontage that is not otherwise occupied by a building, except for Detached Frontages. The Street Wall shall be located not more than eight (8) inches behind the Build-to Line (BTL).

(3)

The Build-to Line (BTL) designated on the Regulating Plan shall be considered an area spanning an additional eighteen (18) inches into the lot, to allow for jogs, Façade articulation, and other forms of architectural expression unless otherwise designated herein.

(4)

Buildings may only occupy that portion of the lot specified as the Buildable Area the area behind the Build-to Line (BTL) as designated by the BES.

(5)

No part of any building may be located outside of the Buildable Area except overhanging eaves, awnings, shop fronts, Bay Windows, or balconies. No part of any building may contain eaves that overhang a Regulated Environmental Feature.

(6)

No part of any building may be located outside of any designated boundary line except steps, overhanging eaves, or awnings.

(7)

There is no required setback from Alleys. On lots without Alley access, there shall be a minimum twenty-five (25) foot setback from the rear lot line.

(8)

There are no side lot setbacks, except as specified in the neighborhood manners (above) or in the BES.

(9)

The Parking Setback Line is thirty (30) feet behind the Build-to Line (BTL) and extends vertically as a plane unless otherwise indicated on the Regulating Plan or BES. Vehicle parking shall be located behind the Parking Setback Line, except where parking is provided below grade, on-Street, or otherwise indicated on the Regulating Plan.

(10)

Corner Lots and through lots shall satisfy the Build-to Line and frontage requirements for all their designated frontages, unless otherwise specified in this Subtitle.

(g)

Elements.

(1)

Fenestration is measured as a percentage of the Façade between floor levels.

(2)

Balconies and stoops shall not project within five (5) feet of a Common Lot Line.

(3)

No part of any building except overhanging eaves, awnings, balconies, Bay Windows, stoops, and shop fronts as specified by the code may project beyond the Build-to Line (BTL).

(4)

Privacy Fences may be constructed along that portion of a Common Lot Line not otherwise occupied by a building.

(h)

Civic Use Buildings.

When designated on the Regulating Plan, Civic Use Buildings are exempt from the BES standards, excepting any provisions that concern adjacent single-family detached districts.

(CB-1-2010)