Design Standards for Multifamily Projects and for the Residential Component of Mixed-Use Projects.
Applicability
The following objective design standards are required for all multifamily projects.
To increase design flexibility and creativity, project applicants are permitted to choose up to five of the numbered objective standards listed below for which their project will not comply.
To achieve design review approval, projects must comply with all but five of the objective standards below.
All standards denoted with a must be followed.
Only the standards in this section shall be used for design review of multifamily projects.
Applicants are invited to exceed the minimum standards.
Building Orientation & Structure
If south facing solar access is available, design shall include passive solar design strategies for space heating through the placement of windows on the south elevation, and the total window square footage should be equal to 7% -15% of the building’s floor area.
Buildings adjacent to and fronting streets shall have at least one residential entrance and at least four windows that face each street. Seventy-five percent of street-facing floor space must be occupied.
Structures longer than forty feet shall include at least two of the following on all facades visible from public right of way: building projections, projecting ribs, reveals, change of roof plane, cornices, and/or change of wall planes.
Sites with multiple buildings should configure the buildings around at least one central courtyard, gathering area, and/or open space.
Architectural Details, Elevation, Windows and Doors
Front entry design shall incorporate two or more of the following: front porch or stoop; recessed doors, archways, or cased openings, canopies, decorative detailing or art, small roof element above the entrance, architectural elements such as columns or decorative lighting fixtures, and/or changes in the roofline.
Elevations, visible from the public right of way, shall include at least three of the following architectural details throughout the first floor: door bays, window bays, awnings, arcades, trellises, building base articulation, water-table, a change in materials or a change in colors.
Windows shall be detailed with at least one of the following: accent trim, sills, shutters, window boxes, divided lights and/or mullions.
Roof Form
Buildings shall include south-facing roof planes that are large enough to accommodate photovoltaic (PV) panels to meet 50% of the building’s energy needs.
Roofs shall be gable, hip, Dutch, gambrel, butterfly, sawtooth, stepped gables, parapet and/or shed roofs individually or in combination. Flat roofs are permissible for 50% or less of the entire roof area. Parapet roofs shall include a cornice with one or more of the following: brackets, molding, dentils, frieze, medallions.
Horizontal eaves longer than thirty feet (30') shall be broken up by gables, building projections, cupolas, dormers or other break in the roof plane.
Roof eaves shall extend at least 12” from primary wall surface, or roof eaves shall extend a minimum of 6 inches from the primary wall surface and the project shall utilize rain screens or similar technology.
The project shall use one or more of the following roofing materials: non-reflective standing seam metal roofs, cool foam roofs (EPDM), clay tile, and/or architectural composition shingles.
Roof-mounted equipment shall be screened from the viewshed of project tenants and from the public right of way.
Materials
Buildings of more than 10,000 SF shall use at least three different materials/finishes to enhance the lower facade, upper facade, and entryways.
The following materials may be used together or alone on a building's façades: horizontal, vertical, shingle, board and batten in solid wood and/or fiber cement siding; stone veneer; natural stone and brick; and/or smooth or hand troweled stucco.
The following materials may be used as accents on a building's façades but shall comprise less than 30% of the facade frontage: formed concrete, steel, glass block, tile, vinyl siding, unfinished metal and/or architectural metal siding.
The following materials are not permissible on street facing facades: textured/rough stucco, concrete block, slump rock, and/or highly tinted, reflective, or opaque glass.
Natural materials (brick, stone, copper, etc.) shall be left in their natural colors. These materials should have a profile of at least two inches.
Colors
Proposed colors shall be approved ministerially by the Community Development Director.
No fewer than two and no more than four colors may be used on any given façade. This includes any “natural” colors such as unpainted brick or stone. Buildings of more than 15,000 SF shall have at least three colors on all facades visible from a public street. The three colors shall include a primary base color on the first floor, secondary color on upper stories and a trim color. Darker colors should be used on the lower facade.
Colors proposed for projects located in the coastal zone shall use only natural earth tones of beige, tan, brown or green for building exteriors visible from the public right of way.
Lighting
Exterior lighting shall illuminate unit entries, driveways, walkways, and parking areas.
All external lighting shall be partial or full cutoff and dark sky compliant. Exterior lighting shall be located and specified so that it shall not shine directly onto nearby properties.
Landscaping
50% of all proposed trees, shrubs and plants shall be native to the Northern California coast. The project shall not include any plants listed as non-native invasives by the California Invasive Plant Council.
Site Amenities
Children’s play areas. Play areas should be visible from at least 20% of units. All play areas shall be fenced when adjacent to a street or parking lot. Each play area shall include play equipment with at least two activities (such as a slide and a swing) and a bench or picnic table.
Fences. Fences or fence-walls of more than 50 ft in length provide a change in height, materials, embellishments, step backs or gates, every 30 feet in fencing length.
Open Space. Projects of more than 11 units shall include open space per Section 18.42.120E. Open space areas shall be internal to the project site or protected from the noise and traffic of adjacent streets or other incompatible uses with a fence and landscaping. Fifty percent of the open space area should have access to direct sunlight for at least four hours a day.
Pass Through & Plazas. For projects located on a parcel of 2 acres or more, the project shall include at least one pedestrian pass-through or plaza.
Screening. All screening of ground-mounted, wall-mounted, and roof-mounted equipment shall be painted in accordance with the approved color palette for the project. Visual screening is required where ground-mounted or wall-mounted equipment faces the street.
Addressing & Orientation. Building numbers and individual unit numbers shall be readily visible, in a consistent location, and well-lit at night. Projects of more than ten units shall include internal pedestrian circulation signs and a directory that shows the location of buildings and individual dwelling units within the development.
Mailboxes. Mailboxes shall be located in or adjacent to the apartment's main entrance. If a stand-alone structure is provided for common mailboxes, the structure shall be painted using the same color palette as the overall development.
Additional Design Standards for Mixed Use Projects
Separate pedestrian entrances shall be provided for the residential uses of a mixed-use building.
Residential entrance(s) shall be oriented toward the street, a shared internal walkway, and/or a shared courtyard, playground, open space or park. 2 | City of Fort Bragg Design Guidelines