Division IV. Design Regulations and Guidelines
Chapter 25.65
MULTIFAMILY DESIGN REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES
Sections:
25.65.020 Articulation and overall massing/bulk of buildings.
25.65.040 Entrance and front porch.
25.65.070 Building design variety.
25.65.080 Spaces between buildings and adjacent streets.
25.65.010 Administration.
(1) Design Review Required. All applications for multifamily site plan permits in the residential, commercial and mixed use land designations or districts are subject to the regulations and guidelines in this chapter.
(2) Application. An application for a design review subject to this chapter shall be submitted to the city for processing together with an application for site plan review. Design review shall be processed with a Type I procedure as set forth in DMC 25.175.010 with a filing fee per DMC 2.03.010. A complete application shall consist of:
(a) Building elevations at a minimum scale of one inch equals eight feet including exterior building materials and color;
(b) Site plan at a minimum scale of one inch equals 20 feet;
(c) Conceptual landscape plan at a minimum scale of one inch equals 20 feet;
(d) No drawing shall be larger than 24 inches by 36 inches in size;
(e) All elements of a development project permit application, DMC 25.175.020, except subsections (2)(c), legal description, (2)(e), water availability, (2)(f), sewer availability, and (2)(h), material submitted as a result of preapplication review. (Ord. 05-790 § 1; Ord. 02-707 § 1)
25.65.020 Articulation and overall massing/ bulk of buildings.
(1) Intent. To provide visual variety along the street face.
(2) Standards Required.
(a) Buildings shall include modulation along the facades facing and visible from public rights-of-way.
(b) Walls facing streets shall be modulated with bays and recesses at least six feet wide and no more than 25 feet wide and at least two feet deep. Walls up to 36 feet wide may be allowed without modulation on up to half of the building width when approved alternate means are incorporated to provide visual variety. Most modulation shall extend to the roof, except at balconies. The purpose is not to create a regular rigid solution but rather to break up the mass in creative ways.
(c) Horizontal facades longer than 25 feet shall be articulated into smaller units, reminiscent of the residential scale of the neighborhood. At least one of the following methods shall be included:
(i) Distinctive roof forms;
(ii) Changes in materials;
(iii) Window patterns; and
(iv) Color differentiation. (Ord. 02-707 § 1)
25.65.030 Pitched roof forms.
(1) Intent.
(a) To maintain and continue the historic image of the city and its residential neighborhoods.
(b) To enhance access to views of the surrounding hills and forests.
(2) Standards.
(a) Required:
(i) Structures shall incorporate pitched roof forms having slopes between 4:12 and 12:12.
(ii) Flat or lower sloped roof portions shall have parapets or edge details that provide visual interest.
(b) Encouraged:
(i) Each facade facing a street is encouraged to have a gabled form roof, or other roof forms, such as hip roofs, dormers and overhangs.
(ii) Dormers less than half the facade length may be pitched at shallower slopes or flat when appropriate. (Ord. 02-707 § 1)
25.65.040 Entrance and front porch.
(1) Intent. To provide a safe and welcoming entry and to encourage social interaction among neighbors.
(2) Standards.
(a) Required:
(i) All entries shall have a weatherproof roof covering, appropriate to the size and importance of the entry but at least four feet deep and four feet wide.
(ii) Primary entries shall provide visible access directly to dwelling units or through elevator lobbies, stairwells, and corridors.
(b) Encouraged. Front porches are encouraged and should include architectural features to enhance their appearance and functionality:
(i) Depth of at least six feet capable of accommodating seating or alcoves;
(ii) Distinctive roof forms;
(iii) Architectural details such as decorative columns, brackets, or trim;
(iv) Change in elevation – three steps up are recommended unless the unit is specifically designed as ADA accessible;
(v) Railings. (Ord. 02-707 § 1)
25.65.050 Window and door.
(1) Intent. To maintain a lively and active street face.
(a) Required:
(i) Windows facing streets shall be transparent.
(ii) Windows and doors shall be surrounded by at least four-inch stock. The trim at the top of the window is encouraged to be wider when it reflects the style of the building.
(b) Encouraged:
(i) Facades should include windows of varying size and shape.
(ii) Where there are public spaces adjacent to the street or sidewalk building facades are encouraged to have more and larger areas of transparent glass.
(iii) Cantilevered bay windows are encouraged and may be allowed to project up to 18 inches into required setbacks.
(iv) Divided windows are encouraged, appropriate to the architectural style of the building.
(v) Windows in existing buildings with historic character are encouraged to be maintained and restored. Replacement windows shall be sensitive to the original architectural style of historic structures. (Ord. 02-707 § 1)
25.65.060 Color.
(1) Intent. To create a lively, visually interesting streetscape with a range of compatible colors and to avoid dull or monotonous colors.
(2) Standards.
(a) Required: Generally, bright, intense colors shall be reserved for minor accent trim, with the body of the building a more muted color. Bright colors are not discouraged, but should be used sparingly to emphasize particular architectural features. A color palette that includes more intense color may be considered by the city upon review of a fully colored depiction of the building prepared by a licensed architect or a graphic designer.
(b) Not Allowed: Bright colors shall not be used for commercial purposes to draw attention to a building, even for a temporary use such as a sales office. (Ord. 02-707 § 1)
25.65.070 Building design variety.
(1) Intent. To avoid monotonous repetition of the same building forms, materials, and colors in larger developments.
(2) Standards.
(a) Projects submitted for review containing more than three buildings with dwelling units shall display variety in building facades, rooflines, materials, and colors. This does not mean that adjacent facades must exhibit completely different architectural styles (e.g., Colonial next to Craftsman). Nor does it mean that the development cannot be all of one architectural style.
(b) Multiple buildings within a subdivision shall be designed to employ a “family” of roof forms, facade compositions, windows and doors, trim, materials, and color schemes that convey individuality within an overall sense of visual continuity. (Ord. 02-707 § 1)
25.65.080 Spaces between buildings and adjacent streets.
(1) Intent. To ensure that spaces located between buildings and adjacent streets contribute to the overall townscape, and reinforce building style rather than merely to provide foundation planting.
(2) Standards.
(a) Buildings shall face a street or open space and avoid a twisted orientation.
(b) A variety of landscape design elements shall be used to create sense of formality, repetition and demarcation between public and private use. In order to achieve this, “suburban” landscape designs involving freeform, curvilinear planting beds, with random clusters of trees and shrubs, and patches of lawn are not desired. Rather, such spaces shall be designed to frame the streets, emphasize building entrances, and define private courtyards. At least two of the following features shall be used:
(i) Ornamental trees, at least two-inch caliper, with regular spacing, parallel to the street.
(ii) Hard-surfaced area containing seating in the form of benches and/or low ledges.
(iii) Formal beds of seasonal plantings.
(iv) Low hedges. (Ord. 02-707 § 1)