§ 62.307. General Standards.

In addition to the requirements of Chapter 58, Part 2, Figures 1 and 2 and any other requirements which may apply, the following standards shall apply to all new development, additions and remodeling requiring appearance review within the MXD-2 district:

Scale. The size and proportions of a new development shall be related to the scale of nearby buildings. Even if much larger than its neighbors in terms of square footage, the building shall maintain the same scale and rhythm as the existing buildings.

Massing. Uninteresting boxlike forms shall be broken into smaller, varied masses where varied masses are common to most buildings from the period of original construction. This shall be considered particularly important at the pedestrian level. Boxlike facades and forms shall be construed as intrusive when placed in a streetscape of older buildings that have varied massing and facade articulation.

Directional Expression. There shall be a relationship between the directional orientation of the building and the predominant orientation of nearby buildings. Long and low-rise buildings shall be designed to be compatible with taller nearby buildings by accentuating vertical elements such as entrances and columns, or by breaking up the facade plane into smaller and more vertical masses. Tall buildings shall be designed to be compatible with long low-rise nearby buildings by accentuating horizontal elements such as balcony lines and parapet lines. A new building shall face its front in a direction which is characteristic of nearby buildings.

Roof Shapes. Roof forms shall relate to those found in the area. For the portion of a building visible from the pedestrian level, repetition of the existing or traditional roof shapes, pitches, and materials on new construction shall be considered one way of making new structures more visually compatible.

Architectural Style. Architectural style shall not be restricted. Evaluation of the appearance of a project shall be based on the quality of design as set forth within these guidelines, and the relationship to characteristic styles of its surroundings.

Street Level Design. Building design at the street level shall relate to a pedestrian scale. The building shall emphasize street level forms, shapes, detailing and ground treatment oriented to pedestrian activity. Uninteresting box-like or mono-geometric forms shall be prohibited.

Texture. All projects are encouraged to use natural and various kinds of materials on their facades. In order to be able to blend in with the existing environment and the adjacent residential neighborhood, the building texture shall reflect the appearance of material used in residential structures.

Signs. The number of graphic elements on a sign shall be held to the minimum needed to convey the sign's major message such as the name of the building, the address, and the name or logo of the firm. Every sign shall be designed as an integral architectural element of the building and of the site to which it principally relates. Signs shall be ground-mounted within or behind the rear half of the front yard setback area, or located on the front wall of the first floor of the structure. No projecting signs, roof signs, pole signs, window signs or any other types of sign shall be allowed. All ground-mounted signs shall be kept low, close to the ground surface. A recommended maximum height of the ground-mounted sign is 5 feet. The maximum allowable copy area shall conform with the sign standards required in Chapter 64.

Driveway and Curbcut Design. Driveway approaches and curbcuts shall be designed in accordance with the multifamily residential driveway standards of Chapter 61, Part 2E.

Mixed Residential-Office Development. Residential and office uses within mixed residential-office developments may be located in the same structure or in different structures, provided that both uses shall be on the same building site bound together by a binding lot agreement.

(Ord. of 9-16-1991, Doc. #25099; Ord. of 2-22-1993, Doc. #26392)