Columbia M-DT form-based controls ordinance (§ 29-4.2)

The M-DT district is to encourage a mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented district - with a secondary focus on land uses. Property frontages and façades are part of the public realm, literally forming the walls of the street-space and are therefore subject to more regulation than the other portions of the private property. The principal regulatory sections of the M-DT district are the regulating plan, the building form standards, and the urban space standards, described below:

(a) Purpose and intent.

(1) The regulating plan. The regulating plan applies M-DT regulations to individual properties in the district. It is public space master plan with specific information on development parameters for each parcel and shows how each lot relates to the street-space and the surrounding neighborhood. The regulating plan also identifies additional regulations and/or opportunities for lots in specific locations, as well as place-specific exceptions to the building form standards.

(2) The building form standards. The building form standards (BFS) are coded street frontages. They establish basic parameters governing building form for different locations shown on the regulating plan in order to shape the street-space through the site and form controls on buildings. Their secondary intent is to ensure that the buildings are coordinated to form a

functioning, sustainable, block structure throughout the district. They describe the buildable envelope (in three dimensions) and certain permitted or required building elements that define the form and mixed-use character of the district. The building form standards establish both the boundaries within which things may be done and specific things that must be done. The street frontage designated on the regulating plan determines the applicable building form standard for a building site.

(3) The urban space standards. The urban space standards establish those rules and standards for the street-space and squares and greens within the M-DT district that are the responsibility of the developer. They establish an environment that encourages and facilitates pedestrian activity and "walkable" streets that are comfortable, efficient, safe, and interesting, and ensure the coherence of the street-space.

(b) Using the M-DT district form standards. This section describes how to apply the requirements of the M-DT district to specific properties.

(1) Look at the zoning map and determine if property in question is located within the M-DT district. If it is not, then section 29-4.2 is not applicable.

(2) Look at the regulating plan in section 29-4.2(c) and find the property in question. Note the color of the street-space fronting the lot—and then look at the "key" box to determine which building form standard frontage applies to the property. Note the required building line and the parking setback line.

(3) Find the applicable individual building form standard in section 29-4.2(e). The individual building form standard frontage will tell you the parameters for development on the lot in terms of height, siting, elements, and use.

(4) Additional regulations applicable to all properties in the M-DT district are located in sections 29- 4.2(d) (general building form standards) and (f) (urban space standards). Land uses, parking requirements, and signage standards that apply to the M-DT district are found in article 3 and in sections 29-4.3 and 29-4.8 of this chapter.

(c) The regulating plan. The regulating plan dated March 20, 2017, as amended from time to time as provided herein, is hereby adopted and approved by the council as the regulating plan for the M-DT district. The official copy of the regulating plan, as amended, shall be kept on file in the office of the director. The regulating plan makes the M-DT standards place-specific, by describing where each building form standard applies and by defining the public spaces. The regulating plan also identifies the items below, as illustrated in the plan and key that follow:

• The boundaries for the district;

• Existing and proposed streets and alleys;

• The required building lines, parking setback lines, and lot building limits.

(1)

Understanding the regulating plan. The following images of the M-DT district regulating plan and key are for illustrative purposes only. Contact the community development department for further information about the M- DT district and shall maintain a copy of the regulating plan with the official zoning map.

The regulating plan key, below, highlights the regulations conveyed on the plan.

(2) Streets, blocks and alleys on the regulating plan.

(i) Street connectivity and the pedestrian-oriented public realm are fundamental characteristics of the M-DT district. When a property is developed or redeveloped:

(A) For large-scale projects, that involve a site that is the majority of a block or more, applicants shall apply for an amendment to the regulating plan which may require the addition of new streets or alleys to create a smaller block pattern.

(B) No streets or alleys shown on the regulating plan may be removed without a replacement street being constructed in a location that maintains overall street connectivity in that area.

(C) New alleys or pedestrian pathways required by the regulating plan or a regulating plan amendment shall be public, or publicly accessible.

(D) All lots shall share a frontage line with a public street.

(ii) Block size is a key component of walkability. For existing block faces of greater than three hundred fifty (350) feet in length at the time of redevelopment:

(A) The block face must be interrupted by an alley, common drive, or pedestrian pathway providing through-access to another public street, alley, common drive or designated conservation line.

(B) Individual lots or development sites with up to one hundred fifty (150) feet of street frontage are exempt from the requirement to interrupt the block face.

(C) Individual lots or development sites with more than one hundred fifty (150) feet of street frontage shall meet the requirement within the lot or site, unless already satisfied within that block face.

(iii) Curb cuts interfere with pedestrian movement and should be limited or removed to the extent possible during redevelopment.

(A) For lots with an alley accessible to service vehicles, existing curb cuts shall be eliminated or vacated at the time of redevelopment unless the director in consultation with the department of public works determines that they are necessary to protect public safety or avoid traffic congestion, or because alley access will not serve the functional needs of the property.

(B) For lots without alley access, existing curb cuts may be maintained or relocated along the same frontage.

(C) Where a parking structure is provided with at least thirty (30) percent of its spaces publically available, existing curb cuts may be relocated or maintained to provide access to the structure, even if the parcel has alley access.

(iv) Alleys are a key component of M-DT district connectivity and service infrastructure.

(A) Alleys or common drives must provide automobile and service access to the rear of all lots, except where the city has regulated alley access, where lots abut non-developable lots, or where a lot has streets on three sides and the absence of an alley or common drive would not deprive an adjacent neighbor of rear lot access.

(B) New alleys require an amendment to the regulating plan.

(C) For new alleys or common drives, public access, public utility, and drainage shall be dedicated through an irrevocable easement.

(D) Alleys may be incorporated into (rear) parking lots as standard drive aisles if cross-access to all abutting properties is maintained.

(E) Where an alley does not exist but is identified on the regulating plan, and it is not feasible to construct the alley at the time of redevelopment, no permanent structure shall be constructed on the proposed alley right-of-way.

(3) Regulating plan amendments. Any amendment or change to the regulating plan shall require the adoption of a revised regulating plan through the same procedures used for an amendment to the zoning map as described in chapter 6 (procedures and enforcement) of this Code.

(d) General building form standards. The building forms detailed in this section establish the standards and parameters for new development and redevelopment within the M-DT district. The following standards apply to all building form standard frontages, unless expressly stated otherwise within an individual building form standard or otherwise designated on the regulating plan.

(1) Transitions. When the building form standard designation shown on the regulating plan changes along a property's required building line, that property owner has the option of applying either building form standard for a maximum additional distance of up to eighty (80) feet along that required building line, as measured from the lot corner nearest the transition.

(2) Façade composition. "Façade composition" is the arrangement and proportion of façade materials and elements (windows, doors, columns, pilasters, bays). "Complete and discrete" means one part of the façade is different from another to break down the perceived scale of large buildings and provide a better pedestrian experience.

(i) The maximum length of individual façade compositions along a required building line, generally running parallel to the fronting sidewalk, for each building form standard is specified in the elements section of the individual building form standard frontage standards.

(ii) New buildings and new building façades are required to achieve a complete and discrete vertical façade composition along a street frontage. This requires compliance with the following minimum standards:

(A) There must be a clearly different ground story façade configuration, either materials or fenestration proportions and spacing or both, from one vertical façade composition to the next; and at least two (2) of the following:

(B) Fenestration proportions differing between one vertical façade composition to the next of at least twenty (20) percent in height or width or height:width ratio (See Figure 4.2-1).

(C) At least two (2) different bay configurations (See Figure 4.2-2).

(D) Change in wall material (changes in paint color are insufficient).

(E) Change in total fenestration percentage (minimum difference ten (10) percent; ground floor façades are not included).

(iii) Each façade composition, regardless of the number of bays such composition may have, shall include a functioning street entry door.

(iv) Individual infill projects on lots with street frontage of less than one hundred (100) feet on a block face are exempted from the overall façade composition requirement for that block face, but shall still include a functioning street entry.

(v) Where glass is used to meet the fenestration requirements, it shall have a light transmission at the ground story of at least seventy (70) percent and for the upper stories at least fifty-five

(55) percent, unless otherwise required by the building or energy conservation code.

Figure 4.2-1: Fenestration Proportions: Minimum differences to achieve subsection (B)

(3) Building Size. The maximum ground floor footprint for each building, but not including parking structures that comply with this Code, is thirty-four thousand (34,000) gross square feet. The construction of larger buildings shall require an adjustment of form-based controls as described in section 29-6.4(e).

(4) Neighborhood transitions. For any urban general, urban storefront, and urban general-west frontage sites, the following rules apply.

(i) Where a site developed as other than a single-family detached residential dwelling shares a common lot line with a lot that is zoned R-1 or R-2:

(A) There shall be at least a twenty-foot setback from the common lot line. Common drives and alleys are allowed in this setback area. (See Figure 4.2-3.)

(B) Notwithstanding any minimum height requirement, within fifty (50) feet of the common lot line, and within eighty (80) feet of any required building line, the structure shall have a maximum height of thirty (30) feet. (See Figure 4.2-4.)

(C) Farther than eighty (80) feet from any required building line, there shall be an additional thirty-foot setback — for a total setback of fifty (50) feet — from the common lot line for all structures. Surface parking and common drives and alleys are allowed in this setback area. (See Figure 4.2-4.)

(ii) Where a site developed as other than a single-family detached residential dwelling shares a common lot line with (or sits across an alley from) a lot that is zoned R-1 or R-2, a garden wall, four (4) to six (6) feet in height, shall be constructed within one foot of the common lot line or alley. Trees from the street tree list shall be planted, on maximum thirty-foot centers, within ten (10) feet of this wall. Required tree planting numbers and locations may be adjusted to accommodate any required fire access.

(5) Height.

(i) The height of all buildings is measured in stories, with a building height limit in feet, measured from the average fronting sidewalk elevation to the top of the wall plate, unless otherwise designated in this section 29-4.2.

(ii) The minimum façade height that is required at the required building line is shown on the individual building form standard.

(iii) English basement units do not count against the building story height limit but do count against the building height measurement.

(iv) If a parking structure is constructed after the adoption of this section 29-4.2 and any portion of the parking structure is located within thirty (30) feet of a building constructed pursuant to this section 29-4.2, no portion of the parking structure shall exceed the building's primary roof ridge or parapet height.

(v) At least eighty (80) percent of each story must meet the minimum clear height prescribed in the individual building form standard.

(vi) The ground story finished floor elevation requirements shall be measured:

(A) From the average exterior sidewalk elevation at the required building line, and

(B) Within thirty (30) feet of any required building line.

(6) Siting.

(i) Building façades shall be built to the required building line as stated in the individual building form standard.

(ii) The building façade shall be built to the required building line within thirty (30) feet of a block corner, unless otherwise stated in the individual building form standards.

(iii) The required building line, which is shown on the regulating plan as an absolute line, allows an offset area (or depth) of twenty-four (24) inches beyond that line (into the buildable area) to allow for façade articulation, unless otherwise stated in this section 29-4.2. Portions of the façade located within that twenty-four-inch zone comply with the required building line.

(A) The required building line for property located along Providence Road, regardless of frontage type, allows an offset area (or depth) of sixty (60) inches beyond that line (into the buildable area) to allow for façade articulation. Portions of the façade located within that sixty-inch zone comply with the required building line. If no building is located within this area, it shall be improved with landscaping materials as approved by the city arborist.

(iv) Buildings may only occupy that portion of the lot specified as the buildable area—the area behind the required building line as designated by the individual building form standards.

(v) No part of any building may be located outside of the buildable area except overhanging eaves, awnings, stoops, steps, or balconies. Handicapped ramps approved by the director in order to comply with federal law may also extend beyond the buildable area. Stoops, steps, and ramps shall not be located within a required clear walkway. For appropriate commerce and retail uses, temporary displays or cafe seating may be placed in the dooryard.

(vi) No part of any building may be located outside of any designated lot building limit.

(vii) There is no required setback from alleys or common drives except as stated on the building form standards. On lots without alley access, a minimum twelve-foot setback from the rear lot line shall apply.

(viii) There are no side lot setbacks, except as specified in the neighborhood transitions (above) or in the building form standards.

(ix) The parking setback line is generally twenty-four (24) feet behind the required building line and extends as a vertical plane from the first floor level unless otherwise shown on the regulating plan or otherwise stated in this section 29-4.2. 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.

(A) Except for buildings located along Ninth Street and Broadway, the parking setback line on second floor levels and above may extend to the required building line of the frontage type as shown on the regulating plan.

(B) Parking shall not be located closer than six (6) feet to the required building line on any first floor level, with the following exceptions: a) If a public utility easement is located within the parking setback, preventing its use for building purposes, parking may be included in the easement area; b) A parking area of not greater than sixty (60) feet in width located to the side of a building may be permitted if the parking area is screened from the street by a street wall and no new curb cut is made in the public street.

(x) All lots, including corner lots and through lots, shall satisfy the build-to requirements for all of their required building line frontages, and the dooryard and/or front yard requirements for each designated building form standard, unless otherwise stated in this section 29-4.2. (xi)

Where a street wall is permitted or required in the individual building form standard, it shall be a minimum of four

(4) feet and a maximum of eight (8) feet in height. When required to screen the edge of a parking area or outdoor refuse or bulk material storage area, the street wall shall be located along any required building line frontage that is not otherwise occupied by a building.

(xii) Street walls may be constructed utilizing either masonry, ornamental materials, or a private landscape buffer in accordance with the provision of section 29-4.4(d)(i), or any combination thereof. Walls may be opaque or partially open and may include landscaping.

(7) Private or public open area. Private or public open area must comply with standards in each individual building form standard frontage (section 29-4.2(e)) and in section 29-4.4 (landscaping and screening).

(i) Non-residential open space requirements. Private or public open area shall be provide for lots greater than ten thousand (10,000) square feet in buildable area, according to the following schedule:

(A) Ten (10) percent of the total buildable area shall be allocated as open area.

(B) In addition to item (i), above, buildings that contain four (4) or more dwelling units shall provide private or public open area as prescribed Item (2), below.

(C) Thirty-three (33) percent of required public or private open area may be satisfied through the use of balconies of individual units meeting the requirement of item (v), below, or rooftops.

(D) Retail sales that have sales floors for customers and commercial services that provide customer seating or gathering areas, such as restaurants, lodging, and entertainment uses, shall not be subject to the minimum open area requirement.

(E) Private or public open area may be located on any floor or combination of floors or any location on the lot provided it is accessible to all residents or tenants of the building the open area requirement is intended to benefit.

(F) Any single private or public open area, with the exception of individual balconies, shall be a minimum of seventy (70) square feet and shall have a minimum dimension of seven (7) feet and a minimum contiguous area of seventy (70) square feet.

(G) Balconies may be counted as "private open area" when their minimum size is eight (8) feet wide and five (5) feet deep.

(ii) Residential open space requirements. Private or public open area shall be provided in any building which contains four (4) or more dwelling units, according to the following schedule:

(A) Seventy (70) square feet per dwelling unit (efficiency; one to two (2) bedrooms); one hundred (100) square feet per dwelling unit (three (3) or more bedrooms).

(B) Private or public open area may be located on any floor or combination of floors or any location on the lot provided it is accessible to all residents or tenants of the building the open area requirement is intended to benefit.

(C) Any single private or public open area, with the exception of individual balconies, shall be a minimum of seventy (70) square feet and shall have a minimum dimension of seven (7) feet and a minimum contiguous area of 70 square feet.

(D) Balconies may be counted as "private open area" when their minimum size is eight (8) feet wide and five (5) feet deep.

(8) Balconies.

(i) Balconies may not project within five (5) feet of a common lot line.

(ii) Balconies shall not project more than two (2) feet forward of the required building line (RBL).

(iii) Where an individual building form standard includes balconies as a method for achieving the required private or public open area, the balcony:

(A) Shall be enclosed by balustrades, railings, or other means;

(B) Shall not otherwise be enclosed above a height of forty-two (42) inches, except with insect screening and/or columns/posts supporting a roof or connecting with another balcony above; and

(C) Shall be covered, by roofs or by balconies above.

(iv) Balconies on new, renovated, or retrofitted construction may project into the public right-ofway only if:

(A) The improvement complies with section 24-2(c) of the City Code;

(B) The balcony projects only over a public sidewalk or an alley, provided that such projection does not cause a disruption to any city service or maintenance of the underlying public improvements. No balcony shall project over the travel lanes of any public street; and

(C) The proposed balcony meets all applicable design standards contained in this Code and other ordinances passed by the council.

(9) Other building elements.

Fenestration is regulated as a percentage of the façade between floor levels. It is measured as glass area (including mullions and similar window frame elements with a dimension less than one inch) or as open area. As illustrated in Figure 4.2-6, unless otherwise designated in the individual building form standards or in the Building Code, no window within ten (10) feet of a common lot line may be at an angle of less than ninety (90) degrees from that common lot line unless:

That view is contained within the lot (e.g. by a privacy fence/garden wall, opaque glass), or The sill (or other limit to transparency) is at least six (6) feet above its finished floor level. No part of any building may project forward of the required building line except overhanging eaves, awnings, stoops, steps, or balconies. Handicapped ramps approved by the director in order to comply with federal law may also extend beyond the buildable area.

(i) (ii) (A)

(B) (iii) (iv) Ground story awnings shall maintain a minimum horizontal clearance of one foot from any point where the tree lawn meets the clear walkway.

(v) Bay windows shall have an interior clear width of between four (4) and eight (8) feet at the façade. Bay windows shall project no more than forty-two (42) inches beyond the façade.

(vi) Attic stories are permitted within all building form standard frontages.

(A) On the required building line/façade side of the roof pitch, attic story windows may only be located in dormers and/or gable ends.

(B) Attic story dormers are permitted so long as they do not break the primary eave line, are individually less than fifteen (15) feet wide, and their collective width is not more than sixty (60) percent of the required building line façade length. Figure 4.2-6: Relationship between a window

(C) The floor area of an attic story, measured and Common Lot Line. as the floor area with a building code minimum clear height, may not occupy an area greater than seventy-five (75) percent of the floor area of the story immediately below.

(D) Attic stories meeting the above standards do not count against the maximum building height in feet or stories.

(vii) Where visible from the street-space, pitched roofs, exclusive of roofs behind parapet walls, shall be pitched between 4:12 and 12:12. Shed roofs, attached to the main structure, shall be pitched between 3:12 and 8:12.

(viii) English basement accessory dwelling units are permitted in townhouse frontages and do not count against the maximum building height in stories provided they have windows above grade and have direct street frontage access.

(ix) At least one functioning entry door shall be provided along each ground story façade. No ground story façade may include a section of greater than seventy-five (75) feet without a functioning entry door, unless otherwise stated in the building form standards.

(x) All required Front Porches shall be completely covered by a roof. Front Porches may be screened when all architectural elements (columns, railings, etc.) occur on the outside of the screen on the side facing the street-space. The front porch finished floor height shall be no more than eight (8) inches below the first interior finished floor level of the building to which it is attached. Front porches shall not extend past the dooryard into the clear walkway.

(xi) The stoop finished floor height shall be no more than eight (8) inches below the first interior finished floor level of the building to which it is attached. Stoops shall not extend past the dooryard into the clear walkway.

(xii) Privacy fences may be constructed along alleys and along common lot lines, but shall not be constructed forward of the required building line. Privacy fences shall have a maximum height of eight (8) feet.

(10) Building functions. Broad parameters for allowable uses for ground stories and upper stories are identified in each building form standard. Specific permitted use standards are provided in chapter 29-3.

(11) Civic buildings. When civic buildings are designated on the regulating plan, they are exempt from the building form standards. Additions to civic buildings shall require amendment of the regulating plan.

(12) Gas station or fueling center with a convenience store. A gas station or fueling center with a convenience store shall be a permitted use within the urban general west frontage type, as shown on the regulating plan, and shall not be subject to the required building line setback as defined for other uses within said frontage type.

(13) Solid waste management. All new buildings and/or change in use shall have a plan for the management - collection, storage, and disposal - of solid waste, including grease handling dumpster containers. The city, based on the anticipated volume of solid waste and frequency of collection, may require trash rooms or trash enclosures within buildings or lots to facilitate orderly pick-up of solid waste and avoid congestion and accumulation of waste and waste receptacles within alleys and other public ways.

(e) Individual M-DT building form standard frontages. This section describes the intent and the standards applicable to each individual building frontage type designated on the regulating plan. The three (3) individual building frontage types are:

• Urban general/urban storefront.

• Urban general - west.

• Townhouse/small apartment.

Photos are provided to illustrate each frontage type and are advisory only. Where the statements of intent or photographs are inconsistent with the standards, the standards shall apply.

(1) Urban general/urban storefront frontage.

(i) Illustrations and Intent.

Urban general is to be used for those properties fronting the orange streetspaces on the regulating plan.

Urban storefront is to be used for those properties fronting on the red colored street-spaces on the regulating plan.

Urban general is the basic urban street frontage, once common across the United States. The purpose of this Small mixed-use buildings with individual Shopfronts. frontage is to develop multi-story buildings placed directly at the sidewalk with one or more entrances and windows across the façade. The uses range from commercial to residential, municipal to retail and restaurants— and combinations of all of the above. There could be several buildings lined up shoulder to shoulder, filling out a block, or on smaller blocks, a single building might fill the block face.

Large mixed-use buildings with Shopfronts and vertical Facade composition to provide pedestrian scale

Street-oriented residential buildings with small Dooryards.

Where urban storefront is designated on the regulating plan, the urban general building form standard shall apply, and the additional specific standards for urban storefronts set forth in this subsection shall also apply. The main distinction between urban general and urban

storefront is that the urban store ground story configuration shall be that of a shopfront - with uses limited to retail, food and beverage, or personal service.

The urban storefront frontages are designated in the most intense areas of the M-DT district and it is anticipated that there will be significant pedestrian traffic along these blocks. The photos illustrate the range of buildings that could be constructed under the urban general and urban storefront frontages.

Transparent Ground Story Facades provide views between interior and exterior, enlivening the sidewalk.

Shopfronts line the Ground Story, with offices or residences above.

(ii) Height.

Figure 4.2-7: Urban General/Urban Storefront Height Standards

(A) Building height.

1) The building shall be at least two (2) stories (the second story shall be occupiable and meet the definition of a story) in height at the required building line, but no greater than six (6) or ten (10) stories, *as designated on the regulating plan, with an building height of seventy-two (72) or one hundred forty-two (142) feet respectively. For buildings on broadway that are four (4) or more stories, the first four (4) stories shall be built to the required building line.

2) Proposed buildings may be permitted to exceed the maximum height for their location as shown on the regulating plan subject to following the provisions of section 29-6.4(p) (tall structures in the M-DT district).

(B) Ground story height.

1) Non-residential uses.

(a) The ground story finished floor elevation shall be no lower than the average fronting exterior sidewalk elevation; and no higher than eighteen (18) inches above the average fronting sidewalk elevation.

(b) The ground story shall have a clear height of at least fifteen (15) feet contiguous to the required building line frontage for a minimum depth of twenty-five (25) feet. 2) Residential units at the required building line.

(a) The finished floor elevation shall be no less than three (3) feet.

(b) The ground story shall have a clear height of at least nine (9) feet. (c)

Main entrances and lobbies may be at grade, with transitions to meet the minimum finished floor elevation for the units within the building interior.

(C) Upper story height. The minimum clear height for each upper story is nine (9) feet.

(D) Street walls. A street wall not less than four (4) feet in height or greater than eight (8) feet in height shall be required along any required building line frontage when: 1) At-grade parking is located inside the parking setback line; or 2) Refuse storage areas or bulk material storage areas are present in view from the street.

(iii) Siting.

(A) Façade.

1) On each lot a minimum of seventy-five (75) percent of the building façade shall be built to the required building line.

2) A forecourt may be constructed along up to twenty-five (25) percent of the required building line for a building where:

(a) The forecourt is surrounded on three (3) sides by the building;

(b) The surrounding elevations meet all façade requirements; and

(c) The forecourt shall not provide automobile access other than for emergency services.

3) Within sixteen (16) feet of the block corner, the ground story façade may be chamfered to form a corner entry.

(B) Buildable area. The buildable and open area are shown in Figure 4.2-8. Improvement of open area shall follow the requirements of section 29-4.2(d)(7).

(C) Garage and parking. Openings in any required building line for parking garage entries shall have a maximum clear height no greater than sixteen (16) feet and a clear width no greater than twenty-two (22) feet.

Figure 4.2-8: Urban General/Urban Storefront Siting Standards

(iv) Elements.

(A) Fenestration.

1) Blank lengths of wall exceeding twenty (20) linear feet are prohibited on all required building lines.

2) For urban general frontages, ground story fenestration shall comprise between thirtythree (33) percent and eighty (80) percent of the ground story façade. 3) For urban storefront:

(a) Ground story fenestration shall comprise between fifty (50) percent and ninety

(90) percent of the ground story façade.

(b) Single panes of glass shall not be permitted larger than ten (10) feet in height by five (5) feet in width.

(c) Ground story windows may not be made opaque by window treatments (excepting operable sunscreen devices within the conditioned space). A minimum of eighty (80) percent of the window surface shall allow a view into the building interior for a depth of at least fifteen (15) feet.

4) Upper story fenestration shall comprise between twenty (20) percent and seventy (70) percent of the façade area per story.

(B) Building projections. Shopfronts may extend up to twenty-four (24) inches beyond the façade.

(C) Vertical façade composition. Vertical façade compositions shall vary within the façade of a building as required. If a building exceeds the maximum street frontage without a change in façade, an average maximum façade composition across the block face, including other buildings, shall be a permitted adjustment.

(D) Street walls. One access gate no wider than twenty-two (22) feet and one pedestrian entry gate no wider than five (5) feet shall be permitted within any required street wall.

Figure 4.2-9: Urban General/Urban Storefront Element Standards

(v) Use.

(A) Ground story. The ground story may only house commercial, industrial, residential, public or institutional uses, as prescribed in chapter 29-3. See height specifications above for specific requirements unique to each use.

(B) Upper stories.

1) The upper stories may only house residential or commercial uses. *Rooftop food and beverage services are only permitted in the locations designated for core height on the regulating plan or if the rooftop is accessory or ancillary to a ground floor food service use. In all other locations, no food and beverage services uses shall be allowed in upper stories unless they are second story extensions accessory to the ground story use.

2) No commercial use is permitted above a residential use unless there is a separate access to the commercial use.

3) Additional habitable space is permitted within the roof where the roof is configured as an attic story.

Figure 4.2-10: Urban General/Urban Storefront Use Standards

(2) Urban general - west frontage.

(i) Illustrations and intent. This frontage is to be used in those portions of the regulating plan colored gold.

The urban general-west frontage addresses the evolving area of west Downtown Columbia. Given Columbia's emphasis on sustainability and multi-modal transportation issues, more compact, urban land-use patterns are appropriate for this area.

This frontage fosters single and multistory buildings, placed to the front of their lot, with windows and one or more entrances onto the sidewalk.

The uses may range from commercial National chains can provide street-oriented buildings. to residential, municipal to retail and restaurants. Several buildings could stand shoulder to shoulder along a block face, or a single building might fill a smaller block. Less intense than downtown, this frontage anticipates a gradual increase in pedestrian traffic over time. It provides improved pedestrian connectivity and transition to the adjacent neighborhoods. The photos illustrate the range of buildings that could be constructed under this frontage.

This frontage can accommodate large format, single use buildings or compact, mixed-use ones.

Street-oriented Civic building supports walkability.

(ii) Height.

Figure 4.2-11: Urban General West Height Standards

(A) Building height. The building shall be at least one story and eighteen (18) feet in height at the required building line, but no greater than six (6) stories and seventy-eight (78) feet in height, unless otherwise designated on the regulating plan.

(B) Ground story height.

1) Non-residential uses.

(a)

The ground story finished floor elevation shall be no lower than the average fronting exterior sidewalk elevation and no higher than eighteen (18) inches above the average fronting sidewalk elevation.

(b) The ground story shall have a clear height of at least twelve (12) feet contiguous to the required building line frontage for a minimum depth of twenty-five (25) feet. 2) Residential units at the required building line.

(a) The ground story shall have a clear height of at least nine (9) feet.

(b) Main entrances and lobbies may be at grade, with transitions to meet the minimum finished floor elevation for the units within the building interior.

(C) Upper story height. The minimum clear height for each upper story is nine (9) feet.

(D) Street wall height. A street wall shall be constructed to adequately screen any refuse or outdoor storage area or surface parking lot. When required, a street wall shall not be less than four (4) feet or greater than eight (8) feet in height.

(iii) Siting.

(A) Façade.

1) On each lot a minimum of thirty-five (35) percent of the building façade shall be built to the required building line.

2) Within eight (8) feet of the block corner, the ground story façade may be chamfered to form a corner entry.

(B) Buildable area and open area. The buildable and open area are shown in Figure 4.2-12. 1) The ground story may sit anywhere within the buildable area.

2) A second story and above, shall only be within the buildable area within one hundred

(100) feet of the required building line.

3) Where private access drives are configured as recommended M-DT street types, a new required building line shall be created.

4) Private or public open area shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of section 29-4.2(d)(7).

Figure 4.2-12: Urban General West Siting Standards

(C) Garage and parking. Openings in any required building line for parking garage entries shall have a maximum clear height no greater than sixteen (16) feet and a clear width no greater than twenty-two (22) feet.

(iv) Elements.

(A) Fenestration.

1) Blank lengths of wall exceeding thirty (30) linear feet are prohibited on all required building lines.

2) Ground story fenestration shall comprise between thirty-three (33) percent and eighty

(80) percent of the ground story façade.

3) Upper story fenestration shall comprise between twenty (20) percent and seventy (70) percent of the façade area per story.

(B) Vertical façade composition. No greater than the average street frontage length of seventy-five (75) feet per block face.

(C) Street walls. One access gate no wider than twenty-two (22) feet and one pedestrian gate no wider than five (5) feet shall be permitted in any required street wall.

Figure 4.2-13: Urban General West Elements Standards

(v) Uses.

(A) Ground story. The ground story may only house commercial, residential, public or institutional uses, as prescribed in chapter 29-3. See height specifications above for specific requirements unique to each use.

(B) Upper stories.

1) The upper stories may only house residential or commercial uses. No food and beverage services uses shall be allowed in upper stories unless they are second story extensions accessory the ground story use.

2) No commercial use is permitted above a residential use.

3) Additional habitable space is permitted within the roof where the roof is configured as an attic story.

Figure 4.2-14: Urban General West Use Standards

(3) Townhouse/Small apartment frontage.

(i) Illustrations and intent. This frontage is to be used for those properties fronting a blue colored street-space on the regulating plan.

The townhouse/small apartment frontage is of moderate intensity, often created by a series of smaller attached structures configured as single-family residential or stacked flats. This building form standard has regular street-space entrances as frequently as eighteen (18) feet. The character and intensity of this frontage varies depending on the street-space and the location of the required building line—the buildings may be placed up to the sidewalk with stoops, or further back with small dooryard gardens and/or front porches. Similar in scale to the townhouse and row house, a small apartment is of limited size and can also be used to transition from the more intense areas of the M-DT district to adjacent single-family neighborhoods. It is anticipated that the pedestrian activity along these frontages will vary considerably based on the time of day and week. This frontage accommodates office uses. The photos illustrate the range of buildings that could be constructed under the townhouse/small apartment frontage.

This frontage accommodates a range of Townhouses and Small Apartments in a range of building scales and configurations—but all are street oriented.

(ii) Height.

Figure 4.2-15: Townhouse/Small Apartment Height Standards

(A) Building height.

1) Each building shall be at least two (2) stories high at the required building line, but no more than four (4) stories with a building height of fifty-eight (58) feet, unless otherwise designated on the regulating plan.

2) A sidewing or ancillary structure shall be no higher than eighteen (18) feet in height.

(B) Ground story height.

1) When english basement accessory units are proposed within a building, the finished floor elevation of the first floor shall be no more than eight (8) feet above the average exterior sidewalk elevation at the required building line. Ground story residential units, when no english basement accessory unit is to be proposed, may be located at grade and are not required to be elevated above the exterior sidewalk. 2) At least eighty (80) percent of the ground story shall have an interior clear height of at least nine (9) feet.

3) Main entrances may be at grade, with transitions to meet the minimum finished floor elevation within the building interior.

(C) Upper story height. At least eighty (80) percent of each upper story shall have an interior clear height of at least nine (9) feet.

(D) English basements. The finished floor level of an english basement shall be no greater than five (5) feet below the average elevation of the fronting sidewalk.

(iii) Siting.

(A) Façade. On each site, the building façade shall be built to:

1) A minimum of sixty-five (65) percent of the required building line, or 2)

A line an additional eight (8) feet behind the required building line (only permitted to accommodate front porch depth—see elements subsection for front porch requirements) with a width not less than sixty-five (65) percent of the building façade.

(B) Buildable and open area. The buildable and open area are shown in Figure 4.2-16. 1) A private or public open area equal to at least fifteen (15) percent of the total buildable area shall be preserved on every lot which may be satisfied through the balconies of individual units, or rooftops, regulated in section 29-4.2(e)(9))(7).

Figure 4.2-16: Townhouse/Small Apartment Siting Standards

(C) Garage and parking.

1) Garage doors/entries are not permitted on any required building line/façade. 2) At-grade parking may be forward of the parking setback line only when it is within a garage on a corner lot and the parking area's required building line frontage is less than twenty-five (25) feet.

(D) Frontage widths.

1) The minimum width for new townhouses is eighteen (18) feet.

2) Although there are no individual lot side setbacks, no individual small apartment building or set of townhouses may exceed one hundred (100) feet of street-space frontage. A gap of ten (10) to twenty (20) feet is required between each building or set of townhouse buildings.

(iv) Elements.

(A) Fenestration.

1) Blank lengths of wall exceeding fifteen (15) linear feet are prohibited on all façades. 2) Fenestration shall comprise between twenty-five (25) percent and seventy (70) percent of the façade.

3)

Each townhouse and/or small apartment building shall include a functioning street-space entry.

(B) Vertical façade composition. No greater than the average street frontage length of seventy-five (75) feet per block face.

(C) Building projections.

1) Each townhouse shall include either:

(a) A stoop of not more than four (4) feet deep and six (6) feet wide (not including steps); or

(b) A front porch, between eight (8) and ten (10) feet deep that projects no more than two (2) feet forward of the required building line, and has a width not less than sixty-five (65) percent of the required building line.

2) A small apartment may be configured with a stoop or front porch or with a main entrance at grade.

Figure 4.2-17: Townhouse/Small Apartment Elements Standards

(v) Use.

(A) All stories.

1) Only residential, guest accommodation, and office uses are permitted. 2) Individual townhouses shall have no more than two (2) residential units, including an accessory unit.

3) Additional habitable space is permitted within the roof where the roof is configured as an attic story.

(B) Ground story exceptions. Neighborhood serving retail is permitted on the ground story of buildings located at a block corner and in buildings sharing a lot line with an established block corner commercial space.

(C) Accessory dwelling units in M-DT.

1) English basement accessory dwelling units are only permitted in townhouses. 2) Only one accessory dwelling unit is permitted per townhouse. 3) On townhouse sites, a detached dwelling unit is permitted in the buildable area at the rear of the site or lot line subject to the provisions of section 29-3.3(gg)(4).

Figure 4.2-18: Townhouse/Small Apartment Use Standards

(f) M-DT urban space standards. The urban space standards show the relationship between new development or redevelopment and the streets and other public (and publicly accessible) spaces in the M-DT district.

(1) Applicability. The urban space standards apply to the area between building frontages and the curb line of existing or proposed streets in the M-DT district, and are intended to ensure the coherence and pedestrian-friendliness of the street-space. These standards are intended to supplement the city's existing street and sidewalk standards promulgated by the department of public works. In case of a direct conflict between these standards and the city's street and sidewalk standards, the existing street and sidewalk standards shall apply.

(2) Street-Space standards.

(i) General provisions.

(A) All plant material shall comply with section 29-4.4 landscaping and screening.

(B) Mechanical and electrical equipment including, but not limited to the following, may not be stored or located within any street-space:

1) Air compressors, 2) Pumps, 3) Exterior water heaters, 4) Water softeners,

5) Private garbage cans (not including public sidewalk waste bins), and 6) Storage tanks.

(C) Water pumps for public fountains or irrigation not visible are not included in this prohibition and temporary placement of private garbage cans within the street-space may be allowed to accommodate scheduled refuse pick-up.

(ii) Street-space plantings. Invasive species, as identified by the Missouri Department of Conservation's invasive species list, are prohibited within dooryards and on all parcels in the M-DT district.

(iii) Street-space elements.

(A) At the time of development, the developer is required to install streetlights and sidewalks, as illustrated in the street type specifications, on the street-space frontage being developed.

(B) Sidewalks not otherwise designated in the regulating plan or street type specifications shall provide a minimum six-foot clear walkway and be constructed to meet all existing standards and specifications.

(C) Street furniture is an element of the overall street-space design. Street furnishings should be simple, functional, and durable.

(iv) On-street parking.

(A) On-street parking spaces fronting a development project may count towards any parking requirements required under section 29-4.3 (parking and loading).

(B) The parking space/tree planting pattern may be interrupted by existing or new driveways designated in the regulating plan, streets, and alleys, but spacing shall not exceed fortyfive (45) feet on center except where necessary for transit stops and stations.

(v) Pedestrian pathways. The area within a pedestrian pathway shall be a public access easement or public right-of-way. The easement width for these pathways must not be less than twenty

(20) feet with a paved walkway not less than ten (10) feet wide providing an unobstructed view straight through its entire length, except where otherwise specified on the regulating plan.

(3) Street-type recommendations. The street type recommendations located in Appendix A illustrate model configurations for the street-spaces within the M-DT. The plans and sections specify vehicular travel lane widths, curb radii, sidewalks, dooryards, tree planting areas, and on-street parking configurations. Dooryards and alleys are generally reserved for utility easements.