Downtown Form-Based Code

September 19, 2016

 

Part 4. Building Envelope Standards

DFD 404. Townhouse/Small Apartment Frontage

The townhouse/small apartment building envelope standards is of moderate intensity, often created by a series of smaller attached structures, single-family residential, stacked flats, service commercial, or live-work arrangements.  This standard has regular street-space entrances, as frequently as 18 feet.  The character and intensity of this frontage varies with the siting/location of the required building line-the buildings may be placed up to the sidewalk with stoops (at the RBL), or further back with front porches and/or small dooryard gardens (at the RBL2). Similarly, the tree lawns may be found uncovered and continuous or partially covered in the street-space, depending on the street intensity.

 

Similar to the scale of the townhouse and row house, a small apartment can also be used to transition the urban form and intensity to abutting single-family neighborhoods.

 

ILLUSTRATIONS AND INTENT

Note: These are provided as illustrations of intent. The depictions under Illustrations and Intent are advisory only and do not have the power of law. Refer to the following standards for the specific prescriptions and restrictions of the Building Envelope Standard.

 

DFD 404

Illustrations and Intent

 

photo of Apartment frontage

 

 photo of Apartment frontage

 

photo of Apartment building frontage

 

photo of Apartment frontage

DFD 404

Standards

 

diagram drawing of Townhouse/Small Apartment Frontage standards

HEIGHT

 

Building Height

  1. 1.
    Each building shall be at least 2 Stories in height, but no greater than 4 Stories and 58 feet in height.
  2. 2.
    A SIDE WING or ancillary structure shall be no higher than 18 feet in height.

Ground Story Height

  1. 1.
    The average finished floor elevation shall be no less than 18 inches and no more than 8 feet above the exterior sidewalk elevation at the Required Building Line (RBL).
  2. 2.
    At least 80% of the Ground Story shall have an interior clear height (floor to ceiling) of at least 9 feet.
  3. 3.
    The maximum Ground Story floor to ceiling height is 12 feet.

Upper Story Height

  1. 1.
    The maximum clear height (floor to ceiling) for Stories other than the Ground Story is 12 feet.
  2. 2.
    At least 80% of each upper story shall have an interior clear height (floor to ceiling) of at least 9 feet.

Street Wall Height

A Street Wall not less than 3 feet in height or greater than 8 feet in height shall be required along any RBL frontage that is not otherwise occupied by a building on the lot.

SITING

 

Façade

  1. 1.
    Townhouse/Small Apartment frontages have both the given RBL and a second “RBL2”. This is offset ten (10) feet from the given RBL into the lot.
  2. 2.
    On each lot the building Facade shall be built-to either the:
    1. a.
      RBL for at least 65% of its length.
    2. b.
      RBL2 for at least 65% of its length with a Front Porch of at least that same width (65% of the RBL2).
    3. c.
      the RBL2 for at least 65% of its length.
  3. 3.
    Option 2.c is not available within 20 feet of a Block Corner.
  4. 4.
    Shifts between RBL and RBL2 alignments shall be limited to 1 change per 75 feet of Block Face.

Buildable Area

The Buildable Area is as defined in the diagram above. A contiguous Private Open Area equal to at least 15% of the total Buildable Area shall be preserved on every lot. Up to 33% of the required open area may be satisfied through the balconies of individual units. This area may be located anywhere behind the Parking Setback line and not including any side or rear setback areas, at grade.

 

Garage and Parking

  1. 1.
    Garage doors/entries are not permitted on any front-facing RBL/ Facade but may be allowed on RBL/Facade along the side yard of a corner lot.
  2. 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 areas frontage width is less than 25 feet.

Frontage Widths

  1. 1.
    The minimum lot width is 18 feet.
  2. 2.
    Although there are no individual side lot setbacks, no building/ set of townhouses may exceed 120 feet of continuous attached Street Frontage. A gap of 10 feet to 20 feet is required between each such attached structure.

DFD 404

Standards
diagram drawing of Townhouse/Small Apartment Frontage standards

ELEMENTS

 

Fenestration

  1. 1.
    Blank lengths of wall exceeding 15 linear feet are prohibited on all Required Building Lines (RBL).
  2. 2.
    Fenestration shall comprise between 20% and 70% of the

    Facade.

  3. 3.
    No window may face or direct views toward a Common Lot Line within 20 feet unless:
    1. a.
      that view is contained within the lot (e.g. by a Privacy Fence/Garden wall) or,
    2. b.
      the sill is at least 6 feet above the finished floor level.

Building Projections

  1. 1.
    Each lot/Ground Story unit shall include:
    1. a.
      a Stoop of not more than 5 feet deep and 6 feet wide (not including steps) may be roofed but not enclosed, or
    2. b.
      a Front Porch, between 8 feet and 10 feet deep with a width not less than 1/3rd of the Facade, or as specified in Siting, Facade, 2.
  2. 2.
    No Front Porch may sit forward of the RBL.
  3. 3.
    See Front Porch for additional dimensional requirements.

Doors/Entries

Each RBL/ Facade Ground Story unit shall provide a functioning entry door with direct Street-Space access.

 

Street Walls

One access gate no wider than 18 feet and one pedestrian entry gate no wider than 5 feet shall be permitted within any required Street wall.

USE

 

Ground Story

The Ground Story may only house Residential uses.

 

Upper Stories

  1. 1.
    The upper Stories may only house Residential uses.
  2. 2.
    Additional habitable space is permitted within the roof where the roof is configured as an Attic Story.

Accessory Unit

  1. 1.
    One English Basement Unit or one accessory unit is permitted per lot.
  2. 2.
    Parking and Accessory Unit (maximum 650 square foot footprint) uses are permitted in the Buildable Area at the rear of the lot.

Live-Work Frontage Special Conditions

Where designated on the regulating plan as live-work, or on a corner lot where at least one other corner is designated for Commerce Use, lots designated as Townhome/Small Apartment shall use this BES standard, excepting that they have the option of using the ground story configuration for Commerce - that of a Shop Front. (See DFD 606.D.3. Shop Front Windows for specific requirements.)

 

 

Effective on: 1/1/1901