Ordinance No. 131 Consolidated Land Use Ordinance

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2. Building arrangement. When multiple buildings are proposed for a site, care should be taken to provide maximum street exposure for all buildings. 3. Service and docking facilities. Loading, delivery and service bays should be oriented away from existing residences and public streets. When this is impractical, service and docking areas shall be screened from view through the provision of walls, fencing or landscaping. 4. Drive -through facilities, where permitted, shall be designed with safe and easily understood traffic patterns and shall provide sufficient stacking space, based on requirements of Section 9.9. Drive -through windows should not face public streets; and loudspeakers should not create nuisances for adjacent properties. 5. Shadowing. Where possible, buildings shall be located so that they minimize shadowing on adjacent properties. A sun and shadow study may be required for any building that is more than 2 '/2 stories or 35 feet in height. 2. Building placement — Nonresidential and Mixed uses. At least 70 percent of the front facade of any building shall be located on the front build -to line as indicated by the Building Type Template (with the exception of a "dooryard" layout as indicated on the template's layout diagram). The placement of buildings shall reinforce the street wall, maximize natural surveillance and visibility, enhance the character of the surrounding area and facilitate pedestrian access and circulation. Parking areas shall be located to the side or rear of the principal building or use served. The City Council, with the City Architect's recommendation, may approve alternatives to this requirement, provided that any adverse effects shall be mitigated by a masonry wall, decorative fence or planted materials, between 38 and 46 inches in height, which reinforces the street wall. 3. Building placement — Residential -only uses. Buildings shall be located so that the front doors of the building or individual units face the public street rather than the interior of the site, unless a courtyard layout is authorized on the Template for the particular building. Parking areas and garages larger than 3 cars shall be located to the rear or interior of the site, or underground. The City Council, with the City Architect's recommendation, may approve alternatives to this requirement when one or more of the following occurs: 1. The proposed building has primary or corner frontage on a Type C or Type D street. 2. Commercial buildings are located across the street from the proposed building. 3. Unusual or unique site conditions make the requirement impractical. 4. Building height and scale. In addition to the height and mass instructions contained within the Building Type Templates, the height and scale of new buildings shall be related to the prevailing scale of surrounding development and shall be compatible with surrounding buildings in roof form and pitch. Larger buildings, where permitted, shall be designed to reflect the same architectural massing and style as other buildings built or proposed within a two -block area. If no other single, large buildings are present or proposed in the area, then the facade of the new building shall be designed to reflect the form, mass and shape of several contiguous smaller buildings within the two block area. The City Council, with the City Architect's recommendation, may approve alternatives to this requirement if a larger building is proposed, to reduce its apparent size by dividing the building mass into smaller sections, including: 1. Stepping back or extending a portion of the building facade; 2. Emphasizing architectural elements, including windows and entries; and 3. Emphasizing architectural elements of the roof, including dormers, chimneys and gables. 5. Building facades. Building facades shall provide architectural detail and shall contain windows at the ground level in order to create visual interest and maximize outdoor surveillance and visibility. Exterior materials and appearance shall be compatible with surrounding buildings. 1. Front Facades and Entries. 1. Primary entries to residential buildings shall be emphasized through the use of architectural features such as porches and roofs, recessions into the facade, or other details that express the importance of the entrance. At least 20 percent of the first floor facade that faces a public street or sidewalk shall consist of windows and doors. Windows shall be distributed in a more or less Updated January 2025 — Gem Lake Consolidated Land Use Ordinance No. 131 55