General

Near and parallel to the street – New buildings must be placed close to the street to help create a sense of enclosure and belonging for pedestrians. The facade must be parallel to the street to create a more consistent and pedestrian-oriented frontage across properties. When lots have irregular property lines, the building facade must be parallel to the street. Maximum front yard setbacks for all business districts, and all districts along Key Streets ensure that entire blocks are pedestrian oriented. Buildings on corner lots along Key Streets, where pedestrians often congregate at crosswalks, must be within 30 feet of the corner to further promote the pedestrian experience across the TOD corridor.

Mixed-Use – Mixing commercial, office, and residential uses is highly encouraged both vertically and horizontally to create a vibrant community with easy access to housing, jobs, stores, and services. Lower floors of multi-level projects must be reserved for active uses, while the upper floors must be used for offices or dwellings to ensure 24/7 living, convenient access to a variety of uses, eyes on the street, and vibrant communities.

Active and inviting facades – Ground floor uses must be active, inviting pedestrians to glance inside and enter. Each establishment must have at least one street-facing entrance, and an entrance must be placed at least every 50 feet of the building facade along a street. Sixty percent of the building facade along a street must be windows, doors, or openings between 2.5 and 7 feet above the level of the sidewalk. Blank walls are discouraged, and must not extend for more than 25 feet horizontally. (See Figure 21-9.13 below).

Transparency – Transparent windows along active frontages create interesting facades, and improve the pedestrian experience. At least 60 percent of the building facade between 2.5 and 7 feet above grade on certain lots must be openings, such as doors or windows, to invite those passing by to glance into the building. Furthermore, blank walls without openings cannot extend more than 25 feet. See the examples on this page.

Signs and window displays may be placed within the building frontage. Flashing signs, such as video monitors, holographic displays, and electronic programmable message signs are not permitted.

Ground Floor Uses – Active ground floor uses help create an interesting and inviting streetscape for pedestrians and transit riders. Active ground floor uses are defined as uses that encourage pedestrian movements and provide a stimulating ground floor for the building. Examples include retail, restaurants, personal services, lobbies, art galleries, and similar uses. See examples on the left.

Entrances

Doors and windows clearly demarcate the public and private realm. Access to entrances must not be a barrier for pedestrians. Building designs must prioritize pedestrians by providing convenient access to commercial spaces and residential lobbies along pedestrian routes. Primary building entrances must face the street or a public place, and in buildings with multiple establishments, there must be at least one entrance per 50 feet of facade.

Buildings that prioritize automobiles often have no presence on the street. They literally turn away from the public realm to provide access to automobile passengers parked in their lot. Nothing disincentivizes pedestrians like the visual reminder that cars are more important than people. Vehicular drop-off areas are discouraged from being placed along the front of a building by the primary entrance.

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Primary and secondary building entrances:

Building facades must be predominantly oriented to and parallel with the street, property line, or adjacent public spaces. A primary building entrance must be placed on that street frontage. See Figures 21-9.10 and 21-9.11.

For lots with irregular property lines, building facades parallel to streets:

Building facades must be predominantly oriented to and parallel with the street, property line, or adjacent public spaces. A primary building entrance must be placed on that street frontage. (If key street, a special district permit may be required if structure does not meet yard and street facade standards.) See Figures 21-9.10 and 21-9.11.

Figure 21-9.10

Figure 21-9.11