Dimensional standards
Height & bulk
- Minimum landscaping
- 50%
Servicing
- Geographic extent
- Applies to all residential and mixed-use projects in all zones.
Extracted standards
31 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.
Lighting
- Building entry lighting level3 foot-candles
The minimum lighting level for building entries of new multi-unit, retail, commercial, office, and institutional buildings shall be 3 foot-candles.
- Shielding for high-lumen fixtures900 lumens
Permanent exterior light fixtures that emit more than 900 lumens shall be concealed or shielded with an IESNA full cut-off style fixture.
- Pedestrian circulation lighting level2 foot-candles
The on-site pedestrian circulation system shall be lighted to a minimum level of 2 foot-candles and a maximum of 3 foot-candles.
- Maximum lighting at property lines1.1 lumens/sq m
Maximum lighting levels at property lines shall not increase lighting level more than 1.1 lumens/square meter 10 feet beyond the property line or 5.4 lumens/square meter adjacent to non-residentially zoned property.
Other
- Minimum dimension of common open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.40 ft
Common open spaces, such as forecourts and gardens, shall have a minimum dimension of 40 feet in any direction.
- Landscaping in common open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.50 pct
A minimum of 50% of the open space area shall be landscaped with live plant material suitable for the desert climate.
- Common open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted. for developments >20 units15 pct
For multi-family residential developments with more than 20 units, at least 15% of the total gross development area shall be common open space.
- Cul-de-sac pedestrian/bicycle through-access6 units
If a new cul-de-sac is planned that will serve more than 6 dwelling units, it shall be designed to provide pedestrian and bicycle through-access via a paseo or similar feature.
- Entryway feature for large developments32 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Subdivisions of more than 40 lots and multi-dwelling development of more than 40 units shall have at least one entryway feature that includes a landscaped area of at least 32 square feet and a monument sign.
- Facade articulation for buildings 5+ units25 pct
At least 25% of the area of a street-facing facade is divided into facade planes that are off-set by at least 2 feet in depth from the rest of the facade.
- Maximum garage wall length facing street50 pct
The length of the garage wall facing the street may be up to 50% of the length of the street-facing building facade.
- Ground-floor window coverage for mixed use 5+ feet from street25 pct
Windows must cover at least 25% of the ground floor wall area of the portion of building that has a ground-floor commercial use when the ground floor wall is located 5 feet or more from a street lot line.
- Ground-floor window coverage for mixed use near street40 pct
Windows must cover at least 40% of the ground floor wall area of the portion of a building that has a ground-floor commercial use when the ground-floor wall is located closer than 5 feet from a street lot line.
- Landscape buffer between parking lots10 ft
Where a surface parking lot abuts a parking structure or is adjacent to a surface parking lot on another lot, a landscape buffer not less than 10 feet in depth shall be provided.
- Mechanical equipment screening
Mechanical equipment located on the ground must be screened from view from the street and any abutting residential zones by walls, fences, or vegetation. Roof equipment must be screened by a parapet or screen as tall as the equipment, or set back from roof edges 3 feet for each foot of height.
- Landscaping in non-visible surface parking lots5 pct
Surface parking lots that are not visible from public and private streets shall have at least 5% of the total area landscaped.
- Landscaping in visible surface parking lots10 pct
Surface parking lots that are visible from public streets shall have at least 10% of the total area landscaped.
- Perimeter fence/wall heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.6 ft
A masonry wall or fence (wrought iron and tubular steel) of not less than 5 nor greater than 6 feet in height shall be provided at the property line around the perimeter of a residential subdivision or multi-dwelling development site with more than 5 units.
- Private open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted. for ground-floor units80 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
80 square feet for ground-floor units in the form of a covered or uncovered patio.
- Private open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted. for upper-story units40 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
40 square feet for upper-story units in the form of a terrace, balcony, or rooftop patio.
- Roofing material requirement
Residential buildings shall use tile roofing (concrete, ceramic, etc.). Asphalt shingles are prohibited on lots adjoining a public street; corrugated metal, galvanized metal, and similar sheets and panels are prohibited for use in all roof structures.
- Step-down heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. adjacent to urban residential zones35 ft
On the portion of a site within 25 feet of a lot line abutting a site zoned Urban Residential, the maximum allowed step-down height shall be 35 feet.
- Traffic calming measures on streets serving 40+ units2 measures
On new local residential streets and on private roadways within developments serving at least 40 dwelling units, at least 2 of the following traffic-calming measures shall be used: corner bulb-outs, mid-block bump-outs, tree plantings, enhanced paving at crosswalks.
- Tree ratio in non-visible parking lots8 spaces per tree
One tree shall be provided for every 8 parking spaces in non-visible parking lots.
- Tree ratio in visible parking lots4 spaces per tree
One tree shall be provided for every 4 parking spaces in visible parking lots.
- Minimum pedestrian walkway width4 ft
All required pedestrian walkways shall be hard surfaced and a minimum of 4 feet wide.
- Wall plane variation for buildings up to 4 units25 ft
For any front or street side building facade longer than 25 feet in length, blank walls shall not exceed 25 feet. Wall plane variation of at least 2 feet in depth and 5 feet in length shall be provided for relief for every 25 feet of building facade.
- Minimum window/door area on street-facing facades (5+ units)20 pct
At least 20% of the area of each facade that faces a street lot line must consist of windows or main entrance doors.
- Minimum window/door area on street-facing facades (up to 4 units)15 pct
At least 15% of the area of each facade that faces a street lot line must be windows or main pedestrian entrance doors.
- Window privacy for multi-unit developments20 ft
Windows on multi-unit residential and mixed-use developments above the first story within 20 feet of existing windows shall use opaque or clerestory windows, or be located at least 5 feet above the finished floor.
Parking
- Maximum paved parking coverage in front yardYardThe open space left between a building and its lot line — the space a setback creates.50 pct
For residential single-unit or two-unit buildings, in no instance shall paved surfaces used for parking, including driveways, cover more than 50% of the front yard.
From the ordinance
This article establishes ODS for all residential projects and mixed-use developments consisting of residential and nonresidential uses with at least two-thirds of the square footage designated for residential use.