Dimensional standards
Extracted standards
36 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.
Frontage
- Minimum depth of arcade from back of column to building façade8 ft
Arcades shall be a minimum of 8 feet from back of column to building façade.
- Maximum projection of balconies from building façade4 ft
Balconies may project a maximum of 4 feet from the building façade but shall not extend beyond the sidewalk line or within 6 feet of any interior property line.
- Maximum length of blank walls20 ft
Windowless expanses of walls shall not exceed 20 feet in length.
- Minimum percentage of building frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street. with shade structures on Colorado Boulevard70 pct
For projects on the north side of Colorado Boulevard, shade structures are required and shall project a minimum of 7 feet, up to a maximum of 10 feet, into the public right-of-way for a minimum of 70 percent of the building frontage.
- Maximum shade structure projection on Colorado Boulevard10 ft
For projects on the north side of Colorado Boulevard, shade structures are required and shall project a minimum of 7 feet, up to a maximum of 10 feet, into the public right-of-way for a minimum of 70 percent of the building frontage.
- Minimum shade structure projection on Colorado Boulevard7 ft
For projects on the north side of Colorado Boulevard, shade structures are required and shall project a minimum of 7 feet, up to a maximum of 10 feet, into the public right-of-way for a minimum of 70 percent of the building frontage.
- Average interior depth of commercial uses35 ft
Commercial uses shall have an average interior depth of at least 35 feet and a minimum depth of 20 feet, measured wall-to-wall.
- Minimum interior depth of commercial uses20 ft
Commercial uses shall have an average interior depth of at least 35 feet and a minimum depth of 20 feet, measured wall-to-wall.
- Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. of façade lighting fixtures15 ft
Fixtures shall be located between 8 and 15 feet above the sidewalk elevation, and shall not project more than 30 inches from the façade.
- Minimum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. of façade lighting fixtures8 ft
Fixtures shall be located between 8 and 15 feet above the sidewalk elevation, and shall not project more than 30 inches from the façade.
- Maximum spacing of façade lighting30 ft
Lighting shall be located on façades facing streets and public open spaces at a frequency of every 30 feet or less.
- Maximum percentage of building frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street. for galleries50 pct
Galleries shall be limited to one-story in height and 50 percent of the building frontage.
- Maximum number of storiesStoreysHabitable floor levels. Whether a basement or attic counts is defined by the local code. for galleries1 story
Galleries shall be limited to one-story in height and 50 percent of the building frontage.
- Minimum vertical clearance for galleries10 ft
Galleries shall allow a minimum of 10 feet of vertical clearance from sidewalk elevation.
- Minimum ground floor heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.15 ft
Buildings shall have a minimum ground floor height of 15 feet, measured from sidewalk elevation closest to the primary entrance to the second story floor or roof of a one-story building.
- Prohibition distance for ground floor residential units from sidewalk line (Type A)35 ft
Type A: Residential units on the ground floor shall be prohibited within 35 feet of the sidewalk line, inclusive of setbacks, per Table ECSP-6.
- Minimum setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. for ground floor residential units with direct access (Type B)5 ft
Type B: Residential units on the ground floor shall be permitted with direct access to the street and a minimum setback of 5 feet.
- Minimum ground floor transparencyGround-floor transparencyThe share of a ground-floor street wall that must be windows rather than blank surface.70 pct
The minimum transparency requirement is 70 percent for ground floors and 30 percent for the overall façade.
- Minimum overall façade transparencyGround-floor transparencyThe share of a ground-floor street wall that must be windows rather than blank surface.30 pct
The minimum transparency requirement is 70 percent for ground floors and 30 percent for the overall façade.
- Minimum transparencyGround-floor transparencyThe share of a ground-floor street wall that must be windows rather than blank surface. for residential units15 pct
For residential units, transparency requirements are reduced to 15 percent.
- Maximum roof deck coverage as percentage of roof area60 pct
The sum of all roof decks on a single building shall not exceed a maximum coverage of 60 percent of the roof area.
- Minimum vertical clearance for shade structures8 ft
Any ground floor shading shall project a minimum of 3 feet from the façade with a minimum of 8 feet of vertical clearance from sidewalk elevation.
- Minimum projection of ground floor shading3 ft
Any ground floor shading shall project a minimum of 3 feet from the façade with a minimum of 8 feet of vertical clearance from sidewalk elevation.
- Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. of walls and fences within street setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.48 in
Walls and fences shall have a maximum height of 48 inches above sidewalk elevation.
- Minimum setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from sidewalk line for walls and fences taller than 30 inches1.5 ft
Walls and fences taller than 30 inches shall be a minimum of 50 percent transparent and set back a minimum of 18 inches from the sidewalk line, separated by a planted area.
- Minimum transparencyGround-floor transparencyThe share of a ground-floor street wall that must be windows rather than blank surface. for walls and fences taller than 30 inches50 pct
Walls and fences taller than 30 inches shall be a minimum of 50 percent transparent and set back a minimum of 18 inches from the sidewalk line, separated by a planted area.
Other
- Minimum interior setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from PS or RM zoning15 ft
Buildings shall be set back a minimum of 15 feet from an interior property line that is adjacent to a PS or RM zoning district.
- Minimum Common Open SpaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted. as percentage of gross non-residential floor area5 pct
Projects with more than 40,000 square feet of non-residential floor area shall provide a minimum of 5 percent of the gross non-residential floor area as Common Open Space.
- Threshold for non-residential open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted. requirement40,000 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Projects with more than 40,000 square feet of non-residential floor area shall provide a minimum of 5 percent of the gross non-residential floor area as Common Open Space.
- Threshold for Publicly Accessible Open SpaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted. requirement80,000 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Projects with more than 80,000 square feet of gross floor area (GFA) shall provide Publicly Accessible Open Space per Table ECSP-8 and Figure ECSP-20.
- Minimum parkway length as percentage of street frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street.30 pct
In all other zoning districts, parkway length shall be no less than 30 percent of street frontage, unless approved by the Director of Public Works.
- Minimum uncompacted root zone volume per street tree800 cuft
Each street tree shall be provided with an uncompacted root zone volume of 800 cubic feet minimum.
- Street tree spacing30 ft
Street trees shall be planted at a spacing of one per 30 feet.
- Minimum percentage of 3-bedroom units for projects west of Hill Avenue with 50+ units20 pct
For projects west of Hill Avenue with 50 dwelling units or more, inclusive of any density bonus, at least 20 percent of the total number of units shall have a minimum of 3 bedrooms.
- Maximum percentage of building footprint that may exceed heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. limit with varied roof lines30 pct
A maximum of 30 percent of a building's footprint may exceed the height limit set in Figure ECSP-7 by up to 12 feet.
- Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. increase for varied roof lines12 ft
A maximum of 30 percent of a building's footprint may exceed the height limit set in Figure ECSP-7 by up to 12 feet.
From the ordinance
Allow for a wide variety of commercial uses that support citywide needs, as well as goods and services for local residents.