Agenda - Planning Commission - 07/11/2007

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THE D!STRICTS This model suggests a basic framework con- sisting of three districts. The number of dis- tricts needed to implement town center plan- ning objectives will vary from community to community, reflecting the types of places and activities that exist within the area as well as the community's agreed-upon vision forthe area. Note that, if desired, the TC-2 and TC-3 subdistricts can be combined if the distinc- tions between them are perceived as too fine for regulation or are simply not needed in a community. :0:2. Subdistricts The TC district consists of three mopped sub- distric"LSthot reflect the exjsting and desired places within the Town Center area. They are: (a) TC-1, Town Center Core subdistrict. The TC-1 subdistrict is primarily intended to encourage and enhance the high-intensity office and employment center function of the town cen- ter's core area. The TC'1 subdistrict regulations support the town center's role as a hub of regional importance for business, communica- tions, office, government, retail, culture, edu- cation, visitor accommodations, and entertain- ment. Tne district regulations support a mix of large-scale offices, commercial, public, recre- ation, and entertainment uses. The TC-1 district alsa accommodates mixed use and residential projec"!5 as important components of the area's. vitality. (D) TC-2, Town Center Mixed Use subdistrict The TC-2 subdistrict is primarily intended ta support mixed use (residential/nonresidentiaO projec".s with active ground-floor uses within one-quarter of a mile of the TC-1 district. (c) TC-3, Town Center Residential subdistrict. The TC-3 subdistrict is primarily intended to accommodate moderate-to high-density resi- dential development and small-scale ground- floor commercial uses with residential units above. The district also accommodates low- intensity office development compatible with the residential character of the /C'3 district. 103. Definitions As used in this ordinance, the following words and terms have the meanings specified below: "Roar Area Ratio" means the ratio of a build- ing's gross floor area to the area of the lot on which the building is located. "Gross Roar Area~ is the sum of the gross hori- zontal areas of several floors of a building measured from the exterior faces of the exterior walls orfrom the centerline of walls separating two buildings. Gross floor area does not include basements when at least one-half the floor-ta- ceiling height is below grade. Gross floor area does not include accessory parking, attic space having a floor-to-ceiling height less than seven . feet, exterior balconies, uncovered steps, or inner cour!5. 112 "Mixed Use Building" means a building that contains at least ane floor devoted to allowed nonresidential uses and at least one devoted to allowed residential uses. "Setback" means the open, unobstructed area required ta be provided between the further- most projection of a building and the adjacent property line. LOCATION OF LOT LINES AND SETBACKS Rear Lot Line -r"--"-"-" I I Rear SelbaGk I ~l 0: -1 CD '0 i:I5: I I I ---- (3 co r; CD Cf) CD -0 US ---- -0 co ...0 CD Cf) CD -0 US Principal Building Front Setback Front Lot Line USES THAT REfLECT WC!>,!.. TASTES AND NEEDS Use tables for town center districts should be refined to reflect local characteristics and planning objectives. 104. A//owed Uses Uses are allowed in 'TC" zoning districts in accordance with the use table of this section. [Available as a web-based enhancement on the Zoning Practice web pages.] FLOOR AREA RATiO In establishing proposed standards, commu- nities will want to survey existing develop- ment to determine typical FAR ranges in areas covered by the TC district. FAR levels should be high enough to encourage moderate- to high-intensity buildings but not so high that new buildings would be out of scale with the surrounding areas. In underdeveloped town centers, communities may want to consider increasing the maximum allowable FAR to accommodate larger buildings. The following table suggests a typical range of appropriate FAR standards for buildings in the town center d istri ct. 105. Roor Area Ratio All development in TC districts is subject to the following maximum FAR standards: District /C-1 TC'2 Maximum Roar Area Rato [varies: 3.0-7.0 "typical"] [varies: 3.0-5.0 "typical"] [varies: 2.0-3.0 "typicai"] TC'3 I I l-~ . ---l !~ . -0 US LET LOT AREA DKTATE RESIDENTIAL DENSiTY' Within the types of urban and semi-urban set- tings where a town center district is likely to be applied, it is fairly common to regulate res- idential density in terms of the amount of lot area required per dwelling unit. It should be noted that some jurisdictions-notably Seattle-have chosen to abandon residential density standards in village center and mixed use commercial areas. The thinking behind such an approach is that density is already indirectly regulated by many other controls, such as building codes, parking requirements, FARs, maximum height limits, and setback controls. The logic here is that the community wants to encourage residential development, 50 why not remove the sometimes-arbitrary control that density limits represent? 106. Lot Area Per Unit (DensitiJ All residentiai development in TC districts is subject to the following standards for lot area per dwelling unit: District TC-1 TC-2 TC'3 Minimum Lot Area Per Dwelling Unit [varies: 200-400 square feet] [varies: 200-400 square feet] [varies: 300-700+ square feet] MAXIMUM BUILD!NG HE!GHTS FOR CONTEXT Communities that want to promote building forms compatible with the area should estab- lish maximum building heights. Height limits can also play an important role in protecting neighborhoods on the periphery of the town center. Building step-back (skyplane) stan- dards should be used to soften the height transition between town center-style districts and lower-intensity neighborhood districts. When using height limits, calibrate them to reflect FAR and building coverage limits. To calculate the number of building stories required to make full use of the allowed FAR, divide the FAR by the maximum building cov- erage. If, for' example, the maximum FAR allowed is 2.0 and the maximum building cov- erage allowed is 66 percent, it will require a building of three or more stories to achieve the full FAR (2.0-;'0.66=3.03). When no build- ing coverage limits apply, maximum building ZONINGPRACTiCE 5.07 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I poge "