2001/11/27 City Council Resolution (21)RESOLUTION NO. 2001 -262
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROHNERT PARK,
CALIFORNIA, APPROVING DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPMENT
WITHIN THE EXISTING AND FUTURE CITY LIMITS
WHEREAS, on July 25, 2000 the City Council approved Resolution No. 2000 -152
adopting a comprehensive update of the City's General Plan;
WHEREAS, the Community Design Element of the General Plan includes policies
related to design and design guidelines such as requiring neighborhood design to be responsive
to natural and institutional elements, preparation of a design standards checklist for design
reviews, standards to foster pedestrian orientation of new development, and requiring building
designs that foster a sense of place and transition;
WHEREAS, Planning Application No. 2001 -71, Design Guidelines, was processed in
the time and manner prescribed by State and local law;
WHEREAS, on September 27, 2001 and November 8, 2001 the Planning Commission
reviewed Planning Application No. 2001 -71, Design Guidelines, during a scheduled public
meeting at which time interested persons had an opportunity to speak either in support or
opposition to the proposed Guidelines;
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Rohnert Park has reviewed and considered
the information contained in the Staff Report and all relevant materials regarding the proposed
Design Guidelines.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council finds that the proposed
Design Guidelines are consistent with the policies of the General Plan relating to community
design and does hereby approve the proposed Design Guidelines.
DULY AND REGULARLY ADOPTED on this 27th day ofNovember , 2001, by
the City of Rohnert Park City Council by the following vote:
DESIGN GUIDELINES
These guidelines apply to development within the existing and proposed City limits. The
purpose of the design guidelines is to provide a clear set of design policies which can be used
by project proponents in the development of their project proposals and can be used as
review criteria by city staff, the Planning Commission and City Council to evaluate project
proposals. The intent of the guidelines is to inspire creativity and superior design by moving
development away from the traditional subdivisions and shopping malls of the past.
Several specific guidelines have been included to address just the proposed specific plan
areas; however, additional guidelines specific to each of the specific plans are included in the
City's General Plan. The Planning Commission and City Council can require specific
guidelines as conditions of approval. Guidelines from the General Plan are followed by a
reference to the specific policy.
L GENERAL PRINCIPLES
A. GENERAL
Site design, scale of buildings, and the orientation of structures and physical spaces
should relate to the surrounding environment on three scales:
Neighborhood: relating to the area defined by all structures and areas from which it is
possible to view the construction;
Contiguous parcels: relating to all parcels of land touching the parcel on which the
construction is located; and
On -site: relating to the parcel on which the construction is located.
2. Neighborhood design- including components such as land use, development intensity,
and street layouts -to be responsive to natural and institutional elements including:
Creeks: Ensure adequate access by locating streets and paths adjacent to creekways,
and integrate parks and open space with creekways;
Urban edges: Ensure transition from urban intensities to open space; and
Integration with the surroundings: Promote connections with adjacent neighborhoods
by integrating street networks, and responding to existing landscape and visual
treatments. (Policy CD -16)
3. Design treatment at the edge of urban uses should result in "soft" edges by:
a. Prohibiting the use of solid walls along these edges (i.e., fences must be
visually permeable);
b. Using materials and design to promote soft edges (i.e., use of wooden or other
rustic materials for fences, etc.); and
C. Encouraging development at the edge of the city to face outwards.
(Policy CD -14)
4. Street furniture, including fencing, sidewalks and pathways, should be given special
design considerations to enable the maximum identity and uniqueness of character to
be built into each development. Applications for design review for residential,
1 11128//01
commercial, or industrial projects of over four acres should include identified areas
for public art in larger public areas, as appropriate.
5. Landscaping, signs, lighting, and other streetscape design techniques along streets
should be used to announce gateways into the City. (Policy CD -3)
6. Minimize disruption of existing views by new development and maintain streets as
view corridors. (Policy CD -7 and CD -8)
7. The scale and layout of structures and physical spaces should relate to a human scale
and provide ample opportunities for pedestrian and handicapped access and
circulation.
Good architectural character is based upon the suitability of a building for its
purposes, upon the consistent and appropriate use of sound materials, and upon the
principles of harmony and proportion in the elements of the building.
9. Good architectural character is not, in itself, more expensive than poor architectural
character, and is not dependent upon a particular style of architecture.
10. Policies for appearance and design specified by adopted specific plans and special
area plans should be included when applicable.
11. Mitigating measures that are established as part of an environmental impact report or
negative declaration for a project should be considered for inclusion as conditions of
approval or project revision.
B. Site Planning
The natural topographic and landscape features of a site should be incorporated into a
development. Development should work to preserve or protect unique or special
natural features of the site. Development should minimize the removal of native
vegetation and mature trees.
2. Buildings and open spaces should be in proportion and scale with existing structures
and spaces in the surrounding area. The rear of a building and site should be given
treatment as well as the more visible front and sides.
3. Transit stops and shelters should be provided, where appropriate. Location should be
coordinated with the transit agencies. Well- defined and reasonably direct pedestrian
routes to transit stops should be provided.
4. Street pattern should connect with streets in adjacent developments and provide
access to transit service streets.
Pedestrian paths should be buffered from fast - moving traffic and expanses of parking.
6. Trees should shade streets, sidewalks, and parking lots.
11/281/01
7. A site should not be so overcrowded as to cause unbalanced relationships of buildings
to open space. Open spaces should not be unduly isolated from one another by
unrelated physical obstructions such as buildings and paved vehicular areas, but
rather, should be linked by reasonable open space corridors.
8. Buildings should be sited in an orderly, non - random fashion. Long, unbroken
building facades should be avoided.
9. Habitable space should be oriented with due regard to sun, prevailing wind, desirable
vistas, and nearby land uses.
10. The floor plans of residential units should have proper orientation, access, and view
to adjacent private and public open space.
11. The intrusive impact of motor vehicles upon the privacy of office, other workspace,
and residential environments should be minimized while maintaining convenient
access between units and parking.
12. Paved areas should only be as large as necessary to serve parking, circulation, and
open space needs and their appearance should be enhanced by landscaping. Carports
or garages of residential projects should enhance the parking areas by their design.
Monotonous, extended unbroken parking areas, driveways, and carport structures
should be avoided.
13. Grading, fill, or surcharge should be restricted to the minimum necessary to
accommodate specific approved buildings and related structures. Site grading should
not obstruct natural drainage flow from abutting property or divert drainage from its
natural watershed.
14. Development sites should be lighted with fixtures which relate to the scale and design
of the development and which have an intensity high enough to maintain security and
low enough to avoid being a nuisance. Other than public or private streetlights,
exterior lighting should be diffused or concealed, in order to prevent illumination of
adjacent properties or the creation of objectionable visual impacts on properties or
roadways.
15. Fencing used throughout a project should be consistent in material and design.
Offsetting portions of fencing and creating landscape pockets should be considered
for long expanses of fencing.
C. ALTERNATIVE PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE ACCESS
1. Greenways
a. There should be access to and no interruption of greenbelt trails
b. Residential uses should face creek, where practical.
2. Internal Sidewalk Network
a. Pedestrian network should link buildings in residential areas to commercial uses
and to streetscape sidewalks.
3 11128//01
D. Architectural Design
1. Materials, textures, and colors employed should be compatible and consist of high
quality building materials suitable for the manner of construction proposed.
2. Building design elements should avoid monotonous repetition or excessive variety of
forms, patterns, and colors.
3. Decorative devices should not be used to conceal poor design.
4. Preferred exterior finishes on residential buildings include, but are not limited to, the
following types of materials: wood clapboard, wood shingle, wood board and batten,
stucco, brick, or stone. Use of plain panel siding (i.e., T1 -11) is discouraged as a
primary siding material. When panel siding is used, battens should be used for board
and batten appearance. Metal buildings could also include naturally weathering
metals.
5. Exterior finish material or materials should wrap around to all publicly visible sides
of the building. The use of more than one material is encouraged (e.g., horizontal
siding with brick, stone, shingles, or stucco below).
II. RESIDENTIAL DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR HOUSES, DUPLEXES, ATTACHED
HOUSING AND MFG. HOMES
A. SITE PLANNING
1. Residents should be able to easily and safely walk or bicycle to a store, school, or
park.
2. Front setbacks should be varied and porches should be designed to provide a
transition between structure and sidewalk. (Policy CD -20)
3. Estate residential development may be clustered, as appropriate, to provide pockets of
open space along the City's eastern edge and uninterrupted view corridors from
interior areas. (Policies CD -10 and CD -36)
4. Consideration should be given to placement of the house on the lot in terms of
privacy between adjacent homes. Direct window conflicts across side and rear
property lines should be avoided.
B. MAIN ENTRANCES
1. The main entrance should be oriented to the street to promote an active pedestrian
environment.
2. The main entrance should not be further than 6 feet behind the longest wall of the
main portion of the house that faces the street.
4 1 1/28//01
A front porch or covered entry should be provided to provide a transition zone from
the public area to the private space. Front porches should be a minimum of 6 feet
deep in order to accommodate outdoor seating. Front porches may encroach partially
(up to 5') into the front yard.
4. At least 15% of the area of the street - facing faVade(s) should be windows. Windows
in garage doors do not count toward the 15 %, but if the main entrance faces the street,
then the area of window in the front door counts toward the 15 %.
C. GARAGES AND DRIVEWAYS
Garages should be located towards the back of the property, preferably accessed from
an alley. (Policy CD -21)
2. Generally, the length of a garage wall facing the street should not be greater than 50%
of the total length of the facade. Houses with a length of 24 feet or less may have a
12 -foot wide garage if there is living space or a covered balcony above the garage.
(Policy CD -21)
Garage doors near the front of the lot should be oriented 90 degrees from the street,
where feasible. A garage wall that faces a street should be recessed behind the front
edge of the house. However, if the length of the garage wall is 40% or less of the total
length of the street - facing facade, it may be up to 6 feet in front of the longest street -
facing wall of the house if there is a covered porch of at least 48 sq.ft. in area with
minimum dimension of 6' and the front of the porch must be flush or in front of the
garage wall. (Policy CD -21)
4. Garage doors should appear to be set into the walls rather than flush with the exterior
wall. Garage doors should be no more than 16 feet in width. Single car garage doors
are preferred over a single two -car garage door.
Design elements such as bay windows or balconies should be incorporated into the
second level above garages to break down the scale of the garage. (Policy CD -21)
Windows and panels are encouraged to add visual interest to the garage door.
6. Driveways should be a minimum of 20 feet in length. "Hollywood" driveways (with
center strip of grass or bricks) are encouraged.
7. Tandem car garages are encouraged as they reduce the visual impact of the garage by
utilizing a one car garage door.
D. ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
1. Building roofs should be varied and ridgelines should incorporate a variety of hips
and gables both parallel and perpendicular to the street. Additional elements such as
dormers and turrets are encouraged to break up the roof. Shed roofs should only be
attached to the principal building walls, with a minimum slope of 2:12.
2. Dormers should be placed no closer than 36 inches to building sidewalls.
11/28//01
3. Windows and doors should be made of wood, vinyl, factory- painted aluminum, or
other quality materials.
4. Door and window trim or stucco surround should be provided on all sides of the
home. 2x wood trim is preferred over lx wood trim. Windows set in stucco without
any trim or surround are strongly discouraged unless particular to the style of
architecture.
5. Glazing should be clear glass with no more than 10% daylight reduction (tinting).
Glazing should not be reflective.
6. The undercroft of decks and porches should be enclosed with lattice or vertical
pickets.
7. Block frontages should contain a variety of facades. Methods of variation may
include varied garage placement, varied rooflines and roof colors, second stories
setback from the first floor, use of dormers and window placement, and changes in
single story elements such as porches, and covered entries.
M. ADDITIONAL RESIDENTIAL DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR MULTI - FAMILY
DEVELOPMENT
A. SITE AND ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
1. Building facades and rooflines should be broken up to give the appearance of a
collection of smaller structures. To the extent possible, each of the units should be
individually recognizable with the use of balconies, setbacks, projections, pattern of
windows and doors or other architectural features.
2. Where possible, front setbacks within the same structure should be varied, unit planes
should be staggered and jogged, no more than two adjacent units with identical wall
and rooflines, and variety of orientation to avoid the monotony of garage door
corridors. (Policy CD -20)
3. Project entry areas should provide the resident and visitor an overview to the project.
4. Exterior finish material or materials should wrap around to all visible sides of the
building. The use of more than one material is encouraged (e.g., horizontal siding
with brick, stone, shingles, or stucco below). Vertical siding should not be used.
5. Roof forms should be hipped or gabled with a pitch of at least 4 to 12.
6. For improved security, windows of frequently used rooms (e.g., living and dining
areas) should be oriented to overlook common open space and child play areas.
7. For improved security, entries to each of the dwelling units should be visible from at
least one other dwelling.
6 11/28//01
8. For improved security, fencing around private yards is encouraged not to exceed 4.5
feet in height with lattice used for the top 18" of taller fences.
9. Sidewalks should not allow for intrusion into privacy of dwellings. Where proximity
is unavoidable, a landscaped buffer should be provided.
B. DRIVES AND PARKING AREAS
1. Principal vehicular entry drive should be through an entry drive with a focal point
(e.g., community building, fountain, etc.) rather than a parking drive. Colored
textured paving treatment should be used at the entry drives.
2. There should be no more than an average of 10 spaces of uninterrupted parking,
whether in garages, carports or open parking areas.
3. The extent of perimeter parking drives should be minimized. Buildings should be
placed closer to the street than parking areas.
4. Landscape bulbs should align with major building entrances to provide pedestrian
access to the building entrance from a parking court or drive.
5. Parking areas should be well lit and located so as to be visible from the residential
units.
6. Parking areas should be located such that the walk from the parking area to the
dwelling units is short and direct.
IV. ADDITIONAL DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR SPECIFIC PLAN AREAS
1. Residential front yard setbacks should be staggered. Setbacks should be landscaped.
2. Porches, bays, and balconies are encouraged and should be allowed to project into
these setbacks.
3. No front setback should be required for housing that is over first -floor commercial
space.
4. Building facades should be varied and articulated with frequent entrances.
5. Single- family residential garages should be set at least 5' behind the front fagade of a
residential building.
V. COMMERCIAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
A. PROVISION OF ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC OUTDOOR SPACE
1. Accessible public outdoor space should be provided and should be greater than 500
sq.ft. in area.
7 11/28//01
2. Tables and chairs should be provided.
3. Pedestrian - scaled lighting should be provided at min. 3 footcandles
4. Accessible public outdoor space should be located adjacent to greenway or street,
where appropriate.
B. SITE PLANNING
1. Buildings should be oriented to pedestrian walkways.
2. Buildings should define the streetscape by being built up to the right-of-way and
should promote street activity. Primary entrances should be sited to face the street.
(Policy CD -19)
3. Parking should be interior to the block, screened by the building or landscaping.
(Policy CD -19)
4. First floor use of the building should be pedestrian oriented.
5. Employees should have alternatives to using their automobiles at lunch (e.g.,
pedestrian and bicycle connections to related services).
6. There should be clearly defined and reasonably direct pedestrian connections to
transit stops.
7. Convenient crosswalks should be provided to other uses and buildings on and off site
and through parking areas. (Policy CD -35)
8. Pedestrian routes should be buffered from fast - moving traffic and parking areas.
9. Large parking areas should be visually and functionally segmented into several
smaller lots.
C. ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES
1. Fagade should be divided into traditional 30'± increments.
2. 50% or more of fagade should be glass at street level establishing building
transparency from sidewalks. (Policy CD -19)
3. There should be well - defined entrances an average of every 50' on street frontages.
4. Windows should be recessed not less than 2 inches from the building fagade.
5. Signage should be integrated into the architecture of the building.
6. For improved security, doors and windows should be oriented to overlook common
areas.
8 11 /28//01
7. For improved security, ground floor entries to businesses should be visible from
public rights -of -way or other businesses.
D. STREETSCAPE TREATMENT FOR MAXIMUM PEDESTRIAN COMFORT
1. Smaller scale pavement should be used (e.g., pavers or scoring).
2. Rain protection should be provided (e.g., awnings, canopies, arcades). (Policy CD -19)
3. There should be a walkable street grid and alley plan.
4. The first floor level should be at street level or within 18 ".
5. On- street parking should be provided along street frontages.
6. Along major pedestrian street frontages, pedestrian scale street lighting, benches,
street trees, and other sidewalk amenities should be provided while maintaining a
clear 8' wide sidewalk. (Policy CD -55)
7. There should be a continuation of existing sidewalk networks.
8. Crossing treatment should be provided at street corners (e.g., bulb outs). (Policy CD -55)
E. ALTERNATIVE PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE ACCESS
1. Greenways
a. There should be access to and no interruption of greenbelt trails
b. Office, retail, and residential should face creek, where practical.
2. Internal Sidewalk Network
a. Pedestrian network should link buildings on site and to streetscape sidewalks.
b. Internal network should contain at least 3 of the following:
trees, small scale paving treatment (pavers or scorers), rain protection, pedestrian
scale lighting
F. BICYCLE FRIENDLY
1. Locker room facilities, showers and dressing rooms should be provided in larger
work place projects (e.g., 50 or more employees).
2. There should be bicycle path linkages to buidings on site and to surrounding uses.
G. STRUCTURED PARKING
1. Structured and/or underground parking is encouraged.
2. Ground floor of structured parking should be retail.
3. Shared parking for adjacent businesses should be provided.
4. Fagade should be divided into 30'+ increments and detailing should be used to break
up the facade.
9 1 1128H I
H. DRIVEWAYS
Curb cuts along front property lines should be minimized.
2. There should be minimum turning radii and 90 degree intersections at drives.
VI. LANDSCAPING
A. GENERAL
Landscaping should be functional as well as aesthetic.
2. Landscaping should emphasize access points, define circulation elements, reinforce
structural designs, and soften hard architectural lines.
Outdoor furniture and amenities such as trellises, raised planters, benches, trash
receptacles, newspaper stands, phone booths, fencing and bicycle racks should be
incorporated into building and landscape design.
4. Landscape buffers should be used at the perimeter of retail service functions and
where service functions abut streets and adjacent uses (i.e., loading docks).
5. Plant material should be chosen for its seasonal color (flowers and leaves), sculptural
forms, elegance, texture, and playfulness. The edge treatment of parking lots should
be low profile peripheral visual screen of hedges on the ground plane and evergreen
conical or columnar shaped trees. Accent trees in focal areas should be of all one
flowering variety.
6. All areas not otherwise occupied by structures or paved areas should be landscaped
and irrigated by an adequate irrigation system. An adequate irrigation system for
projects with a site area in excess of ten thousand (10,000) square feet should consist
of automatically controlled irrigation fixtures. Plant materials should be planted
where they will not encroach upon walkways or driveways, etc. at maturity or create
a hazardous condition to structures or public rights -of -way. Landscape plans for
development on sites in excess of twenty thousand (20,000) square feet should be
prepared by a licensed landscape architect.
uff 0JUMMUNAM
Planting beds and tree wells within parking lots should be protected by curbs with
minimum net planting dimensions of 4 feet.
2. Where parking is headed into planting areas, the depth of the parking spaces should
be reduced 2 feet for standard parking spaces and 1 foot for compact spaces and the
planter should be widened for bumper overhang to maximize planting areas.
Surface parking should be provided with predominantly large deciduous and
evergreen canopy trees to reduce glare, reflect heat, and preserve site lines.
10 11/28801
C. LIGHTING
Tree placement should be coordinated with site lighting standards so minimum
illumination levels are not compromised as trees mature.
11 11/28//01