37.020 Multi-Family Residential Design Standards

(Amended 09/24/19, 01/10/23; 05/23/23, 11/14/23) A. Purpose and Application. This section is intended to create multi-family developments that will establish permanent neighborhoods, with sustained quality and adequate amenities, and to enhance a sense of community. The provisions of this section shall be applied to all new multi-family residential and mixed use developments, unless otherwise modified by an approved Area Plan, and for exterior remodels. B. Architectural Standards. 1. General Design Concepts. New development shall be designed for its specific context with a design 37-66 General Nonresidential Design Standards unique to Lehi City. Developments containing two or more buildings shall possess a similar design theme, and the site shall be designed such that the overall development is cohesive. Building architecture, exterior materials and colors shall coordinate. If a development contains more than one building, structures shall be varied to prevent repetitive design. 2. Side and Rear Facades. These design standards shall be applicable to all sides of a building, with each facade being required to meet the terms of this section. 3. Building Materials. The majority of each facade, meaning 51 percent or more of the wall area excluding windows and doors, shall be constructed of brick, stone, architectural textured concrete, fiber cement siding, wood, or other durable building material as approved by the Planning Commission. Stucco, EIFS, or untreated concrete block (CMU) shall be allowed only as an accent or secondary material. Stucco and EIFS shall not be used on hierarchal architectural features, popouts in a facade, or for wainscots, but shall be allowed on recessed wall areas, walls between entrances, and between hierarchal architectural features. The Planning Commission may approve metal as an exterior building material and as a primary material on a case-by-case basis if an applicant can show that the type of metal is of a high grade and provides architectural quality to a building. Vinyl siding and standing seam metal are prohibited for use as exterior building materials. Building materials shall coordinate; however, materials shall be varied to give diversity and variety to the project. Buildings shall be constructed from differing percentages and combinations of materials. 4. Color. All buildings within a development shall have a coordinating color scheme; however not every building should be constructed from the same color scheme. Building colors should be varied to give diversity and variety to the project. 5. Townhome Building Entrances. The primary entrance and front façade of individual townhomes within a new development shall be oriented toward the following, listed in primary order: a. public streets (see Figure 134); b. parks, courtyards, or public open space; c. primary internal streets; and d. secondary internal streets or alleys. Figure 134. Townhome entrances are oriented to the street with sidewalk connections. 6. Condominium and Apartment Building Entrances. Condominium and apartment buildings shall 37-67 Multi-Family Residential Design Standards provide the following building entrances facing a street: a. primary street entrance connecting to interior hallways, stairwells, and elevators for all units to use; and b. individual entrances and sidewalk connections shall be required for each ground floor unit facing a street, courtyard, trail, and open space (see Figure 135). Figure 135. Individual entrances are provided for each ground floor unit in an apartment building. 7. Architectural Variation. Design diversity adds lasting value to residential neighborhoods. The following standards shall be applied to all multifamily dwelling units: a. Three-family dwellings shall maintain a single-family detached appearance to the greatest extent possible (see figure 136). Instead of each unit mirroring the other, the dwellings shall be designed so that they have the appearance of a large single-family unit. This can be accomplished by separating the entrance of one unit from the entrance to the adjacent unit, adding entrances to multiple sides of the building, or by utilizing grade changes and roof line variety. b. Multi-family dwellings greater than three units, constructed as townhome-style or row house units, shall have varied facades to prevent monotonous design. Adjacent units shall not have the same exterior elevation, nor shall the units be mirror images of one another. c. Multi-family dwellings greater than three units, constructed as apartment or condominium style, shall be designed with architectural wall variations spaced at intervals of 30 to 50 feet in linear width, depending on the size of the project (see Figure 137). Figure 136. Multi-family dwelling maintains the appearance of a larger single-family dwelling. 37-68 Multi-Family Residential Design Standards Figure 137. Visual interest is created through variation in building projections and construction materials. 8. Form and Massing. Building form shall be considered when designing multi-family dwellings to create visually engaging designs. The following architectural features shall be incorporated into the design of all multi-family buildings: a. Varied roof lines. Roof form shall be varied in height and pitch, and long expanses shall be avoided by adding breaks in the roofline. Additional roof variations may be created by adding gables, chimneys, decorative cornices, dormer windows, or other similar features. b. Facade Details. Each facade shall be designed to the human scale and shall incorporate at least two of the following: belt courses, cornices, bay or box windows, or articulation of windows which may include sills, mullions, or pilasters. c. Facade Articulation. Each facade shall have variation in plane depth, accomplished through elements such as: variation in footprint setbacks, upper level setbacks, recessed entries, or offsets in the general plane of the facade, including columns, pilasters, fins or ribs. d. Vertical Separation. Buildings in excess of two stories in height shall exhibit architectural detailing that establishes a vertical separation between lower and upper stories. This may be accomplished by a mid-facade cornice or trim, a change in material, style or color, a facade step-back or roof pitch with dormer windows, or other methods. e. Balconies and covered porches. Balconies or covered porches at least 50 square feet in size shall be incorporated on some of the units, at least one per building. Balconies or covered porches may be placed on the side or rear of a building. The 50 square feet for covered porches must be in addition to any covered entry area over the front door (see figure 137a). Figure 137a. Example of a covered porch on the side elevation of a townhome building. f. Entrances. Primary entries of each building shall be emphasized through changes in wall plane 37-69 Multi-Family Residential Design Standards and building massing. Exterior stairs and other entry accesses shall be integrated into the overall building design. g. Public street orientation. Large windows, porches, entryways and other entry features shall be oriented towards public streets and active common spaces. Building ends shall contain entrances, windows and active spaces to provide for additional security and visual interest. C. Site Planning and Design Standards. 1. Townhome Building Orientation. Townhomes shall be oriented towards all public streets with rear loading garages accessed by a paved parking area or alley way (see Figure 138). In addition, rear loading townhomes shall be required for a minimum of 50 percent of the total townhome units in a development with building entrances being oriented towards streets, parks, courtyards, and other open spaces. Units required to orient towards public streets may be considered toward meeting the 50 percent requirement. Off-street parking shall not be allowed between the building entrance of rear-loading townhomes and the street sidewalk. Figure 138. Garages are located on the rear side of the townhome units with the front doors oriented to a courtyard area. 2. Condominium and Apartment Building Orientation. Condominium and apartment buildings shall be oriented towards the street in order to create a “street wall” along the street edge with a minor front yard setback to allow for landscaped areas, courtyards, or plazas. Off-street parking shall not be located between the buildings and street sidewalk and shall be placed at the interior portion of the property (see Figure 139). Buildings shall be setback to allow for required public utility easements unless an alternative option is approved by the Reviewing Departments. No permanent structure shall be allowed within the required public utility easement. Figure 139. Apartment development with parking located on the interior portion of the site with buildings oriented to the streets. 3. Garages. Condominium and apartment buildings shall have garages incorporated into the primary structure with a minimum of 30 percent of the lower level gross floor area utilized as garage areas. 37-70 Multi-Family Residential Design Standards Garages shall be placed on the rear sides of buildings accessed by an alley way or parking area. Additional garages may be detached from the principal structure. A common parking garage or structure attached to or incorporated into the building may be utilized in lieu of the 30 percent garage requirement (see Figure 140). Figure 140. Apartment building has a common attached parking structure in lieu of individual unit garages. 4. Landscaping Plan. Development plans shall include a landscaping plan for all multi-family developments, which shall be installed by the developer. For projects with more than ten units, the landscaping plan shall provide trees on the site equal to the number of dwelling units, 20 percent of which shall be coniferous evergreen trees and two shrubs of five-gallon size for each dwelling unit. The coniferous trees shall be at least six feet in height and the deciduous trees shall be at least two inches in caliper. 5. Streets. Interior project streets shall include on-street parking, curb extensions, sidewalk furniture, and crosswalks. 6. Fencing. Fences over four feet tall or sight obscuring fencing shall not be located between the buildings and the street. Where there is fencing located along the street, openings in the fence shall be required to allow sidewalk access from each building to the public sidewalk or to adjacent land uses and developments. 7. Open Space. Common open space is an essential design feature of all multi-family projects, and the following standards shall be met for all new multi-family developments: a. Open space areas shall respect and maintain natural features, such as trees and significant vegetation, hills, drainages, wetlands, water bodies, water ways, and other natures features. b. All open space areas within multi-family developments shall be designed to have two or more sides of the open space fronting primary internal public or private streets to ensure that open space is visible and available to all residents in the area (see Figure 141). c. Open spaces shall be centrally located so they are accessible as a community amenity to all units in the development. d. Pedestrian and bicycle connectivity shall be designed into open space areas to interconnect adjacent units, roadways, master planned trails, and greenway corridors. 37-71 Multi-Family Residential Design Standards Figure 141. The open space in this multi-family development is fronted by streets on two sides and includes rear-loading townhome units facing the open space. 8. Amenities. Each multi-family project with ten units or more shall include amenities for the residents of the project as per Table 37.080 of the Development Code. Because each project will be different in nature, the amenities are likely to be different. The amount of amenities required shall be in proportion to the proposed number of units in the development. The required number of amenities is listed in Table 37.080 Multi-Family Development Amenities Requirements. Amenities shall be provided according to project size or comparable equivalent amenities as required or recommended by the Planning Commission and, as approved by the City Council, if required. Amenities included are: a. picnic areas, which shall consist of a barbeque and two tables on a concrete pad with a cover; b. sports court, which shall be at least 500 square feet and constructed with concrete or an equivalent hard surface area; c. playground which shall be constructed of commercial grade materials and include equipment for younger children and older children; d. club house used for gatherings of residents, which shall be at least 750 square feet in size complete with restrooms; e. swimming pool, which shall be sub-surface and be no less than 20 feet by 40 feet in size; f. tennis courts shall be professional regulation size and be constructed of concrete or equivalent hard surface area; and g. splash pads shall be at least 300 square feet in size, include a minimum of three vertical spray features, and be constructed of concrete. h. dog parks shall be at least 4,000 square feet in size, and include at a minimum a four to six foot fence, a bench or picnic table, a dog waste disposal station, at least one (1) tree, and a drinking fountain. 9. Water-wise Landscaping. A minimum of 35 percent of the total landscape area shall be water-wise landscaping as defined by the Development Code. 37-72 Multi-Family Residential Design Standards 10. Pedestrian circulation. Multi-family residential projects shall provide a circulation plan and include the following improvements to improve pedestrian circulation and safety: a. Pedestrian walkways that interconnect the adjacent streets, open spaces, parking areas, building entrys, adjacent sites and adjacent master planned trails where applicable. Each building located along a public road shall provide a sidewalk connection from the building entrance to the public sidewalk. b. Walkways shall be hard surfaced with concrete, brick pavers or asphalt. c. Crosswalks shall be placed where pedestrian walkways cross streets and internal roads and shall be painted or made of concrete or brick pavers. D. Exceptions. 1. Exceptions to Section 37.020 may be approved by the Planning Commission provided the following: a. The applicant shall provide evidence that the exception to the design standards improves the design quality, walkability/bike-ability, or ability to conduct the proposed use on the subject property, as determined by the Planning Commission. b. Exceptoins may be granted to allow parking between the building and street; however, any exception shall be limited to a maximum of one module of parking. In all cases where an exception is granted to allow parking between the building and the street, an ADA compliant pedestrian access shall be accommodated form the building entrance to the street sidewalk. E. Downtown Spacing Overlay Zone. 1. The Downtown Spacing Overlay Zone is intended to protect the existing single-family characteristics of the central residential neighborhoods (see Figure 142). The Downtown Spacing Overlay Zone shall apply to all properties within an R-2 or R-3 Zone including any dwellings or properties fronting on 500 West, State Street, 400 South, and 850 East. In order to maintain the existing single-family characteristics of the central residential area, any new two-family, threefamily, four-family, or multi-family dwelling within the defined area, and where allowed in an R2 or R-3 Zone, shall not be located within a 400 foot radius measured from building footprint to building footprint of the nearest existing two-family, three-family, four-family, or multi-family dwelling except when located in a Planned Unit Development. 37-73 Multi-Family Residential Design Standards Figure 142. This map shows the extents of the Downtown Spacing Overlay Zone.