§ 15-1004. SITE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS.

A.

RS Transition Standards. Where an RM district abuts an RS District, the following standards apply:

1.

Height. The maximum height within 40 feet of an RS District is limited to 30 feet. The maximum height within 50 feet of an RS District is 40 feet.

2.

Setbacks. The following additional setback requirements shall be applied to all structures, including accessory structures, on parcels which are adjacent to an RS District:

a.

Front. The minimum front setback requirement of the adjacent RS district shall be applied to all structures within 50 feet of the RS District.

b.

Interior Side. The interior side setback shall be 10 feet.

c.

Rear. The rear setback shall be 20 feet.

3.

Landscape. See Table 15-2305-C.1, Required Landscape Buffers.

4.

Screening. When a multi-story building is proposed and the second story or above is located within 50 feet of the side or rear yard of a single-family lot, screening measures shall be applied to provide a reasonable degree of privacy.

a.

Screening measures. Screening measures include, but are not limited to, landscaping, alternate window and balcony placements, placing windows at least six feet from the floor of the interior of the unit, incorporating wing walls or louvers, using glass block or other translucent material, and other such methods.

b.

Sufficiency of Screening. The Review Authority shall determine the sufficiency of the proposed screening measures and may require additional measures.

FIGURE 15-1004-A: RS TRANSITION STANDARDS—RM DISTRICTS

B.

Additional Setback Standards.

1.

Side Setbacks for Attached Dwellings. Required side setbacks shall apply only to the ends of rows of attached dwellings, and shall not be required between attached dwellings.

2.

Rear Setback Reduction. Rear setbacks may be reduced if all of the following conditions are met:

a.

A site plan shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Article 52 Development Permit;

b.

The rear setback shall be greater than or equal to the required interior side setback for the Base District;

c.

Space equal to the reduction shall be provided elsewhere on the lot, exclusive of any required yard area. Said replacement space shall have minimum dimensions of five feet by eight feet, and shall be so located that it is suitable for general use by the occupant of the premises; and

d.

The Review Authority shall find that the granting of the reduction will not be materially detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to property and improvements in the area in which the property is located and will not be contrary to the objectives of this Code.

e.

Such a reduction would not conflict with the provisions of Section 15-1004-A, RS Transition Standards.

C.

Parking Setback. Parking shall be setback as shown on Table 15-1003 except as provided below:

1.

Surface Parking.

a.

Surface parking which is located behind a building shall not be subject to the parking setback requirement.

b.

On lots less than 150 feet in width or depth, surface parking may be set back less than the distance shown on Table 15-1003, if the following conditions are met:

i.

Such parking shall not be set back from the street less than adjacent buildings on the site.

ii.

The parking setback area shall be landscaped.

iii.

There shall be no more than four adjacent parking spaces in surface parking areas located less than 30 feet from a street-facing lot line. The space between groups of four adjacent parking spaces shall be equal in width to the adjacent parking spaces and shall be landscaped.

iv.

Parking spaces shall be screened from the adjacent street with a minimum three foot berm, wall, or hedge, or combination thereof.

c.

If a sound wall is required along a certain frontage, or if other circumstances exist that render the Parking Setback impractical or unnecessary, the Review Authority may waive the Parking Setback requirement.

FIGURE 15-1004-C.1: SURFACE PARKING SETBACK REDUCTION

2.

Partially Submerged Podium Parking. Parking that is partially below the street grade may extend to the setbacks of the main structure, if the following conditions are met:

a.

No more than six feet of the partially submerged parking podium may extend above the street grade.

b.

The partially submerged parking podium shall be screened along street facing elevations by foundation plant materials. Gates need not be screened.

3.

Underground Parking. Parking that is fully underground and below the street grade may extend from lot line to lot line.

D.

On-Site Open Space.

1.

Minimum Open Space Required. The minimum amount of on-site open space required shall be based on the size of the lot, as shown in Table 15-1003. This requirement may be met through a combination of private open space, common open space, or public plazas as follows:

a.

Private Open Space Requirements. Private open spaces are those which are attached to a dwelling unit and are available only for the private use of the residents of the dwelling unit, such as balconies, porches, and patios. No fewer than 50 percent of the dwelling units on a site shall have a private open space. The following standards shall apply to private open space:

i.

The minimum dimension of any private open space shall be four feet.

ii.

The minimum area of any private open space shall be 32 square feet.

iii.

When located within 30 feet of a public street and located on the ground floor, private open spaces shall be designed as a porch.

iv.

When located within 30 feet of a public street and located above the ground floor, private open spaces shall be designed as a balcony.

b.

Common Open Space Requirements. Common open spaces are those which are available for active or passive use by all tenants, but use by the general public may be restricted. To the extent that common open space is provided, the following standards shall apply:

i.

The minimum dimension of any common open space shall be 20 feet.

ii.

The minimum area of any common open space shall be 1,000 square feet. The calculation of the common open space area shall exclude structures which are unusable as open space, but shall include structures that enhance its usability, such as swimming pools, changing facilities, fountains, planters, benches, and landscaping.

iii.

Not less than 80 percent of common open space shall be unobstructed to the sky. Trellises, pergolas, and similar structures shall be considered open to the sky for the purposes of this measurement.

iv.

Common open space may be located at grade, on rooftops, on top of parking podiums, or any other such location that is accessible to tenants. Common open space may not be located within required front setbacks or RS buffer setbacks.

FIGURE 15-1004-D.1.b: MINIMUM REQUIRED COMMON OPEN SPACE DIMENSION

c.

Public Plaza Requirements. Public plazas are those which are available for use by the general public, as well as tenants of the project. To the extent that public plazas are provided, the following standards shall apply:

i.

The minimum dimension of any public plaza shall be 20 feet.

ii.

The minimum area of any public plaza shall be 500 square feet. The calculation of the public plaza area shall exclude structures which are unusable as open space, but shall include structures that enhance its usability, such as fountains, planters, benches, and landscaping.

iii.

Public plazas shall include benches or other seating, and paving shall be of high-quality materials. Amenities provided shall enhance the comfort, aesthetics, or usability of the space and include, but not be limited to, trees and other landscaping, shade structures, drinking fountains, water features, public art, or performance areas. Landscaping or other aspects of the design shall not discourage the use of the space by the general public.

iv.

Public plazas shall be fully accessible from the public right-of-way, shall be located in front of project buildings and shall not be located where public views into the space are obstructed by buildings or other structures.

v.

Public plazas may be located within required front setbacks.

vi.

A public access covenant shall be provided for the space.

FIGURE 15-1004-D.1.c: MINIMUM REQUIRED PUBLIC PLAZA DIMENSION

2.

Minimum Open Space Reduction. The minimum amount of open space required shall be reduced by 25 percent in any one of the following circumstances:

a.

Any portion of the lot is located within a quarter mile of a transit stop with regular, scheduled service during the weekday hours of 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

b.

There is a public park within 400 feet of the site, and

i.

Said park is located on the same side of the street and provides an improved pedestrian path to and from the site; or

ii.

The public park is across a local street and the site provides an improved pedestrian path to and from the site.

c.

The parcel is 15,000 square feet or less in area.

E.

Pedestrian Access. Pedestrian access to public streets shall be provided at the preference of the applicant by either the Flexibility Option or the Certainty Option as follows:

1.

Flexibility Option. The applicant must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Review Authority that the project meets the following goal:

a.

Provide sufficient opportunities for residents to walk to nearby amenities, services, and transit facilities.

2.

Certainty Option. Projects which comply with the following standards shall be considered to provide sufficient pedestrian access:

a.

Common Area Sidewalk Connections. Common entrances into lobbies or internal pedestrian paths shall be provided at the rates prescribed below. When providing access to a structure, such entrances shall be protected by a portico, canopy, or alcove of no less than four feet in depth.

i.

In the Priority Areas (see Figure IM-1: Priority Areas for Development Incentives in the Fresno General Plan, adopted in 2014). No less than one per 400 feet of linear street frontage.

ii.

Outside of the Priority Areas. No less than one per 600 feet of linear street frontage.

b.

Residential Unit Sidewalk Connections. Direct entrances into individual ground-floor dwelling units which are adjacent to streets shall be provided at the rates prescribed below. Such entrances shall be protected by a portico, canopy, or alcove of no less than four feet in depth.

i.

In the Priority Areas. No less than one per 100 feet of linear street frontage.

ii.

Outside of the Priority Areas. None required.

c.

External Connections to Adjacent Development. Pedestrian walkways shall connect the project site to adjacent Commercial, Mixed-Use, and Office districts at a frequency of no less than one per 600 feet. Projects may be excepted from this requirement in the following situations:

i.

An interconnected street network with short blocks and sidewalks exists in the surrounding area; or

ii.

The project site is less than one acre in size; or

iii.

The adjacent properties are developed and there are no possible connection points.

d.

If the project is located within an area with adopted design guidelines, all applicable guidelines which relate to pedestrian access and the location of doors and entrances shall also be followed.

(Added Ord. 2015-39, § 1, eff. 1-9-16; Am. Ord. 2016-1, § 1, eff. 3-14-16; Am. Ord. 2016-32, §§ 8, 9, eff. 10-21-16; Am. Ord. 2017-33, § 7, eff. 7-30-17; Am. Ord. 2018-66, § 7, eff. 1-18-19).