17.6.D Building Design

1.  The first floor of structures shall be designed with a minimum ceiling height of fourteen (14) feet. The façade that faces the corridor shall maintain a minimum transparency of fifty percent (50%). The bottom of any window used to satisfy this requirement may not be more than four and one-half (4.5) feet above the adjacent sidewalk. Windows shall be constructed of clear or lightly tinted glass. Tinting above twenty percent (20%) or reflective glass is prohibited.

2.  All façades along the corridor shall include architectural features to avoid the appearance of blank walls facing the street. These include, but are not limited to, changes in the wall plane of at least six (6) inches such as an offset, reveal, pilaster, or projecting rib, changes in wall texture or masonry patterns, colonnade, columns, or pilasters. All elements shall repeat at intervals of a maximum of twenty-five (25) feet.

3.  Ventilation grates, emergency exit doors, and similar functional elements located on the façade along the corridor shall be designed as decorative elements and integrated into the overall building design.

4.  Structures shall maintain a primary entrance that fronts on the corridor. Building entrances may include doors to individual shops and businesses, lobby entrances, entrances to pedestrian plazas, or entrances to a cluster of retail goods establishments or other non-residential uses that are open to the public.

5.  The site shall be designed to ensure safe pedestrian access to the building from the street and from any parking areas. Safe pedestrian access to and from adjacent buildings is also required. Sidewalks shall extend to the lot line and connect to existing sidewalks on abutting property.

6.  Mid-building pedestrian passages are encouraged. Such passageways shall be designed to be safe and well lit, providing convenient pedestrian access to and from areas such as parking lots and adjacent buildings, and/or service streets from the opposite sides of a building. Any passage shall be a minimum of eight (8) feet in width.

7. Building design shall be reviewed so that the primary entrance, travel between buildings, parking structures and safe pedestrian access points are physically accessible to allow full access and use by a person utilizing a mobility device.

8.  When a ground floor parking structure is located along a corridor, it shall be subject to the ground story use restrictions in 17.3.B. Parking access to a parking structure is prohibited along multi-modal corridors.

9.  Garage entrances, driveways, or loading bays are prohibited along a multi-modal pedestrian corridor unless eligible and granted conditional use approval in accordance with Article 22, Section 22.11.B Curb Cuts.

10.  Bicycle parking is required in accordance with Article 22. Bicycle parking racks are encouraged to be decorative elements.

11.  If a property abutting a multi-modal/pedestrian corridor is within the jurisdiction the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission and/or the Central Business District Historic District Landmarks Commission, development of such property is subject to the approval of such Commission. Applicants shall refer to and comply with the Historic District Landmarks Commission procedures in the City Code. The New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission and/or Central Business District Historic District Landmarks Commission shall have no jurisdiction over use.

Ord. 29126, 8-12-22, ZD016/22