New Orleans Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance

Printed: 3/29/2024 9:56:48 AM

18.24.D Site Design Standards

Ord. 27,261 MCS, ยง1, Jan. 20, 2017, Zoning Docket 102-16; Ord. 29285 MCS, 1-5-23, ZD 64/22

18.24.D.1 Bulk and Yard Regulations   

Bulk and Yard Regulations for the CCN Overlay District shall be as provided in Table 18-2.

Table 18-2: Bulk and Yard Regulations

TABLE 18-2: BULK REGULATIONS

MINIMUM LOT AREA PER

DWELLING UNIT

None

MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT

See 18.24.D.6 Maximum Building Height and Table 18-3.

MINIMUM PERMEABLE OPEN SPACE

Calculated as aggregate; 20% of the area as defined within 18.24.A.2.1 Other areas within the CCN Overlay District are subject to the permeable open space requirement of the base zoning district.

MINIMUM YARD REQUIREMENTS

FRONT YARD

a. For the lots bounded by Henderson Street, Convention Center Boulevard, Orange Street, and Front Street, the minimum is 30’ and maximum is 50’ abutting Convention Center Boulevard.

b. For the lots bounded by Henderson Street, Convention Center Boulevard, Orange Street, and Tchoupitoulas Street, the minimum is 15’ and maximum is 25’ abutting Convention Center Boulevard.

c. The minimum is 12’ and maximum is 22’ for lots abutting Euterpe Street, Race Street, and Orange Street.

d. All other lots: None.

INTERIOR SIDE YARD

All other lots: None, unless abutting a residential district then 5'.

CORNER SIDE YARD

None.

REAR YARD

None, unless abutting a residential district then 20'.

 TABLE 18-2 FOOTNOTES

1 Developments subject to this section include projects undertaken in phases, stages, or otherwise developed in distinct sections or lots. If the development contains a phasing plan, the phasing plan shall provide for the minimum permeable open space as required within this section, calculated as aggregate of the area defined within 18.24.A.2.

18.24.D.2 Required On-Site Public Open Space   

To establish publicly accessible open space, the following standards in subsection “a.” shall apply to the areas described in subsections b and c below:

a.         Public Park and Plaza

  1.          Parks or plazas shall be open to the sky, except for arbors, trellises or small pedestrian-oriented structures.
  2.          Parks or plazas shall have a minimum site area of two-thousand five-hundred (2,500) square feet per square.
  3.          At least twenty percent (20%) of the park or plaza shall consist of landscaping.
  4.          A minimum of one (1) linear foot of seating area shall be provided for each thirty (30) square feet of park or plaza.
  5.          All parks or plazas shall be visible from and connected to the nearest sidewalk with preference given to corner locations that maximize pedestrian access.
  6.          Parks or plazas shall be designed in accordance with ADA accessibility requirements. No plaza may be more than three (3) feet above the adjacent sidewalk level.
  7.         Parks or plazas shall be open to the public at minimum during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. A plaque  two (2) feet by four (4) feet in area shall be displayed at all entrances stating the hours of public use unless the park or plaza is open 24 hours per day.
  8.         Plazas shall be located so that they receive natural light during a portion of the day.

b.         For the properties bounded by Henderson Street, Convention Center Boulevard, Orange Street, and Tchoupitoulas Street, a minimum of two-hundred (200) feet of the street frontage along Convention Center Boulevard shall exceed the maximum Front Yard Requirement as defined within Table 18-2: Bulk and Yard Regulations to provide publicly accessible open space with amenities such as, but not limited to, landscaped public open space, public art, mural, dog park, transit shelter, public rooftop access, outdoor seating of a restaurant, or public plaza subject to the Public Plaza Standards and Guidelines contained within Article 18.24.D.2.a.

c.         For the properties bounded by Henderson Street, Convention Center Boulevard, Orange Street, and Front Street, the Front Yard along Convention Center Boulevard shall be publicly accessible open space with amenities such as, but not limited to, landscaped public open space, public art, mural, dog park, transit shelter, public rooftop access, outdoor seating of a restaurant, or public plaza.

18.24.D.3 Design Standards   

The following design standards only apply to development within the area denoted in Article18.24.A.2, as illustrated in Figure 18-6. The design standards in this section shall take the place of the building design standards under Article 15.3.B. All other parcels within the CCN Overlay District shall be governed by the base underlying zoning design standards and applicable overlay district standards.

a.         Pedestrian and main entrances shall be located on the public right-of-way. Public entrances shall be articulated and distinct from the structures primary massing. Unless deemed and ruled as unfeasible, curb cuts shall be located on the secondary streets.

b.         Ventilation grates, emergency exit doors, and similar functional elements shall be designed as decorative elements and integrated into the overall building design.

c.         Security bars are prohibited. Roll-up or accordion security grilles are permitted on the ground floor when constructed of a see-through, non-solid material. The casing shall be painted to match the building and shall not damage or obscure architectural detailing.

d.         Plain mansard roofs are prohibited. Decorative mansard roofs are permitted on buildings with a minimum wall height of two (2) stories. (See Figure 15-2: Examples of Decorative Mansard Roofs).

e.         Buildings shall be designed with galleries, awnings, canopies, and other weather protection devices.

f.          Decorative elements having historically functional purposes, such as shutters, balconies, windows, and doors, shall be operational.

g.         Any structure designed for a ground floor non-residential use shall be designed with a minimum ceiling height of twelve (12) feet, except for parking areas.

h.         Loading areas for retail anchor stores of twelve thousand (12,000) square feet in gross floor area or more are required to be located in the rear. Where possible, loading and service areas shall be internal to the development block and accessed through service corridors and not through pedestrian-oriented streets.

i.          Outlot buildings shall be designed with showcase windows and entrances oriented to the street.

j.          Secondary access points are encouraged from rear parking lots. Facades that abut parking areas and contain a public entrance shall include pedestrian walkways.

k.         When a shopping center is located behind a parking lot, a street presence for the shopping center shall be created by locating part of the center and/or outlot buildings near the lot line at the primary street corner or the shopping center entrance. When the center’s frontage on the primary street exceeds two-hundred fifty (250) feet in width, part of the center and/or outlot buildings shall hold at least fifty percent (50%) of the front lot line. (See Figure 15-3: Building Siting).

l.          The following building materials are prohibited on exterior elevations visible from the public right-of-way. However, such materials may be used as part of decorative or detail elements, or as part of the exterior construction that is not used as a surface finish material.

1.         Exterior insulating finish systems (EIFS)

2.         Stuccato Board

3.         Vinyl Siding

m.        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 properties.

n.         Within any yards of the development and the public right-of-way adjacent to the development, special finishes shall be included as part of a cohesive streetscape design. These include coordinated paving, design treatments for the pedestrian level, street lighting, and street furniture. The streetscape design shall be coordinated with the building design.

o.         Off-street vehicle parking shall be set behind structures whenever possible.

p.         Curb cuts shall be limited along transit lines to greatest extent feasible.

q.         View corridors from streets that are generally perpendicular to the River shall be maintained.

18.24.D.4 Affordable Housing   

a.         A minimum of ten percent (10%) of total housing units shall be affordable housing units in accordance with Article 28.3 Affordable Housing Development Use Standards and Guidelines and may be calculated as aggregate in the area described in Article 18.24.A.2.

b.         For rental projects, the affordable units in an Affordable Housing Development shall be rented to families earning no more than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

c.         In the aggregate area described in Article 18.24.A.2, the Article 28.6 Payment In-Lieu Fee option shall not apply.

d.         Affordable housing units shall be subject the Affordable Housing Development Design Article 28.4.B through 28.4.D and shall be subject to Article 28.8 Compliance and Monitoring.

1.         The affordable housing units shall be comparable to the market-rate dwelling units in terms of floor area and exterior finishes. Interior finishes or appliances may be different if functionality and longevity are retained.

2.         The residents of the affordable housing units shall have access to the same amenities as the residents of the market-rate dwelling units.

3.         Affordable units shall utilize the same entrances as market-rate units and shall not have separate entrances.

4.         The bedroom mix (i.e., the number of bedrooms) of the affordable housing units shall be proportional to the market-rate dwelling units.

e.         An additional ten percent (10%) of total housing units shall be workforce housing and rented to families earning no more than one hundred twenty percent (120%) of the Area Median Income (AMI).

18.24.D.5 Traffic Impact Analysis   

The City Planning Commission Executive Director shall require a traffic impact analysis and compliance with the recommendations therein for any Stadium or Convention Center conditional use, any new structure, or major renovation exceeding the base zoning district’s maximum building height and not covered by an approved Development Master Plan. The City Planning Commission Executive Director may require further Traffic Impact Analyses or Traffic Plans based on changes to the proposed uses or development plan. The Traffic Impact Analysis shall be approved by the City Planning Commission Executive Director after consultation with the Department of Public Works Director.

18.24.D.6 Maximum Building Height   

a.         In lieu of the base zoning district regulations, maximum building height shall be established by Table 18-3. Some squares are identified by their planned bounding streets because square numbers may change due to re-subdivision. Figure 18-7 is shown with corresponding height limits for reference; however, Table 18-3 shall control.

b.         In squares along Tchoupitoulas Street, the maximum building height of Table 18-3 shall be achieved by line-of-sight from the opposite side of Tchoupitoulas Street methodology established in Figure 18-8 over the base zoning district’s 85 ft. height limit.

TABLE 18-3: MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT

Square

Maximum Building Height

Square bounded by: Convention Center Boulevard, Calliope, Henderson, and Tchoupitoulas Streets

 

200 feet

Square bounded by: Thalia, Annunciation, Melpomene, and Tchoupitoulas Streets

 

85 feet and no more than 7 stories

Square bounded by: Annunciation, Melpomene, Euterpe and Tchoupitoulas Streets (but excluding Lot MF-1)

 

85 feet and no more than 7 stories

Square bounded by: Convention Center Boulevard, Henderson, Euterpe, and Tchoupitoulas Streets

 

85 to 400 feet, subject to the line-of-sight setbacks shown in figure 18-8

Square bounded by: Convention Center Boulevard, Henderson, Euterpe, and Front Streets

 

400 feet

Square bounded by: Convention Center Boulevard, Race, Euterpe and Tchoupitoulas Streets

 

85 to 400 feet, subject to the line-of-sight setbacks shown in figure 18-8

Square bounded by: Convention Center Boulevard, Race, Euterpe and Front Streets

 

400 feet

Square bounded by: Convention Center Boulevard, Race, Orange, and Tchoupitoulas Streets

 

85 to 400 feet, subject to the line-of-sight setbacks shown in figure 18-8

Square 39 bounded by: Orange, Richard, S. Peters, and Tchoupitoulas Streets

 

85 to 125 feet, subject to the line-of-sight setbacks shown in figure 18-8

Squares 21-B and 22-B: bounded by: the floodwall, Orange, Market, and S. Peters Streets

 

21-B:  400 feet

22-B: 200 feet

Square 23-B: bounded by: the floodwall, Market, S. Peters, and St. James Streets

125 feet

Square 38 bounded by: Market, Richard, S. Peters, and Tchoupitoulas Streets

 

85 to 125 feet, subject to the line-of-sight setbacks shown in figure 18-8

Square 36 bounded by: Market, St. James, S. Peters, and Tchoupitoulas Streets

85 to 125 feet, subject to the line-of-sight setbacks shown in figure 18-8

Square 35 bounded by: Celeste, St. James, S. Peters, and Tchoupitoulas Streets

 

85 to 125 feet, subject to the line-of-sight setbacks shown in figure 18-8

Square 24B bounded by: the extension of St. James Street, S. Peters Street, and the floodwall

 

85 feet and no more than 7 stories

        

c.     A height of up to one hundred seventy-five (175) feet shall be allowed for transparent protective screening (fencing) including poles and other necessary structural elements encompassing the perimeter of outdoor amusement or sports facilities for public safety purposes. 

Figure 18-7: Maximum Building Height - Perspective

 

 

 

Figure 18-8: Tchoupitoulas Street Line-of-Sight

 

18.24.D.7 Parking   

The Convention Center Neighborhood Overlay District is exempt from the vehicle parking requirements of Table 22-1. Notwithstanding this exemption, accessory parking lots may be provided in accordance with the Maximum Vehicle Parking Limitations of Article 22.4.B as if off-street vehicle parking is required.

Additional temporary surface parking shall be permitted subject to time restrictions up to 5 years.  Permanent parking lots shall be subject to the standards of the Overlay District and Article 23 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, while certain design standards for temporary parking lots may be suspended commensurate with the time restrictions as set forth by the City Planning Commission and approved in the Development Master Plan.