11.3 Site Design Standards

11.3.A Bulk and Yard Regulations   

11.3.A.1 General Regulations   

Table 11-2A: Bulk and Yard Regulations establishes bulk and yard regulations for the Historic Urban Neighborhood Districts, less and except the HU-RD1 zoned properties in the area known as the Garden District Historic District. The boundaries of the Garden District Historic District are roughly Magazine Street, Josephine Street, Carondelet Street and Delachaise Street, excluding parcels facing along St. Charles Avenue except at the intersection with Jackson Avenue. (Highlighted letters in Table 11-2A indicate where those bulk and yard regulations are illustrated on the accompanying site diagram.)

Table 11-2B: Bulk and Yard Regulations establishes bulk and yard regulations for the HU-RD1 zoned properties in the area known as the Garden District Historic District. The boundaries of the Garden District Historic District are roughly Magazine Street, Josephine Street, Carondelet Street and Delachaise Street, excluding parcels facing along St. Charles Avenue except at the intersection with Jackson Avenue. (Highlighted letters in Table 11-2B indicate where those bulk and yard regulations are illustrated on the accompanying site diagram.)

Table 11-3: The Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning Sub-District (MIZ) regulations establish mandatory inclusionary unit thresholds, set aside requirements, and Area Medium Income (AMI) levels and is required for any development that contains residential development of 10 or more dwelling units, including rental and homeownership dwelling units. Affordable Housing Units shall be in accordance with the standards outlined in the table below. All other bulk and yard regulations for the sub-districts are subject to the corresponding non-inclusionary zoning base district regulations.

¹The terms for the Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning Sub-Districts in this section are outlined in Article 28.

²The minimum lot area requirement for properties in this district is established through the Established Two-Family or Multi-Family regulations as defined in Article 20.3.W.

 

Adopted by Ord. No. 26,726, §1, December 7, 2015, Zoning Docket 081/15;j Ord 28178, 9-5-19, ZD 49/19; Ord. No. 28,911, §3, January 6, 2022, Zoning Docket 084/21

11.3.A.2 Front Yard Build-To Line Requirement   

a.  Within the residential districts of the Historic Urban Neighborhood Districts, the front yard build-to line is established by any one (1) of the following methods. A build-to line is an established setback line at which a structure is required to build. However, in no case may the front yard of a single-family or two-family dwelling exceed twenty (20) feet in the Historic Urban Neighborhood Districts.

i.  As of the effective date of this Ordinance, the current front yard of the existing structure may be set as the required front yard build-to line. When a structure is demolished, the demolition permit shall indicate the dimension of the front yard prior to demolition. The required front yard build-to line is that indicated on the demolition permit.

ii.  The required front yard build-to line indicated on the most recent survey or Sanborn maps.

iii.  The average of the front yard of the adjacent lots on either side may be used to establish the required front yard build-to line. Averaging is based on the two (2) adjacent lots or, in the case of a corner lot, two (2) neighboring lots on the same blockface. In the case of a lot configuration where only one (1) lot is available for averaging, the front yard build-to line is that of the adjacent lot. (See Figure 11-1: Front Yard Averaging)

b.  The applicant is permitted a plus or minus three (3) foot variation from a front yard build-to line established by any of the above methods.

c.  The required front yard build-to line is measured as the narrowest dimension from the front lot line to the principal structure. The measurement is taken from the building walls of the principal structure and does not include permitted encroachments or architectural features, such as uncovered porches, bay windows, steps, and stoops. 

d. Should calculation of the required front yard setback be unable to be determined by the methods identified in item a above, the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits shall determine the setback based on his/her best judgement given the development pattern in the immediate surrounding area.

FIGURE 11-1: FRONT YARD AVERAGING

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

11.3.A.3 Corner Side Yard for Single-Family and Two-Family Dwellings   

a.  For single-family and two-family dwellings within the residential districts of the Historic Urban Neighborhood Districts, the corner side yard is established by any one (1) of the following methods.

i.  As of the effective date of this Ordinance, the current corner side yard of the existing structure may be set as the required corner side yard. When a structure is demolished, the demolition permit shall indicate the dimension of the corner side yard prior to demolition. The required corner side yard is that which is indicated on the demolition permit.

ii.  The required corner side yard may be that indicated on the most recent survey or Sanborn maps.

iii.  A minimum of ten percent (10%) of lot width.

b.  The required corner side yard build-to line is measured as the narrowest dimension from the corner side lot line to the principal structure. The measurement is taken from the building walls of the principal structure and does not include permitted encroachments or architectural features, such as uncovered porches, bay windows, steps, and stoops. 

c. The applicant is permitted a plus or minus three (3) foot variation from a corner side yard build-to line established by any of the above methods.

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

11.3.A.4 Required On-Site Open Space   

All townhouse and multi-family dwellings shall provide at least one-hundred twenty (120) square feet of useable on-site open space per dwelling unit. This open space may be either private open space for the dwelling unit or common open space restricted to the use of residents of the townhouse or multi-family dwelling. Such open space shall meet the following requirements:

a.  Required open space shall have a minimum dimension of at least seven (7) feet on any side.

b.  Required open space shall be located on the same lot as the dwelling unit it serves.

c.  Required open space shall be outdoors and designed for outdoor living, recreation, or landscape, including areas located on the ground and areas on decks, balconies, galleries, porches, or roofs. For multi-family dwellings, when open space is above grade, such as a balcony or gallery, it may not be located over on-site surface parking areas.

d.  The required open space area may not be contiguous, but each open space area, whether common or private, shall comply with minimum dimensional standards of Table 11-2. Common open space areas shall be accessible to all residents of the subject development.

e.  When located at ground level, the required open space area shall be substantially covered with grass, live groundcover, shrubs, plants, trees, or permeable outdoor hardscape features or amenities, such as seating areas, patios, or pools.

f.  Off-street parking and loading areas, driveways or required landscape for parking lots and screening do not satisfy open space requirements. Bollards, curbs, wheel stops, or other similar features shall be provided to ensure that required open space areas are not used for off-street parking or any other vehicular use.

g.  Mechanical equipment, dumpsters, or service areas are prohibited in required open space areas.

h. All required open space areas shall be located and designed to take advantage of sunlight and other climatic advantages of the site.

Adopted by Ord. 27,722 MCS, §4, April 11, 2018, Zoning Docket 113-17

11.3.B Building Design Standards   

1. The following standards shall apply to all sites, except single and two-family residential dwellings:

a. All buildings shall provide a clearly identifiable entry from the public sidewalk at the front (primary street) elevation.

b. All buildings shall be oriented towards a public or private street in terms of architectural interest and building access.

c. To avoid the appearance of blank walls facing the street, when the side walls of a dwelling face a street, building facades shall be designed with multiple windows of a size matching those on the front elevation.

2. The following standards shall apply to all sites that meet the applicability thresholds of Section 4.5 Development Plan and Design Review:

a. Large, flat facades facing the street shall be avoided. Form-giving elements such as, but not limited to galleries, balconies, projected entrances, and overhangs are required on the street-facing façade.

b. Roof planes shall be consistent in slope, material, and detail to those typical in the area.

c. All shutters shall be operational and sized to fit windows.

d. Facades shall be designed to be viewed from multiple directions with consistent materials and treatments that wraps around all facades. There shall be a unifying architectural theme for an entire multi-family or townhouse development, utilizing a common vocabulary of architectural forms, elements, materials, and colors around the entire structure.

11.3.B.3 Parking Areas and Pedestrian Walkways   

a.  Parking is prohibited in the required front and corner side yards. Parking is prohibited in front of the building line or within five (5) feet of the front property line when located within a corner side yard. The front building line does not include any architectural features of the front façade.

b.  Driveways should be consolidated, where possible, in order to reduce curb cuts.  Adjacent residential buildings should, where possible, share driveway access.

11.3.B.4 Building Materials   

A list of prohibited building materials is included as follows. 

11.3.B.4.a Prohibited Materials   

The following materials are prohibited as the predominant surface finish material in the construction of new multi-family and townhouse developments. However, such materials may be used as part of decorative or detail elements, or as part of the exterior construction, such as a foundation course, that is not used as a predominant surface finish material.

i. Exterior insulation finish systems (EIFS) (e.g.“Dryvit”)

ii. Stuccato board

iii. Vinyl