URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES for the
DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA Supplementing Section 10 of the adopted Land Development Regulations for Design Review Districts, and the adopted Gaines Street Revitalization Plan City Commission John Marks Mayor Andrew D. Gillum Allan Katz Debbie Lightsey Mark Mustian
City of Tallahassee Anita Favors Thompson City Manager Tom Coe Assistant City Manager for Development & Transportation Services www.talgov.com
Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department Wayne Tedder AICP Director Fred Goodrow AICP Chief, Comprehensive Planning Division Jean Gregory Comprehensive Planning Project Manager Cherie Horne AICP Comprehensive Planning Special Projects Manager Daniel Donovan AIA, AICP Senior Planner/Urban Designer
Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department Frenchtown Renaissance Center 435 North Macomb Street Tallahassee FL 32301 850.891.6400 850.891.6404 fax Mailing address: 300 South Adams Street Tallahassee FL 32301 www.talgov.com/planning/
Gaines Street Vitalization Committee Lester Abberger Keith Grey Dedra Mitchell Mark Bertolami Elizabeth Gwynn Ed Murray Bob Bischoff Kelsey Helton Robert Olmstead Peggy Brady Sam Houston Mike Pate Corri Byrne Craig Huffman Devon Pyles Evelyn Corbin Jeff Hunter Jordan Rockwell Sheila Costigan Dan Kavanaugh Paul Rutkovsky Charles Cyrus Bonnie Kidd Chris Sands Sue Dick Bradford Lewis Paula Smith Brian Fisher Gary Lloyd Ron Spencer Mary Fredrick Joyce Magill Ruth Wharton Ron Goldstein Felina Martin Roxanne Manning AICP Director, Southside/Frenchtown CRA Craig Diamond Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department CONTENTS
1. Introduction
1.a. How To Use This Book...... 3 1.b. Background and Location...... 4 1.c. Design Review...... 7
2. Urban Design Principles...... 9
2.a. Evoke a Sense of Place...... 10 2.b. Enrich the Public Realm...... 12 2.c. Put Pedestrians First...... 14 2.d. Build to Human Scale...... 16 2.e. Fit the Neighborhood...... 18 2.f. Frame the Street...... 20 2.g. Add Rhythm and Pattern...... 21 2.h. Entertain the Eye...... 22
3. Guidelines for All Districts...... 23
3.a Site Planning...... 25 3.a.1. Building Orientation...... 26 3.a.2. Parking, Service, and Access...... 28 3.a.3. Setbacks...... 31 3.a.4. Pedestrian Passageways...... 34
3.b. Building Design...... 37 3.b.1. Mixed-use Buildings...... 38 3.b.2. Scale and Massing...... 41 3.b.3. Roofs and Height...... 44 3.b.4. Facades...... 46 3.b.5. Transparency...... 50 3.b.6. Entrances...... 54 3.b.7. Corners...... 56 3.b.8. Design for the Weather...... 58 3.b.9. Balconies and Terraces...... 62 3.b.10. Structured Parking...... 65 3.b.11. Materials and Construction ...... 68 3.b.12. Detailing the Public Realm...... 70 3.b.13. Signs...... 74 3.b.14. Adaptability and Re-use...... 79
URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES CONTENTS
4. The District Center...... 82
5. All Saints ASN-A, Infill/Low Intensity District ...... 81
6. All Saints ASN-B Infill/Moderate Intensity District...... 85
7. All Saints ASN-C and ASN-D Corridor Mixed-Use Districts...... 89
8. UV University Urban Village District...... 95
Resources...... 100
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS Florida Photographic Collection Gaines Street behind the Caldwell Building, 1949
1. INTRODUCTION
1.a. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
1.b. BACKGROUND
1.c. LOCATION
1.d. DESIGN REVIEW
A hundred years after we are gone and forgotten, those who never heard of us will be living with the results of our actions. —Oliver Wendell Holmes
URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES Applicability ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING Section Title 3.a.1. Building Orientation
n City Comforts: How to Build an Urban Village, David Sucher identifies “The 3 Rules of Urban Design to preserve I and create walkable commercial areas: Build to the Sidewalk: Create a strong “streetwall” in which each building meets or comes close to the sidewalk. Intention Make the Building Front “Permeable:” Connect the inside of the building and the sidewalk outside with windows and doors. Prohibit Parking Lots in Front of the Building: Put on-site parking above, below, behind or beside.
The 3 Rules are basic to regulations and guidelines for sites and buildings in the Gaines Street Design Review Districts. Required setbacks effectively increase the width of the public sidewalk by allowing the public right-of- way sidewalk to extend into the privately-owned setback, up to the face of the building. Urban Design 0 1 . 0 7 . 2 0 0 9 PrinciPles Principles Sucher, David. City Comforts: How to Build an Urban Village, City Enrich the Public Realm Comforts, Inc., 2003 d r a f t Addressed Fit the Neighborhood Put Pedestrians First Frame the Street Add Rhythm and Pattern
Guidelines Guideline In addition to following the 3 Rules, locate buildings, parking, vehicle circulation, building entrances, balconies, windows, and lighting to maintain the comfort and privacy of people on adjacent properties.
Selected Standards ldR StandaRdS 10-283.(c)(1)a. Development pattern. A predominant building type, size of from the Land lots, siting of the building on the lot, lot coverage, and relationship of the building to the street determine a development pattern. New development Development must be harmonious with the predominant development pattern of the district. Regulations 10-283.(c)(2)a. All buildings shall be located and designed to be compatible with the predominant development pattern of the zoning district. 10-283.(c)(2)b. Primary entrances shall face the street. Berkeley CA Commercial space and residents’ amenities screen a parking lot under the dwelling units in this mixed-use development.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 102 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS
Examples illustrate ways to implement the urban design principles, guidelines, and development regulations.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1.a. How To Use This Book
rban Design Guidelines for the Gaines Street Design Review Districts supplements Division 4, U Design Review Districts, of the adopted Tallahassee Land Development Regulations (LDRs), the Gaines Street Revitalization Plan referenced in the Land Development Regulations, and the Gaines Street Report adopted in 2001. Urban Design Guidelines is not a substitute for a thorough reading and understanding of adopted zoning district regulations. Addressing primarily the visual, site planning, architectural, and experiential aspects of the character desired for the Gaines Street districts, the Urban Design Guidelines are not intended to replace the Land Development Regulations in any manner. In case of contradiction or ambiguity, Land Development Regulations shall take precedence. “Shall,” “must,” “required,” and similar words found in the Urban Design Guidelines generally indicate requirements found in the Land Development Regulations. Also, the word “standard” indicates a requirement found in the Land Development Regulations. Guidelines include words such as “encouraged,” “should,” and “preferred,” that indicate actions or features that promote the intention for the district, but that are not necessarily required by or included as standards in Land Development Regulations. A guideline in the form of an imperative sentence (“Use fenestration to differentiate individual residential units in a multi-family building,” for example) suggests a device or technique that supports an urban design principle, and does not state a requirement, unless that requirement is found in the Land Development Regulations. In each section, guidelines are followed by selected pertinent standards from the Land Development Regulations. Examples from various locations and periods of construction illustrate different ways of addressing the urban design principles, guidelines, and standards. Designers are by no means limited to the methods, techniques, and elements included in the Guidelines. Guidelines are recommendations, not meant to limit the creativity of private development or dictate architectural styles or methods. Keep in mind that any project should follow two sections of the Urban Design Guidelines: Section 3 applies to all districts; Sections 5 through 8 contain guidelines for particular districts. Click the blue links for more information.
URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES 1. INTRODUCTION 1.b. Background and Location
long with applicable Land Development Regulations, Urban Design Guidelines for the Gaines Street Design A Review Districts are intended to provide property owners, developers, builders, architects, and reviewers with criteria and guidance for implementing the “Gaines Street Vision.” The Gaines Street Report, prepared by Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC Planning and Design, was Gaines Street, west from the All Saints adopted by the City Commission in 2001. The Report neighborhood, 2008. envisions the Gaines Street districts as vibrant in-town neighborhoods integrating a broad mix of residential and commercial development, while recognizing the area’s historic character and sense of place. The Gaines Street Report describes a “Gaines Street Vision” characterized by: Urban vitality with a diverse mix of uses; A heterogeneous population; Diversified neighborhoods with access to jobs, schools, open space, and shopping; A range of residential types, including affordable workforce housing; Walkable, transit-oriented development; Retail uses serving residents and visitors; Continued economic development; Reduced traffic growth; and An on-going public voice in development. Following the Report, regulations have been adopted Conditions surrounding the roadway have and guidelines written for the Gaines Street districts, changed since 2001, when the adopted implementing the vision, goals, and objectives of the Gaines Street Report included renderings Report, by: of Gaines Street as a four-lane boulevard with a wide median. Gaines Street will be Directing the form and character of future a narrower street than the Report depicted development in a manner consistent with the Gaines and will carry fewer cars, but the goal of a Street Report; vital, urban street character is unchanged. Establishing clear criteria for development; Educating property owners, developers, the public, and reviewers about what is expected and desired in Gaines Street area development; and Illustrating useful examples and techniques applicable to Gaines Street area development. The Gaines Street Report can be found on the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department web site.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS The purpose of this map is to locate the UV 1.
district in the context of the city and other design review districts. Refer to official zoning maps for specific parcel zoning. NORTH The Gaines Street Design Review Districts review adopted: design been have five districts for Regulations the Since N O I T C U D O R T N I S E N I L E D I U G N G I S E D N A B R U a greater density than than density greater a ASN-B encouraged, is structures historic of reuse adaptive While neighborhood. Saints All the of half western Distric ASN-B, scale. and character historical area’s the with compatible development infill with along encouraged, are uses nonresidential complementary and residential for structures existing of reuse adaptive and Restoration neighborhood. Saints All the of half eastern the Distric ASN-A, dynamic, very urban character. character. urban very dynamic, a with buildings attached in districts, adjacent the in than intensity greater a at uses commercial and residential of mix balanced a in redevelopment pedestrian-oriented promotes district The entertainment. and shopping, working, living, for destination local primary a as envisioned is area The corridor. activity urban District University buildings. taller with guidelines and regulations, intention, purpose, neighborhood. Saints All the from Street Gaines across Street, Boulevard South and Avenue Railroad between Street Gaines of District ASN-D, districts. Saints All other the in than intensity greater a at uses of mix balanced a in promoted is Redevelopment districts. adjacent the for edge distinct a and corridor urban pedestrian-oriented high-intensity, a districts, Saints All the of developed intensively most the be to intended Saints. All in Street Gaines Distric ASN-C, uses. intensity moderate of range emphasizes development at at development emphasizes t t t comprises roughly the the roughly comprises
Report, generally comprises comprises generally of side south the includes Infill/Moderate Infill/Low Corridor Corridor includes the north side side north the includes centers on a high intensity intensity high a on centers
Urban ASN-C Land Development Development Land
Mixed-use Mixed-use Village
Intensity ASN-D ASN-A , but allows allows but ,
Intensity
ASN-C (UV) shares shares , for a for , is is
1. INTRODUCTION
The Gaines Street Urban Revitalization District will reflect a unique image and character, providing an opportunity for true urban living in Tallahassee. The District should be identifiable to visitors and residents by the pattern of restored historic neighborhoods; by the higher density village centers; by the compact scale and design of housing and commercial buildings; by the landscaping and lively mix of activity along existing and proposed major boulevards; by the scale of local and connector streets; and by the mature vegetation and proximity to open space. —The Gaines Street Report (2001) Wallace Roberts & Todd LLC
Click cover to view the Report.
The Gaines Street Districts, looking east from over Doak Campbell Stadium. From the Gaines Street Revitalization Plan Final Report, adopted in 2001. GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1.c. Design Review
s part of the site plan approval permitting process, development in the Gaines Street districts is subject A to review by the City’s Urban Design Commission (UDC). The UDC reviews projects to ensure that they contribute to the urban and architectural character envisioned for their locations, as described in the Gaines Street Report, adopted Land Development Regulations, and these guidelines. The Urban Design Commission was created in 2005: To promote high quality design in new developments, new buildings, and modifications to existing buildings in the Design Review Districts; in the FSU Transition Area; in Urban Planned Unit Developments (UPUDs) in the Downtown Zoning Districts; and in other places in the City as directed by the City Commission. To ensure that development at any scale in those areas conserves and enhances what is recognized as special about the character of a location, and that infill development is appropriate to its context. To advocate the best urban design, with special emphasis on street character, relationships between buildings, and the pedestrian’s safety, comfort, and sense of place. To foster civic pride in the beauty and nobler assets of the City, and in all other ways possible assure a functionally efficient and visually attractive City in the future. The UDC is a City of Tallahassee Citizen Advisory Board composed of seven members, generally from the private sector. Information about the UDC, by- laws and current membership can be found on the City Treasurer-Clerk web page. The Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department provides staff support to the UDC. Throughout the design process, the Planning Department’s urban design professionals can assist developers with designing project concepts that shape and support quality in the City’s public realm. UDC review may occur concurrently with Type B or other site plan review processes. The Growth Management Department will not approve site plans without UDC approval. More information about the UDC, meetings, and the review process can be found in the Application for Design Review and Approval, on the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department web site.
URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES urban design
rban design gives form to whole cities or to places in cities, with particular attention to shaping U and using public space—the “public realm.” The public realm includes the totality of spaces used freely on a day-to-day basis by the general public, such as streets, plazas, parks and public infrastructure. Some aspects of private property, such as building setbacks and facades, contribute to public space and are considered elements of urban design. With teamwork and appropriate criteria, public vision and private development can come together to create memorable urban places. The best urban design—public and private—will reveal, enhance, or create a lasting “sense of place.” Urban design operates at the three-dimensional intersection of city planning, landscape architecture, and architecture, encompassing: Urban structure – How places are put together, and how their parts relate to each other; Accessibility – Ease, safety, and choice when moving to and through places; Animation – Designing places that stimulate public activity; Complementary mixed uses – Locating activities to allow constructive interaction between them; Character and meaning – Recognizing and valuing the differences between places; Order and incident – Balancing consistency and variety in the urban environment in the interests of appreciating both; and Change – Making flexible places that respond to future changes in use, technology, demography, and lifestyle. In contrast to suburban planning—based on the separation and segregation of uses, on It is difficult to design a place that buffers and deep setbacks, on the primacy of the will not attract people. What is automobile—urban design for the Gaines Street remarkable is how often this has been Design Review Districts is all about mixed and accomplished. shared uses, permeability, and compact, walkable dimensions. —William H. Whyte
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ased in complementary urban design and street character principles, Land Development B Reg ulat ions and Urban Design Guidelines for the Gaines Street Design Review Districts promote good site planning and appropriate architecture, while encouraging variety and allowing for flexibility in building design. Developers, architects, City staff, and the Urban Design Commission shall be guided by these principles throughout the design and review processes.
PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN
2.a. EVOKE a Sense of Place
2.b. Enrich the Public Realm
2.c. P ut P edestrians F irst
2.d. Build to Human Scale
2.e. Fit the Neighborhood
2.f. FRAME THE STREET
2.g. ADD RHYTHM AND PATTERN
2.h. Entertain the Eye
URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN 2.a. Evoke a Sense of Place
Principle ew development may promise it instantly, but real “sense of place” lies in coincidences of geography, N architecture, and people over time. “Sense of place” can have several meanings, including: An attachment to a location, part of personal, family, and community histories that develop gradually and unconsciously in a place; or The non-material characteristics of a place; the soul or spirit of a place; its genius loci, a word used to describe places that are deeply memorable for their architectural and experiential qualities. In cities, a sense of place may derive in part from the natural environment, but more often it’s made up of streets and buildings, the way they’re built and look, and the way they’ve been used over time. Especially in cities, place includes the people who occupy it. Layers of building and inhabitation accrue over time From Cascade Park to the stadium, Gaines into memorable environments with meanings for both St. will link a series of distinct pedestrian- and resident-oriented places. residents and visitors. Recognizable places have an identifiable center and edge; you know when you’ve arrived and you know when you’ve left. For Kevin Lynch, in The Image of the City, the strength of a sense of place is indicated by how well users understand and agree on the boundaries of its territory. The ability to identify a place and one’s place in it is a source of emotional security, pleasure and understanding. In Tallahassee, there are strong urban senses of place Downtown, on Park Avenue, and in Midtown’s new and recycled buildings, among other locations. That Tallahassee recognizes Gaines Street’s long-standing sense of place is evidenced in citizens’ unflagging belief in its potential and promise. Just as Adams Street can count several place senses SENSE OF PLACE along its length, the Gaines Street area can be a series The National Trust for Historic of places from Cascades Park to the stadium. At the Preservation offers a straightforward same time, “Gaines Street” will be a collection of definition: “Those things that add up to places—All Saints, Railroad Square, Stearns-Mosley, a feeling that a community is a special and other neighborhoods off the main street. place, distinct from anywhere else.”
Guidelines While an “18-hour Downtown” is a long-standing goal in Tallahassee, only housing lends a a 24-hour presence to a place, and establishes the depth of interest, vitality, and identification that only people living there can provide. GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 10 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN
Respect adjacent places with “thresholds” that recognize transitions from one place to another. Don’t invent a sense of place at the expense of one already there. Citizens have expressed concern over losing Gaines Street’s offbeat, unconventional character and reputation, unique in the city and fundamental to its sense of place now. In no way should these guidelines be interpreted as “gentrifying” any businesses essential to the character of the neighborhood. Their architecture may not be what the regulations and guidelines call for in new construction, but new development should strive for the kind of identification with the neighborhood that these established places enjoy. All Saints Cafe, Railroad Avenue, ASN-C LDR Standards 10-283(b)(1) All development shall contribute to making the district a distinct and memorable part of the city, unique In spaces, buildings, and street character. See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for complete standards.
St. Francis St., ASN-A district
S. Adams St., downtown Tallahassee
The Downtown Chain of Parks St. Michael St., ASN-B district The Gaines Street area will be one of several locales with strong senses of place in and around downtown Tallahassee.
11 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN 2.b. Enrich the Public Realm
Principle he public realm includes all publicly owned streets, sidewalks, rights-of-ways, parks and other publicly T accessible open spaces and infrastructure. Visually, the public realm encompasses all the eye can see from a sidewalk, including setbacks, facades, and the spaces between buildings. A good public realm encourages and facilitates Pasadena walking. Planned and unplanned activities are key to the life of the public realm. Planned activities include the arts fairs, festivals and parades that the community associates with a place. Just as crucial to a rich public realm, especially for residents, are the small spontaneous events that happen when we walk— people watching, window shopping, chance meetings, and conversation. In mixed-use blocks, no less important than retail are locations where people—especially residents—can hang out simply for the pleasures of good company
and lively talk, such as coffee shops and pubs. These Vancouver so-called “third places” enrich public life and allow casual contact in ways that don’t happen at home or at work.
Guidelines The community must be built at a pedestrian scale— distances short enough to walk, and buildings close to the sidewalk. There must be destinations that draw people to use the sidewalk. Destinations must be reachable and interconnected by means of a continuous network of safe, convenient, comfortable, interesting sidewalks and paths. Offer people, especially residents, a variety of routes to walk to the same place—in a hurry, on a date, in the rain, at night. People on the sidewalk must feel safe from crime, traffic, and weather conditions. People need places to sit, sunny and shaded, built-in and movable, and places to stand out of pedestrian traffic and have a conversation, or use an ATM. In addition to benches and planters, bikes and bike “Third Places” enrich public life and allow racks, a lot more stuff takes up room on the sidewalks casual contact in ways that don’t happen at of the public realm: plan for mailboxes, news boxes, home or at work. trash cans, traffic signal control boxes and masts, street lights, fire hydrants, fire department connections, ATMs, etc.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 12 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN
Lowly, unpurposeful and random as they appear, sidewalk contacts are the small change from which a city’s wealth of public life must grow. —Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Storefronts and shop interiors contribute greatly to the visual richness of the public realm.
Watching other people, and being watched, and chatting, is the core of the urban stroll. —David Sucher, author, City Comforts: How to Build an Urban Village
Forget the damned motor car and build Revive the pleasant pastime of window the cities for lovers and friends. shopping. —Lewis Mumford
13 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN 2.c. Put Pedestrians First
Principle n the Gaines Street districts, pedestrian comfort and safety have primacy over a driver’s convenience. Cars are I accommodated, and parking is available, but in a walkable environment, all drivers are pedestrians-to-be. An active street life depends on density, and on the number and frequency of connections between buildings Sydney, Australia and the street. Greater density will bring an increase in pedestrian activity, extending the life of sidewalks beyond normal working hours, as the opportunities and reasons for people to be there grow. Building uses, the number and design of their entrances, and their relationship to parking and transportation will impact the number of pedestrians on the street as well. “Walkability” is the value of how well the built environment accommodates people living, visiting, working, shopping, and enjoying time spent in a place, without cars and walking to their destinations. Walkability depends on: The mix of land uses, places to live, things to do, things to Adams Morgan, Washington DC look at, and ways to get there; Everyday services residents need, like grocery stores, CONGESTION pharmacies, day care, and restaurants, and the residential from the densities needed to support the services; Great Streets Master Plan Austin, Texas Sidewalk connectivity; Principle 1: Manage Congestion Access to mass transit; Congestion is a fact of life in successful Shade and protection from weather; and urban places. By definition, a place The visual interest that shops and restaurants offer that supports a great concentration of economic and social activities within a pedestrians. pedestrian-scaled environment is going Research indicates a correlation between the physical to be congested. activity a walkable city offers and a healthy local population. Walkable neighborhoods also offer opportunities for increased social interaction, and an increase in the number of friends and associates where people live.
Guidelines There must be places to walk for the pleasure of walking. There must be places to watch people and places where one can be seen. There must be places to stand without leaving the sidewalk, places to sit, places for people to gather, and places to be alone. Design for uses accessible to the general public, that are open during established shopping hours, that generate All truly great thoughts are conceived a walk-in pedestrian clientele, and contribute to a high by walking. level of sidewalk activity. —Friedrich Nietzsche Provide street level space to reinforce existing concentrations of retail uses. GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 14 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN
No more than 25% of any street frontage should be occupied by uses that have no need for or discourage walk-in traffic. Provide buildings with multiple entries, and windows that invite pedestrians to look into building interiors. Incorporate transit stops and shelters into buildings. Encourage street vendors and sidewalk cafés—food attracts people.
A diversity of people, especially including children, seniors and people with disabilities, denotes the quality, completeness and success of a walkable place.
WALKABLE URBANITY Walkable urbanity works under financial and market principles that “more is better”; as more dense development takes place with mixed-uses within walking distance and multiple transportation options to get there, the place gets better. Hence the environmental, fiscal (government tax base), community building AND project One of Portland, Oregon’s walking maps financial elements all become better. It is an upward spiral. — Christopher B. Leinberger, The Option of Urbanism
15 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN 2.d. Build to Human Scale
Principle uman scale is the proportional relationship of design elements to human dimensions, presence, and Hmovement. Like a scale figure in a drawing, seeing other people in context lets us quickly size up the scale of a building or place, and gauge our comfort level. Buildings and spaces scaled to human movement have steps, doorways, windows, railings, and walking Dimension and glaze openings so that one distances that fit well to the average person, while can see or imagine someone else looking welcoming the differently-abled. back. Seen at a distance across plenty of parking, buildings built to the scale of the automobile are smooth and two-dimensional, readable at a glance, with little indication of interior space. Drivers are keeping up with traffic, and seek a predictable big logo or familiar building shape. Signs have big letters and few words. In contrast, human-scaled places invite pedestrians to walk at their own pace, to look at shop windows or deep into a store, to stop for a conversation or to read a menu. There are places to stand and people to watch, and cars are parked at the curb. At the sidewalk level, human-scaled buildings are complex with texture, color, shadow, and surprise, while massing and upper-floor fenestration indicate the dimensions and presence of other people.
Guidelines Design buildings at a variety of scales, with street level detail appropriate to a pedestrian’s walking pace. Clearly articulate different uses at lower building If it looks comfortable, people will sit levels to create a sense of human scale at the street there. Let them. in mid-rise and taller buildings. Avoid monolithic, vertical extrusions of maximum building footprints. Use architectural elements and details that walkers can enjoy in ways that drivers can’t. Invite pedestrians to slow down with big, clear, well-merchandised storefront windows, lighted in the evening. Modern building materials do not preclude designing to human scale. Provide street furniture designed first for human comfort, for walkers to rest, have a conversation, or What attracts people most, it would wait for the bus. appear, is other people. —William H. Whyte, author, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 16 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN
no Calhoun Street, Tallahassee no
San Francisco
New Orleans no Langley VA no
There can be a lot going on in a human scaled setting. Buildings designed in section rather than plan may better address human dimensions and movement.
Minnesota
yes no A window you can’t see into or out of is not designed to human scale.
17 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN 2.e. Fit the Neighborhood
Principle eighborhoods have recognizable physical, functional, or lifestyle characteristics that set them apart from N other places in the city. Strength can vary, but a context of buildings, streetscape, landscape and use surrounds and supports every site and building. Designing a new building to become part of a neighborhood begins with a designer’s thorough Newbury Street, Boston appreciation of an existing context, and/or Shared architectural characteristics—for a familiarity with a new context intended by the most part—allow disparate facades to regulations and guidelines. Neighborhood context coexist: vertical emphasis, building width, is strong in the ASN-A and -B districts. In other fenestration, materials, color. districts, despite the presence of potentially reusable existing buildings, a new context will be established URBAN FABRIC as private development proceeds. Fabric buildings, or background New development must be compatible with buildings, are the more numerous the existing or intended context of a location’s buildings of a city. Object or foreground predominant urban form, as found in patterns of lot buildings are buildings of unusual sizes, building orientation, lot coverage, building importance. Fabric buildings are mass, patterns of pedestrian movement, and the buildings used for ordinary residences relationship of buildings to the street. and commerce. In successful cities, fabric buildings form a physically Most redevelopment in the Gaines Street districts, cohesive texture that is indicative of an especially flexible, adaptable mixed-use buildings, underlying social fabric. Object buildings will be “urban fabric” buildings. While distinctive are churches, mosques, government buildings are encouraged in every neighborhood, buildings, prominent residences, civic buildings and spaces must complement each monuments, and similar structures. They tend to stand slightly or even other within the established architectural context dramatically apart from their context. of building mass and proportion, roof shapes, fenestration, materials and color, etc., while —Matthew Frederick, 101 Things I following the standards and guidelines adopted for Learned in Architecture School the district. Street character is enriched by a collection of buildings that evidence a development of architectural elements and styles over time, within a recognized architectural context of tectonics, materials, and proportion.
Guidelines New development should enrich the qualities of existing urban places. New development should not make existing viable, appropriate, characteristic buildings or uses look or feel out of place. S. Monroe Street, Tallahassee Much of Tallahassee’s downtown urban Where context is non-existent or undesirable by fabric was lost to redevelopment in the 20th these guidelines, new development should set a century, but what remains continues the strong desirable precedent for others to follow. historical role of fabric buildings, including Where taller, denser, new development framing the street and adapting to purposes adjoins older development that is important to not foreseen when the buildings were built. neighborhood character, even though the older GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 18 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN
buildings may eventually be redeveloped, new development should respect the older character with design that is compatible in the interim. Historic replication is no guarantee of compatible design. The Guidelines mandate no particular architectural style. Well-made buildings clearly of their time are strongly encouraged.
Brooklyn Jemal’s Historic Row, Washington DC Here new construction shares aspects of older urban fabric on the Here upper building mass is pulled away street: a base-middle-top parti; proportions and pattern in fenestration; from the street and older buildings. materials and color; a vertical emphasis. Topmost floors are pulled back Materials, detailing, proportion, and color to maintain a cornice line at the street. bring new construction into compatibility with older neighbors.
Always design a thing by considering it in its next largest context—a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan. —Eliel Saarinen
DEVELOPMENT PATTERN A predominant building type, size of lots, siting of the building on the lot, lot coverage, and the typical relationship of the buildings to the street determine a development pattern. New development must be harmonious with the predominant development pattern of the district.
19 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES PRINCIPLES 2.b. STREET CHARACTER 2.f. Frame the Street
Intention uildings frame views through cities. The strength of the view frame depends on the degree of enclosure formed B by the distance between buildings across the street, their height, setbacks from the street, and setbacks between buildings. Buildings in Charleston and downtown Tallahassee frame strong, open-ended vistas, typical of King Street, Charleston American cities and intended for Gaines Street, while front and side yards give the old streets of All Saints a more porous enclosure.
ASN-A
Worth Avenue, Palm Beach Closely spaced buildings frame the space of the street and the view, for both pedestrians and drivers.
ASN-B
ASN-C + D UV The degree of a street’s sense of enclosure, and the shape of the frame of the view, are The typical commercial strip is poorly determined by the ratio of building height and framed. Space leaks between and over distance between buildings across the street. buildings. Few landmarks indicate passage from place to place.
St. Francis St., ASN-B
Florida Photographic Collection Big trees have always been characteristic view-framing elements in Tallahassee. North All Saints Street, ASN-A Monroe Street in 1949. Buildings either side of All Saints Street frame the view west. GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 20 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS PRINCIPLES 2.b. STREET CHARACTER 2.g. Add Rhythm and Pattern
Intention hythm refers to a regular or harmonious repetition of elements, from windows on a facade to buildings on R a street. Successive facades with similar proportions and shared patterns of openings—not necessarily identical—set up a rhythm on the street. At the scale of the city, a pattern is a set of relationships between the spacing and orientation of buildings; between buildings and the streets; between buildings and open space; and between buildings and the way people inhabit them. Proven urban patterns can be continued, creatively and with flexibility. Over time, San Francisco urban patterns are apparent in visual order, beauty, Pattern and rhythm in fenestration is meaning, and a sense of place. especially evident and beautiful at night. Rhythm and pattern are apparent in ASN-A, in both the historical development pattern of houses and yards, and also in different, newer development. The old warehouses in the UV district and Railroad Square exhibit a pattern in the way their doors typically are built close to streets or rail sidings.
Pattern and rhythm should be apparent close San Francisco to a building, too. Openings, projections, and materials are Bethesda MD arranged in patterns; patterns repeat, with variations, creating rhythm.
Amsterdam Beacon Hill, Boston London Rhythmic, varied facades repeat similar Like music, rhythm and pattern engage patterns of shared elements. the eye in subtle, complicated, and unpredictable ways.
21 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES PRINCIPLES 2. URBAN DESIGN 2.h. Entertain the Eye
Principle ll buildings must have architectural features and patterns that provide pedestrians with information A and visual interest, and that in combination with other buildings contribute a distinctive “look” to the neighborhood. At a walking pace, there is a lot to look at: Architecture Art Awnings and canopies Balconies Color Food Landscape Lighting Paving Signs Store windows Upper level windows Other people
Guidelines Engage the other senses with sound and smells, sun and shade, and the feel of the sidewalk underfoot. Allow products or services to “spill-out” onto the sidewalk in visually engaging ways. Don’t over-coordinate. Established commercial districts let you know they’ve evolved over time.
Too much good taste can be boring. —Diana Vreeland
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 22 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS GUIDELINES 3. A L L D I S T R I C T S
3.a. SITE PLANNING LDR DEFINITION: “Street. The term ‘street’ means a 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN vehicular way whether called among other names street, highway, roadway, thoroughfare, parkway, road, avenue, boulevard, lane, or place.” BUT A street is a place in the city, too, not just cars passing through the residue between buildings.
23 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES PARKING
arking is the tail that wags the building. “Vulgar as it may be to actually say it in public, and P except for the unusual circumstance in which there is no required parking (definitely rare in North America)* urban design starts with parking. You may not want to believe it, but that is the cold hard reality. I was chatting with an architect. We were discussing a small condominium project. Very large buildings came up. I happened to ask him if he had worked on one. ‘Yes when I was a young associate at a big firm.’ ‘Oh, they must be exceedingly difficult to design.’ ‘No not really.’ ‘Really?’ ‘No it’s true. For one thing most of the work is done by the engineer and contractor who lay out the basic grid. The architect’s fundamental job is getting the cars onto and off the site. You can route people up ramps and stairs and so forth. But cars are much more difficult. These regulations and guidelines are There are consideration of grades and transitions and intended to counter the mindset that put the turning radii. The real design turns on parking.’ needs of the automobile first, leaving us with a familiar legacy of hostile non-places ‘Amazing!’ like this. Parking must not wag Gaines Street. ‘No, look at it with this project, here. What’s the very first thing we did? Long before we even started to look at the apartment layouts? We looked at how we would get cars onto and off the site...and how we could arrange the parking layout. Only then did we look at the building itself. Parking is the tail that wags the building.’” —David Sucher, author, City Comforts: How to Build an Urban Village
*FYI: There is no required parking in Tallahassee’s Downtown Zoning Districts: CCPD, DI, RO, and SCD. The City’s Parking Schedule “B” applies in the Gaines Street Design Review Districts. Schedule “B” requires fewer parking spaces than the more frequently used Schedule “A.”
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 24 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS n sites with surface or structured parking, plan for O moving and storing cars, but also for: Pedestrian circulation on the site and on the sidewalk, and pedestrians’ primacy over cars; Screening views to parking and service areas; Displacing parking lots with buildings in the future.
ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. S I T E P L A N N I N G
3.a.1. BUILDING ORIENTATION
3.a.2. PARKING AND Service
3.a.3. setbacks
3.a.4. pedestrian passageways
If you live in a city, you don’t need to own a car. —William Clay Ford Jr., Chair, Ford Motor Company
25 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING 3.a.1. Building Orientation
n City Comforts: How to Build an Urban Village, David Sucher identifies The 3 Rules of Urban Design to preserve I and create walkable commercial areas: Build to the Sidewalk: Create a strong “streetwall” in which each building meets or comes close to the sidewalk. Make the Building Front “Permeable:” Connect the inside of the building and the sidewalk outside with windows and doors. Prohibit Parking Lots in Front of the Building: Put on-site parking above, below, behind or beside.
The 3 Rules are basic to regulations and guidelines for sites and buildings in the Gaines Street Design Review Districts. Required setbacks effectively increase the width of the public sidewalk by allowing it to extend into the privately-owned setback, up to the face of the building. Principles Enrich the Public Realm Sucher, David. City Comforts: How to Build an Urban Village, City Comforts, Inc., 2003 Put Pedestrians First Fit the Neighborhood Frame the Street Add Rhythm and Pattern
Guideline In addition to following the 3 Rules, locate buildings, parking, vehicle circulation, building entrances, balconies, windows, and lighting to maintain the comfort and privacy of people on adjacent properties.
LDR Standards 10-283.(c)(1)a. Development pattern. A predominant building type, size of lots, siting of the building on the lot, lot coverage, and relationship of the building to the street determine a development pattern. New development must be harmonious with the predominant development pattern of the district. 10-283.(c)(2)a. All buildings shall be located and designed to be compatible with the predominant development pattern of the zoning district. 10-283.(c)(2)b. Primary entrances shall face the street.
Berkeley CA Commercial space and residents’ amenities screen a parking lot under the dwelling units in this mixed-use development.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 26 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING
10-284.(b)(1)a. Orientation. The primary facade of a building shall be 10-285.(b)(1)a. oriented towards the street and shall contain the main 10-286.(b)(1)a. building entrance. The main entrance shall be clearly 10-287.(b)(1)a. visible and accessible from the street. The building may 10-288.(b)(1)a. have other, secondary entrances, as long as pedestrian access is provided from all entrances. Entrances from parking facilities shall be considered secondary to a building’s primary entrance from the street. Accessory structures, (if any), including integrated or freestanding garages, storage, service, and utilities shall be located at rear of principal buildings, and shall not be visible from the street. See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for complete standards.
Marriott Residence In, 600 W. Gaines Street, Courtesy Conn & Associates Architects UV district. Proposed mixed-use development, downtown Tallahassee, 2008. At-grade 1 In the first concept, customer parking serves the second-floor typical of suburban store; below-grade parking serves offices on planning, parking is floors above. Grade change allows tenant located on Railroad space to be entered from Monroe St. Avenue, in front of the building (2). A single- story tenant building extends to the Gaines Street corner (1). In the built design, the wing facing Railroad 2 Avenue is pulled to the street (3), where the driveway passes under the building to parking at the center of the block. Both the Railroad Avenue and Gaines Street facades are at the sidewalk. The restaurant is at the corner, where the building mass is 3 notched in recognition of the District Center envisioned for the intersection (4).
Courtesy Architects: Whitlock + Lewis, LLC Proposed mixed-use development, West Pensacola St., Tallahassee, 2008. Active commercial uses and common space front on Pensacola St.; structured parking is 4 behind, accessed from a side street.
27 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING 3.a.2. Parking, Service, and Access
ell-designed, strategically located parking resources are critical components of the city’s transportation W system. As Gaines Street districts evolve into a walkable, pedestrian-oriented place with a significant resident population, parking should be provided to: Reduce vehicular trip demand to and within the Gaines Street area, downtown, and the campuses; Minimize detrimental effects, visual and functional, of on-site parking areas on adjacent properties, and the view from streets; Encourage a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly street environment. Principles Enrich the Public Realm Put Pedestrians First
The suburban pattern of buildings sited away from the street, with ample parking waiting in front, is convenient for cars and drivers, but it’s deadly to pedestrian activity. In developing urban areas like Active, pedestrian-oriented uses wrap street the Gaines Street districts, creative if conventionally level parking at the Gramercy on Garfield, inconvenient ways to store cars must be found Cincinnati OH: retail space on a commercial from the outset of development, such as parking street, and townhouses on a quieter side behind buildings, off-site parking, shared parking, street. structured parking, and below-grade parking. Car ownership may decrease with time in the Gaines street districts, due in no small part to improved walkability. While parking should be provided to present-day regulations, standards will change over the lifetime of Gaines Street’s coming buildings. In hundreds of cities, including cities not unlike Tallahassee, alternatives to private vehicle ownership such as carsharing exist already. Like blank walls, curb cuts deaden the street environment, frustrating pedestrian interaction with buildings and other people. Curb cuts put cars on sidewalks, increase instances of pedestrian injuries, eliminate on-street parking spaces, limit opportunities for landscaping and street trees, and interrupt the street wall, opening unwanted views to stored cars and empty lots. The suburban pattern of parking lots separating big bland buildings from the Guidelines street—a pattern common in cities, too— Parking lots are land banks for future development. frustrates and endangers pedestrian activity.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 28 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING
Site planning must not allow motor vehicles to dominate pedestrian circulation, safety, and comfort. Where parking and pedestrians conflict, pedestrians must always be favored. On-site circulation planning primarily should be geared to pedestrian movements, and secondarily to the convenience of vehicles, including service vehicles. Parking areas should provide clearly marked pedestrian routes through and around parking areas. Carefully consider connectivity to adjacent sites and sidewalks. Shared parking and service facilities are strongly Atlanta encouraged. Garages and surface parking at the interior of a block in Glenwood Park. Parking and vehicle maneuvering in setbacks will not be approved in any district. Allow on-street parking. Stop-and-go parking is essential in real shopping districts. Parking directly in front of a building or use may count toward meeting parking requirements. Incorporate space for carsharing services into parking lots and structured parking. See Chapter 4.b.10. Structured Parking for parking garage guidelines. The Cloisters, All Saints St., ASN-A, Tallahassee Bicycle PARKING Provide more than the minimum number of required bike parking spaces. Provide covered, secure bike storage. Consider community bikes, bike sharing and other cooperative bicycle programs.
Parking lots Locate off-street parking behind buildings and to
the back of the property, or within the building. St. Francis St., ASN-A, Tallahassee Break large lots into smaller lots. Parking at The Cloisters is at the interior of the block, screened by the buildings at the street. Design parking areas to allow natural surveillance, by maintaining clear lines of sight for those who park there, for pedestrians passing by, and for occupants of nearby buildings. Pervious and semi-pervious paving materials are encouraged for all areas of parking lots. Store employees should park in long-term surface lots or garages in order to reserve on-street parking for visitors.
access
Share curb cuts and driveways with adjacent On-street parking is a buffer between development. pedestrians and moving traffic. Parking Avoid curb cuts on Gaines Street. Before making directly in front of a building or use may count toward meeting parking requirements.
29 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING
3.a.2. Parking, Service, and Access curb cuts on Gaines Street, provide access to parking from side streets, away from intersections. At curb cuts, consider the following design devices for the safety and comfort of pedestrians: minimize the width of the curb cut, driveway, and/or garage opening; provide specialty paving where the driveway crosses the sidewalk; enhance gates or garage openings with lighting, art, or materials having a distinctive pattern, color, or texture.
service Locate service areas, including trash and recycling containers, behind buildings, and screen them.
views All parking should be screened from views from adjacent development, if the parking area will have Parking areas should provide clearly marked a detrimental effect on either the design or leasing pedestrian routes through and around of a planned or existing development. parking areas. Pervious and semi-pervious Garage doors should not front or be visible from paving materials are encouraged. the street.
LDR Standards 10-283.(c)(3)a. Whenever feasible, driveway access shall be shared with adjacent properties and shall be located internally or at the rear of the site. 10-283.(c)(4)b. Minimum setbacks for front, side, and rear yards shall apply to parking structures and to parking lots, including associated pedestrian access ways, as they apply to buildings. 10-283(c)(6) Landscape features. Driveway and walkway paving shall be unit pavers such as brick, stone, asphalt, or concrete pavers installed on a sand bed. Semi-pervious paving materials are encouraged. E. Call Street, Tallahassee 10-283(c)(5)a. Service areas, including dumpsters, shall be Although this mechanical equipment is very screened from public view by structures, opaque fences, wall, or well-screened, mechanical equipment is not hedges to a maximum height of seven feet. Equipment shall not be permitted along the street frontage in the visible from the street. The use of chain link, plastic or vinyl fencing Gaines Street districts. as screening materials is prohibited. 10-283(c)(5)b. Areas used for primary circulation and for frequent idling of vehicle engines shall be designed and located to minimize impacts on adjoining properties, and shall include provisions for screening or buffering. 10-283(c)(5)c. Dumpsters and permanently placed refuse receptacles shall be located a minimum of 20 feet from adjacent residential uses. 10-283(c)(12)g. All outdoor mechanical equipment, including heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems, shall be placed on the roof to the rear or side of a building, or be otherwise visually screened from the street. In no case shall mechanical equipment be allowed along the street frontage. Mechanical equipment on the roof shall be screened from abutting streets with parapets or other types of visual screening. Railroad Avenue, UV district. See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the Avoid locating equipment in setbacks or in complete standards. front of buildings.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 30 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING 3.a.3. Setbacks
rban character begins with the relationship of buildings and streets. Buildings shape and animate the public U space of the sidewalk, promoting a walkable, truly urban public realm. The “urban” setbacks required in all Gaines Street districts except ASN-A are among the most important elements of these Guidelines. Required and optional setbacks are opportunities to extend the relatively narrow sidewalk width of the existing rights-of-way onto private property. By offering space for café tables and chairs, room for outdoor sales, settings for art, and space for bus stops and other pedestrian amenities, building setbacks and the way they’re used contribute to lively, vibrant streets throughout the day. Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh Principles Enrich the Public Realm Put Pedestrians First Build to Human Scale Fit the Neighborhood Frame the Street Add Rhythm and Pattern St. Louis Entertain the Eye
Conventional suburban development typically locates parking lots between buildings and streets. On sites planned solely around the automobile, driveways and parked cars isolate building entrances from limited, nearly irrelevant pedestrian activity out at the street. In contrast, urban buildings front the sidewalk, with a car-free space from the curb to the face of the building devoted entirely to pedestrians’ use and enjoyment. Limiting the depth of setbacks maintains the proportions of the “urban room” of the street. At the scale of the view down the street—a pedestrian’s view or a driver’s—setbacks frame urban view corridors.
Parking or maneuvering in setbacks will not be Pasadena approved in any district. Setbacks are locations for sidewalk cafes and outdoor sales areas. Opening the Guidelines facade wall to the street effectively extends Steps from the sidewalk to outdoor dining areas are the sidewalk into the building. discouraged. Space for outdoor dining should be at the same elevation as the street level.
31 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING
3.a.3. Setbacks
Outdoor dining seating should not be fixed in place. Bring movable furniture inside when the restaurant is not operating, or during inclement weather. Outdoor furnishings don’t have to be the same from restaurant to restaurant; furnishings can reflect the character of the restaurant while contributing to the spirit of the street design. Awnings and canopies are permitted in setbacks. Arcades or colonnades may cover setbacks. Why setbacks are required, #1. Locate the inside floor level as close as possible to the level of the sidewalk outside. Setbacks can be used as sales places for flowers, garden supplies, and agricultural produce. Planters at arcade columns and vine planting areas along facades are encouraged. To frame the street with a comfortable height-to- width ratio, upper floors of taller buildings should meet the setback at least through the fourth floor.
LDR Standards 10-283.(c)(4)b. Minimum setbacks for front, side, and rear yards shall Why setbacks are required, #2. apply to parking structures and to parking lots, including associated pedestrian access ways, as they apply to buildings with other uses. 10-286.(b)(1)c. In districts ASN-C, ASN-D, and UV, up to eighty-five 10-287.(b)(1)c. (85) percent of the front setback may be paved, in 10-288.(b)(1)c. order to permit extension of the sidewalk beneath arcades and along the face of buildings with multiple entrances. See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the complete standards.
Why setbacks are required, #3.
E. College Ave., Tallahassee Berlin Why setbacks are required, #4. Even shallow setbacks are places for seating.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 32 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING
S. Duval St. at Kleman Plaza College Ave. at Monroe St. 15’ is also the maximum permitted setback from 10’ face-of-building the property line in ASN-C and -D, and UV. to columns, including outside seating.
Why setbacks are required #5: No Gaines Street sidewalk should have less usable width than the most-used sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles Tallahassee. Awnings and canopies may extend into setbacks to cover seating areas.
S. Adams St. at College Ave S. Monroe St. at College Ave 8’ face-of-building to 9’ face-of-building columns. to columns. Note planters on sidewalk; add mailboxes, Scale comparisons of downtown trash cans, news Tallahassee sidewalks boxes, traffic signs, deliveries, etc. Bethesda MD Consider locating seating at the curb, if possible, as at Andrew’s Capital Grill and Bar on Adams Street.
SETBACK The setback is the distance from the property line to the face of the building. It is not the distance from the curb to the face of the building.
33 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING 3.a.4. Pedestrian Passageways
edestrian passageways, sometimes called “vias,” or “paseos,” are convenient walking routes, separated P from vehicular traffic, between the street and the interiors of blocks, from one side of the block through to a sidewalk on the next street. Strategically located, passageways can break down the bulk of a large development, while offering pedestrians a network of short cuts and alternate walking routes. Like streets, pedestrian passageways are best lined with active uses with eyes on the street, especially entrances, store
windows, and outdoor dining. Settings for landscaping, Boston fountains, and art, often pedestrian passageways serve a dual purpose in the city, accommodating the everyday flow of pedestrian traffic, while serving as destinations themselves. Principles Enrich the Public Realm Put Pedestrians First
Guidelines Oakland CA Passageways should be for the exclusive use of pedestrians. Passageways can connect the street to courtyards or parking at the interior of a Allow bicycles but discourage speeding. block. Upper floors can span the opening. Where emergency or service vehicles must share the passage, prevent ordinary use by other vehicles with removable or retractable bollards, or similar means. Except in solely residential development, pedestrian passageways should be open to the public during daylight hours. Pedestrian passageways should be well lighted, overlooked by active uses and windows, and designed to CPTED principles. Pedestrian passageways may be roofed, provided the minimum clear height of the passageway is twelve Chattanooga feet. Sidewalk dining can be extended around the Upper floors can continue over the passageway. corner into a pedestrian passageway that leads to parking at the center of the block. Publicly accessible pedestrian passageways are also encouraged through building interiors. In any district, a pedestrian passageway also can be as simple as a paved, lighted path to parking.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 34 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING
LDR Standards 10-286.(b)(1)k. Building design guidelines. Publicly accessible 10-287.(b)(1)k. pedestrian passageways from the street to and through 10-288.(b)(1)l. the interior of the block are encouraged to separate pedestrians from traffic and provide pedestrian access from parking lots at the rear of buildings to the street. Passageways shall be a minimum of eight (8) feet wide and a minimum of twelve (12) feet high. Upper floors are encouraged to continue over the passageway. Pedestrian passageways shall be designed to preclude normal vehicular access and preferably be separate from other emergency vehicle access ways to the interior of the block.
See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the complete Santa Barbara standards. Line pedestrian passageways with active uses with eyes on the street, especially entrances, store windows, and outdoor dining.
Pedestrian passageways, South Pasadena Town Square Master Plan, South Pasadena, CA. Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz, Architects
A pedestrian passageway can be a short cut through a building. Cambridge MA
35 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.a. SITE PLANNING CPTED rime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a multi-disciplinary approach to C deterring criminal behavior through the design of buildings and streets. The City of Tallahassee CPTED program consists of a review by the Tallahassee Police Department, as part of the site plan permitting process, of proposed City of Vancouver construction and modifications to existing buildings, to identify potential opportunities for criminal behavior, and to recommend action that will minimize the likelihood of crime. CPTED strategies are intended to influence a potential offender’s decisions preceding a criminal act. Research has shown that the decision to offend is more influenced by environmental cues as to the perceived risk of getting caught, than by the perceived likelihood of reward, or ease of entry. CPTED-based strategies are aimed at increasing a perpetrator’s perceived risk of detection and apprehension. Strategies include: Natural Surveillance, directed at keeping intruders easily observable, and promoted by features that maximize visibility of people, parking areas and building entrances: doors and windows that look out on to streets and parking areas; pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and streets; front porches; and lighting. Territorial Reinforcement creates or extends a sphere of influence through physical design. Legitimate users of a space develop a sense of
ownership and control, discouraging potential Austin offenders. Landscape plantings, pavement “Eyes on the Street” designs, gateway treatments, and other devices that define property lines and distinguish private and public space promote a sense of territorial enforcement. Natural Access Control seeks to decrease criminal opportunity by denying access to crime targets, and by instilling in an offender a perception of risk. Streets, sidewalks, building entrances and neighborhood gateways can be designed to clearly indicate public routes and discourage access to private areas. Designers are urged to familiarize themselves with CPTED, and to follow sound crime prevention practice when applying standards and guidelines found in this document. More information can be found at the International CPTED Association. http://www.cpted.net/
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 36 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
3.b.1. MIXED-USE buildings
3.b.2. SCALE AND MASSING
3.b.3. ROOFS AND HEIGHT
3.b.4. facades
3.b.5. TRANSPARENCY
3.b.6. ENTRANCES
3.b.7. CORNERS
3.b.8. DESIGN for the WEATHER
3.b.9. BALCONIES and terraces
3.b.10. STRUCTURED PARKING
3.b.11. CONSTRUCTION AND mATERIALS
3.b.12. DETAILING THE PUBLIC REALM
3.b.13. Signs
3.b.14. Adaptability and re-use
37 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN 3.b.1. Mixed-use Buildings
ixed-use buildings are encouraged in all Gaines Street districts, at increasing intensity closer to Gaines M Street itself. Mixing uses in a single development promotes activity throughout the day and into the evening in that location, adding life, character, and safety to the street. In vertical mixed-use buildings, where different uses are located on different floors of a single structure, shops are on-site amenities for residents, as well as attractive to visitors. Windows and balconies above the shops are “eyes on the street,” reinforcing pedestrians’ sense of safety. Street level uses on both sides of the street frame the public realm of the street with activity. Principles Evoke a Sense of Place Enrich the Public Realm
Put Pedestrians First Pentagon Row, Arlington VA Build to Human Scale Commercial uses at the lower floors of a mixed-use residential development. On the Fit the Neighborhood facade, human scaled canopies, sign bands, balconies, and windows indicate where Entertain the Eye floors begin, differentiate living units, and reinforce vertical proportions.
Guidelines Balance a mix of residential, retail, office, and hospitality uses, based on local market needs. Intersperse less active services such as banks Least among uses that are more active throughout the intensity: day and into the evening. Residential Mix daytime and evening uses, to maintain life on the street for as much of the day as possible, appropriate to the district. Moderate As the district permits, include goods and services intensity: that meet the daily needs of residents: corner Offices stores, hair salons, coffee shops, laundry and dry cleaning pick-up agencies, laundromats, shoe Highest repair, moderately priced restaurants, etc. intensity: Commercial/ Office space should be secondary to an active Retail ground floor retail and restaurant pattern. Vertical mixed-use projects: plan so that Intensity should decrease as the floors go up. the least intense use, in terms of foot traffic For example, if a multistory mixed-use structure and number of persons coming and going, includes retail, office, and residential uses, the is located farthest from the ground floor. retail use should occupy the ground floor, the Residences should never have any other office use the second floor, with residences on the kind of use above them. floors above.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 38 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
Design flexible, versatile buildings that will outlast initial building uses. The ground floors of all buildings facing Gaines Street should be designed to accommodate retail/restaurant uses, with the required street-level transparent area, regardless of whether the buildings are actually used for retail/ restaurant uses in the first years of occupancy. Warehouses, self-storage, and parking are not considered mixed-use components.
LDR Standards 10-284.(b)(1)i. Mixed-use developments. A mix of uses within a 10-285.(b)(1)j. single project or structure is encouraged in districts 10-286.(b)(1)j. ASN-A and ASN-B, and preferred in districts ASN- 10-287.(b)(1)j. C, ASN-D, and UV. 10-288.(b)(1)k. In districts ASN-A and ASN-B, residential uses are permitted on the ground floor as part of a live-work unit. Live-work is defined as a use made up of commercial activities that may need accommodations for customer traffic, commercial signage, or freight Fremont CA delivery, while also meeting life-safety regulations for a place where people live. Live-work is distinguished from purely residential use by “Epicenter” has a grocery store, coffee shop, having work performed in the unit. sushi bar, ice creamery, retail, live/work 1. In district ASN-B, for non-live-work units, residential uses shall units and 128 apartments. The corner is never be located on a floor below a commercial use in a vertical draped with artist Mark Steven’s 65 foot-tall mixed-use project. The intensity of the uses should decrease as stainless steel “Monsruang.” the floors go up. Photo © 2003 Randall J. Corcoran 2. In districts ASN-C, ASN-D, and UV, commercial uses and/or personal services are required on the ground floor of a vertical mixed-use project. Residential uses are prohibited from being located on a floor below a commercial use in a vertical mixed- use project with the exception of lobbies and common circulation areas, which may be located on the ground floor. The intensity of the uses should decrease as the floors go up. See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the complete standards.
Portland The “Burnside Rocket” mix includes a TV studio, design co-op, and lounge. An “edible roof” garden supplies fresh produce for the top floor restaurant.
Subway and a coffee shop are among the mix of stores at The Bethesda MD Boardwalk Village Mix daytime and evening uses, to maintain near FSU. life on the street for as much of the day as W. Pensacola St., Tallahassee possible, appropriate to the district.
39 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
3.b.1. Mixed Use Buildings
Birkdale Village, Huntersville NC Affordable, green Three stories of condos, restaurants, and mixed use. shops. Denny Park, Seattle
Loft residences in new mixed Florida Photographic Archive use development A jeweler, a barber shop, sheet music and in a reviving a lot of glass, circa 1950, on the ground neighborhood. floor of the Fountain Building, S. Monroe St. at Pensacola St., downtown Tallahassee. Lobbyists, dentists, and other offices may have been upstairs. Had they not been demolished, the mixed-use Fountain Building and Sears next-door might have “gone condo” by now. Agnes Lofts, Seattle
Museum Place, Portland Lofts, townhouses, Safeway.
Kirkland WA Living above the store. GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 40 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN 3.b.2. Scale and Massing
cale and massing are fundamental three-dimensional factors that determine how well a building fits with a S neighborhood. Scale is the relationship between an element and its context. Human scale elements reflect human use and occupation, seen in dimensions and proportions readily comparable to the size, movement, and comfort of a human body. In an urban context, building scale is Cambridge MA judged by height, bulk, wall openings, and intensities Recesses and projections, material of use, relative to nearby space, streets, buildings, and changes, color, and transparency modulate people. a building’s bulk. Massing is the manner in which large elements of a building’s bulk are brought together and/or differentiated. Massing can be varied (“break it up”) and complicated, or simple. A building with a single undifferentiated mass is said to be monolithic. Articulated massing refers to the division of a building into recognizable parts, or the expression of elements of its structure, construction, or use. A building may be made up of articulated masses that reflect interior volumes or uses, or they may be purely expressive. Articulated masses can be modulated and rhythmically repeated across a street face. Denver Lower floors “hold” the street at the setback; upper floors step back, reducing bulkiness Principles and making room for amenities; the corner is Evoke a Sense of Place given special treatment. Enrich the Public Realm Put Pedestrians First yes yes Fit the Neighborhood no Build to Human Scale Frame the Street
Buildings massed and fenestrated to mark populated human habitation inside—especially at night—help us orient ourselves to our surroundings at a comfortable human scale. Just knowing others may see us adds a sense of security to the sidewalk.
Guidelines
Use building masses to define the street edge, enhance Lynwood WA urban character, and promote a walkable, pedestrian Affordable housing with roof decks, scale. balconies, bay windows, varied materials, and street-level commercial uses. Roof Use building mass to temper the scale of development, lines, bay windows, and color break up the cast shadows, and stimulate visual interest. building’s mass and differentiate living units.
41 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
3.b.2. Scale and Massing
Avoid monolithic, domineering building masses. Articulate and vary masses into distinct elements that relate to structure, entrances, and the layout and volume of interior space and use. no On elevations, emphasize vertical proportions with structural bays, grouped openings, bay windows, balconies, awnings and canopies, shadows, and color. Repeat the modules as a theme across the streetfront, with subtle and appropriate variations. San Diego Reinforce desirable patterns of massing and facade composition found in surrounding buildings, yes complementing existing massing and design in the scale and proportions of new construction. Look for precedent in structural bays and modularity; in roof shapes; in fenestration patterns; and in finish materials and detailing. To frame the street at a proper height-to-width ratio, upper floors of buildings on Gaines Street should meet the setback at least through the fourth floor. Upper floors can be stepped back to ease the bulk of the building at the street line, to create terraces, or to Charleston shape a view corridor. Where new development abuts older development yes important to neighborhood character, new construction should respect the established character and use building forms that are both sensitive to long term objectives for the district, and compatible with existing buildings in the interim, even if the older buildings may eventually undergo redevelopment. New buildings should not leave older buildings—or
recent buildings—looking out of place. Without some Portland architectural gesture, primarily in massing, but also Avoid monolithic, domineering building in proportions, materials, and details, a large building masses and blank end walls. Give windows can overshadow a smaller neighbor, and throw the to residential end units; put windows in stairs ensemble of the street off balance. and corridors. Mass buildings to minimize negative environmental effects of wind, sun, and shadow on sidewalks and adjacent properties. LINER BUILDING BIG BUILDINGs A building or portion of a building constructed in front of a parking Highly desirable neighborhood uses such as grocery garage, theater, supermarket etc., stores, drug stores, theaters, health clubs, cinemas, and to conceal large expanses of blank parking garages, whose large footprints and inward- wall area and to face the street looking programs typically do not call for many space with a facade that has ample entrances or windows, should face the street with liner doors and windows opening onto buildings that front expanses of blank wall with active the sidewalk. uses, lighted windows and entrances. A depth of 10 feet along the street front of a building can be enough space for newsstands, ticket booths, flower shops, coffee stands and other sidewalk uses. GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 42 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
LDR Standards 10-283.(c)(8)a.1. Provide substantial massing variations by articulating exterior walls using materials, architectural elements, arrangement of openings, design of horizontal and vertical planes, and changes in height. 10-283.(c)(8)a.3. Long, monotonous roof planes and uninterrupted expanses of blank wall are not allowed along street frontages. 10-283.(c)(8)a.8. Where solid walls are required by building code, the wall shall be articulated and divided into distinct modules. 10-283.(c)(12)g. Place outdoor mechanical equipment, including heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems, on the roof, to the rear, or to the side of building, and screen from the view from the street. In no case shall mechanical equipment be allowed along the street frontage. 10-285.(b)(1)c.5. Except in ASN-A and UV districts, building masses 10-286.(b)(1)d.6. shall be broken up and modulated above the second 10-287.(b)(1)d.6. floor, to reflect the scale of adjacent structures. 10-283.(c)(4)d.3. Commercial buildings and buildings with ground floor commercial uses shall have minimum twelve (12) feet high ceilings at the ground floor.
Atlanta In Atlantic Station, liner buildings in front of the big grocery store face the street with the windows and entrances of neighborhood commercial services local residents need.
San Francisco Edmonton AB, Canada Mixed use with a big drug store, a desirable A depth of only 10 feet along the street use, but one that resists transparency, resulting front of a building can be enough space for in blank walls at the sidewalk. Patterned walls newsstands, ticket booths, flower shops, do nothing for a sense of safety. coffee stands and other sidewalk uses.
43 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN 3.b.3. roofs and Height
uilding height, required setback distances, and minimum height standards shape the street’s sense of B enclosure, frame views up and down the corridor, and contribute to a unified visual environment. Even buildings of moderate heights combine to make a skyline. Streets in every district should have a distinct, harmonious skyline and sense of enclosure, at a scale Kirkland WA appropriate to the intended character of the district. Break street walls into modulated facades and individually expressed roofs, to give the Principles block human scale and a pleasing skyline. Build to Human Scale Fit the Neighborhood Put Pedestrians First Frame the Street Entertain the Eye
Varied roof lines reduce the apparent bulk of large buildings. Depending on the size of the building, roof design should include a variety of forms. Roof shapes and height must be in scale with the building’s mass, and complement the character of surrounding buildings and neighborhoods.
More than any other architectural element, roofs directly express the relationship between a building and the forces of nature and time. Roofs are opportunities for New York active public and private space, and/or for “green roof” stormwater management systems. On all buildings, Consider roofs as locations for private and semi-private outdoor space, such as pools, including parking structures, roof gardens and terraces terraces, and gardens. are encouraged for both active public and private use, and for the views they offer to the public realm of the street, and to the city skyline. no Care should be taken to design the district’s roofs to be appreciated not only from the street and from taller buildings, including buildings downtown, but also from the air, many visitors’ first impression of the city. Gaines Street lies under the airport’s flight path, and the area roofscape will be a “fifth facade” for the city.
All roof-mounted mechanical equipment must be screened from view.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 44 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
Guidelines
Roofs should demonstrate a common-sense recognition of the climate, utilizing appropriate pitch, drainage, and materials. Study local lines of sight, and locate rooftop mechanical equipment to minimize views of the equipment from the street and from other buildings, existing and future. Integrate screening devices into the roof design. Remove unused equipment from roofs. When a flat roof is screened with a parapet or mansard roof on any facade, the parapet or mansard roof should extend around the remaining facades that Vancouver are visible from the street. Consider rooftop stormwater management systems. “Green” roofs can incorporate gardens and terraces. When solar panels, wind turbines, and other alternative energy devices are designed as integral parts of the architecture buildings and roofs, such elements need not be hidden from view.
LDR Standards 10-283.(c)(4)d.3. Commercial buildings and buildings with ground floor commercial uses shall have minimum twelve (12) feet high ceilings at the ground floor. 10-283.(c)(8)a.3. Long, monotonous roof planes and uninterrupted expanses of blank wall are not allowed along street frontages. Articulated roof forms and wall openings shall be used to add visual interest and contribute to a human scale. Parking levels shall be included when measuring building height. See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the complete standards.
Cambridge MA Two green roofs over parking.
New York ASLA Headquarters, Washington DC The view of a roof from above is often A green roof that screens mechanical overlooked. equipment.
45 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN 3.b.4. Facades
vibrant public realm depends on the relationships of buildings and sidewalks. Facades should reflect A historical urban patterns, or establish desirable new ones; reinforce human scale; blend new development with existing urban fabric; and entertain the pedestrian’s eye. On a building’s lower stories, facade elements such as entrances, windows, awnings, canopies, lighting, and signs, bring human scale to building masses, protect pedestrians from the weather, and convey a sense of safety at night. Facades with few openings sever pedestrians’ connections with buildings, deaden streets, invite crime and graffiti. Facades are appreciated one way by people near them at street level, another way among other facades that make up the street face, and again from up in other buildings, where the view gathers facades, roofs, building masses, and the street into a three- dimensional composition. Different vantage points offer different appreciations of a design. Knoxville TN On two sides of the street, series of facades shape Compose a facade with a distinct base, urban rooms and frame views through the city. middle, and top. Use traditional devices (opposite page and below) including Principles string courses and cornices, or subtle contemporary design (above). Enrich the Public Realm Build to Human Scale Fit the Neighborhood Frame the Street Add Rhythm and Pattern Entertain the Eye
Guidelines Arrange facade modules in series to reduce the massive appearance of big buildings. Use facade modules to avoid long, uninterrupted horizontal stretches of building walls. Articulate structural bays and other vertically emphasized elements to “break-up” building walls. Along with fenestration, materials, and color, consider the following in composing a coherent facade: balconies, awnings and canopies; railings, London grilles, and downspouts; glass and glazing; trim and molding; signs and lighting. Shadows should enhance the design as they change through the day. GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 46 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
Compose facades with a recognizable base, middle, and top. Use traditional devices such as rustication, string courses and cornices, or subtle ways in contemporary design, with recessed or projecting wall planes, arrangements of different openings, changes in material, and color. Consider the proportions and regulating lines of adjacent facades when designing new ones. Facades that for unavoidable programmatic reasons allow few entries or windows need special design attention. Consider: Public art—mosaic, mural, relief, decorative masonry, light sculpture, or other installations; Projections, reveals, and other shadow-casting devices; changes of materials; texture, color, lighting other techniques of breaking up a wall surface; Seating ledges or perches, especially at sunny or shaded facades, and near bus stops. Fake or applied windows should not be used. Do not use false mansard roof-like elements. Dublin Do not locate exhaust vents or utility meters on Traditional architectural devices delineate street faces. base, middle, and top. Composition and detailing of the upper stories emphasize Nothing on a facade should be an afterthought. vertical proportions.
Brooklyn LDR Standards Varied wall planes, fenestration, and a careful palette of materials and colors are 10-283.(c)(1)b.1. Consistency in the following quality lends character and a sense of place to a street: The contribution of building and used to reduce a big long building into a landscape design to the ensemble of buildings on the street. series of vertically proportioned facades. Multiple entrances onto the street promote a 10-283.(c)(8). Building design standards. Building design shall sense of safety on the sidewalk. defer to the ensemble of buildings on the street rather than call undue attention to itself. New buildings shall contribute to the life of the street, and share (features of architectural articulation) with existing buildings that exemplify the zoning district’s character. See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the complete standards.
47 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
3.b.4. Facades
Traditional storefront elements—display windows, transoms, entrances, and awnings—reinforce human scale, provide visual interest at the sidewalk, and give the facade composition a base. Savannah
Facade openings in traditional buildings often are proportioned to or near the “Golden Section” ratio of 1:1.618.
Addison Circle TX Facade bays and fenestration proportioned to the “Golden Section” are brought together in a coherent, vertically-emphasized, richly textured composition. Light-colored belt courses indicate floor lines. The top floor steps back to make the Wahnish Cigar Factory, S. Macomb St., All Saints ASN-B district. building appear less massive from the street.
San Francisco Seattle Amtrak Station, Railroad Avenue, UV district The vertical emphasis of the windows and detailing creates a rhythmic Windows proportioned around the “Golden series of facades on an otherwise plain wall. Individual residences are Section.” clearly differentiated.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 48 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
Santana Row, San Jose CA Dublin Different storefront designs, along with color and recesses, lend variety A simple and consistent palette of color and and rhythm to a series of facades with identical upper story fenestration. materials, along with similarly proportioned facades, pulls together very different fenestration. no
Boston S. Adams St., Tallahassee Fenestration clearly articulates the top floor of Do not use fake windows. this building, and turns the corner with different shapes, trim, and details.
49 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN 3.b.5. Transparency
ransparency is essential. Especially at the first floor, transparency fosters a two-way visual interchange T between people on a street and people inside buildings. Windowless buildings look vacant and even menacing; “eyes on the street” increase the perception of safety by populating the sidewalk on both sides of the glass, making it likely that offenders and offenses will be seen. Transparency into the interiors of commercial uses provides visual interest, lets a pedestrian know a café is open, and enriches the life and safety of the street with two-way people watching.
Principles Put people on display. Enrich the Public Realm Put Pedestrians First Build to Human Scale Add Rhythm and Pattern Entertain the Eye
Windows provide daylight to building interiors and may reduce artificial lighting requirements. Daylight can be directed and modulated through the day by sun- control devices on the face of the building. Blocking light with dark glass at street level should be avoided, as that treatment will be opaque for much of the day. Carefully designed fenestration at all floors reinforces Let people look deep into shop interiors. human scale, maintains traditional urban patterns, and provides visual interest for the pedestrian.
Guidelines Transparency can be had by literally removing a wall, opening an interior to the sidewalk with flexible wall systems, retractable or folding doors. Let shop and restaurant lighting spill onto the sidewalk, increasing the lighting level on the sidewalk and a sense of safety. Use fenestration to differentiate individual residential units in a multi-family building. Interior lighting increases the lighting level Except for transom windows, openings for windows on the sidewalk, and sense of safety. and doors should be taller than wide. Consider using the proportions of the Golden Section. FENESTRATION All openings should be dimensioned, spaced, and The arrangement of windows and configured to complement openings on adjoining other openings on a facade. buildings, provided the adjoining buildings meet district standards and guidelines.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 50 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
Place, proportion, and dimension windows from the inside out, in response to views. Openings do not need to replicate adjacent openings to be compatible; subtle differences and variations on architectural themes enliven the rhythm and pattern of the street. Recess window frames from the face of the building wall to lend thickness and depth to the facade. All glazing should be of a type that permits a view of human activities and spaces within. Light transmission at the ground story at least 90%, and at least 75% for the upper stories. Instead of dark glass in windows on the sidewalk, use natural, traditional shading devices—fixed canopies, fixed or retractable awnings, shutters, brises-soleils, or trees. Consider sun angles through the day. Operable windows are desirable throughout the Design Review Districts, for reasons of public health,
energy conservation, and aesthetics. Newbury Street, Boston Window screens should be black or gray. Screen Consistent transparency on all floors of frames should match window frame material or be a facade lightens a building’s bulk and dark anodized. increases visual connections between interiors and the sidewalk. Especially when Shutters can take many forms, but all shutters must be projected from the face of the building, operable, and capable of covering the entire opening. windows on all levels can be composed into facades with a vertical emphasis and rhythm. LDR Standards 10-283.(c)(8)a.7. A consistent rhythm of facade openings shall be maintained above street level on all buildings facing a street. Openings need not be identical from building to building; small variations from facade to facade will provide visual interest. 10-283.(c)(9). In all zoning subdistricts except ASN-A, retail and office building walls along sidewalks shall have non-reflective, transparent or glazed areas covering at least 75 percent of the first floor facade surface area at pedestrian eye level. Avoid tinted glass on all north-facing facades. See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the complete standards. Bethesda MD Openings need not be identical from building to building; small variations from facade to facade will provide visual interest.
Bay windows are an effective way of marking human scale on a facade, and indicating an inhabited interior. no
Addison TX Park Avenue, Tallahassee
51 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES
Boston MA Creative, changing, well-maintained display windows with clear glass attract shoppers and entertain the eye. ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
3.b.5. Transparency
Transom window
Florida Photographic Collection
Portland Sliding shutters are works of art.
Governors Club, 202 S. Adams Street, Tallahassee Transom windows are typical features of traditional American storefront architecture, bringing light deep into shops and opening for ventilation. These openings were once storefronts on the first floor of the Tallahassee Masonic Temple (1926).
Como, Italy Paradigm open Fenestration and Shutters take Monroe St/Park Ave 1950 glazing frame the view many forms, but all Tennyson out to the street, too. must be operable and cover the Nick’s window opening Hotel Duval completely when closed. Urbane Restaurant Midtown Manor
Sweden
After people, store windows entertain the eye Consider interior patterns New Orleans more than any other element on an urban street. of windows and light. GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 52 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
Portland Vienna Operable facade glazing becomes a canopy, opening interiors to the sidewalk.
Do not use fake windows. This treatment would not count toward required Newbury St., Boston transparency.
112 W. Tennessee St., Tallahassee
Paradigm Restaurant and Lounge, College Avenue, Tallahassee Glass panels can slide or stack to the side to open interiors to the sidewalk.
Kleman Plaza, Tallahassee Dark brown glass, already shaded by a deep arcade with an eastern exposure, obscures a view into the cafe interior throughout the day, isolating the outside tables. With no patrons in sight, only a sign indicates the cafe is open. Given the sun orientation and the arcade, clearer glass might have been used, allowing a view of the interior.
53 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN 3.b.6. Entrances
uilding entrances, their number and orientation, are critical to the vitality, urban character, and safety of a B street. Frequent entrances are encouraged to create fine- grained, animated streets. The more entrances there are, the more active and interesting a street becomes. Principles Enrich the Public Realm Put Pedestrians First Build to Human Scale Add Rhythm and Pattern Entertain the Eye
Entrances take pedestrians from the public environment of the sidewalk to the semi-public, semi-private, and private spaces in buildings. Entrances are marked St. Louis by elements such as porches, forecourts, arcades, An entrance should be more than just a door. and canopies, and by changes in scale, ceiling height, Pulled up to include second floor windows, materials, and lighting. this entrance composition addresses the scale of the street as well. The canopy offers Large mixed use buildings often have semi-public, weather protection, color, and an interesting ground level spaces that tenants and visitors pass shadow. through on their way to upper floors. When oriented to the sidewalk, the lobbies, atriums, and other semi-public interior volumes on the ground floor of large mixed- use buildings enrich a pedestrian’s visual experience, offering views in and out of signature spaces.
Guidelines A building should have one or more clearly recognizable, inviting, accessible entrances facing the street. Single buildings can offer multiple entrances. At corner properties, locate the main entrance of buildings on the more heavily traveled street or toward the intersection, or in the corner of the building. San Francisco Entrance design elements should offer protection from Recessed entrances are encouraged. the sun and adverse weather. Enhance entrances with art placed in setbacks, or with architectural elements like friezes, door surrounds, unique doors and door hardware. Avoid creating isolated or hidden places at entries. Maintain lines of sight into and out of entrances. Door swings should not encroach into the public GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 54 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
right-of-way. Recessed entries are encouraged. Doorways should not be recessed more than five feet from the front facade unless a courtyard, cafe, window display, or similar space is provided. Locate service and employee entrances at the rear of the buildings. In ASN-A and ASN-B, individual entrances to ground- floor residential units are encouraged. By adding activity and eyes on the street, multiple residential entrances create increased and well-distributed pedestrian activity, and promote security on the The Cloisters, All Saints St., ASN-A, Tallahassee street, especially in residential areas with little or no retail. Multiple entrances also create a more human- scaled, regular rhythm of openings along the street.
LDR Standards 10-284.(b)(1)a. Primary facades shall face the street and contain the main 10-285.(b)(1)a. building entrance. The main entrance shall be clearly 10-286.(b)(1)a. visible and accessible from the street. The building may 10-287.(b)(1)a. have other, secondary entrances, as long as pedestrian 10-288.(b)(1)a. access is provided from all entrances. Entrances from parking facilities are considered secondary to a building’s primary entrance from the street. See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the complete standards.
Brooklyn Corners address two Multiple entrances along a street increase street exposures, pedestrian activity and a sense of people making them natural watching the street. places for entrances.
People slow down and stop at entrances, making them ideal places for art, detail, and special treatment. Door swings should not encroach into the public right-of-way. Recessed entries are encouraged. W. College Ave., Tallahassee
55 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN 3.b.7. Corners
orner buildings have a double opportunity and obligation to add an active urban character to the C neighborhood. Corners are landmarks, and offer opportunities for distinctive design that “celebrates” a gateway street, or that marks a change in neighborhoods or a change in scale. Strong architecture at the corner anchors the block, provides a frame for the facades along the block between the corners, and makes visual connections across streets and intersections. Atlanta Principles Evoke a Sense of Place Enrich the Public Realm Entertain the Eye Frame the Street
Guidelines Active uses and the presence of people are the most appropriate celebration of a corner. New York Corner architecture shouldn’t compete to “out- Corners are places for special architecture. celebrate” the other corner. Most buildings, including corner buildings, will be “urban fabric” buildings. Generally, similarities in scale, subtle differences in material and detail, and relationships in style are preferable to sudden changes in form, as buildings vie for attention. Corner treatments need not be the same on all sides of an intersection. Differences in composition, materials, and style will add to the visual interest of the street, and can indicate the passage of time between buildings’ construction. Bryn Mawr PA Two faces of a corner building can be different, responding to changes in scale, for example, where streets intersect, or to different sun exposures, or to a different architectural context around the corner. With special architectural treatment, a “notch” at a corner for an active, pedestrian-oriented purpose, as intended at the Urban District Center, may be may be an appropriate corner treatment. At a corner, lower floors might be recessed for an entrance or seating space, while upper floors project, “holding” the building corner. Addison TX Corners are natural gathering spaces. Provide Upper story fenestration and detail are sidewalk bulb-outs and pedestrian amenities such distinctive at the corners, while sidewalk-level as seating, dining, sidewalk vendors, and places to treatment is continuous around the corner. GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 56 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
stand out of pedestrian traffic. Mechanical equipment and back-of-house functions such as stairs and emergency exits should not be located at or near corners.
LDR Standards 10-286.(b)(1)a. On corner lots, new buildings shall be oriented toward 10-287.(b)(1)a. the street(s) and shall consider and complement the 10-288.(b)(1)a. pattern of existing adjoining development, with the primary facade(s) of the building facing the front lot line or the street side lot line. Buildings located at the street corners on Gaines Street and on Railroad Avenue shall be designed with both street frontages as Seattle primary facades. Corner locations shall be considered opportunities for distinctive architecture.
See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the complete standards.
Aloft Hotel, Tallahassee
London
Boulder CO Subtle corner “celebrations,” using color, changes in material and fenestration, and special detailing.
Albany NY Corners are natural gathering spaces. Provide ample opportunities for people-watching with setbacks and seating.
A corner chamfered for an entrance. Upper floors turn the corner at ninety degrees, “holding” the street face and sheltering the Orlando door.
57 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN 3.b.8. Design for the Weather
edestrians’ comfort is crucial to walkable streets. Pedestrians will choose the driest, coolest, most P comfortable route to their destination, avoiding less comfortable blocks and gaps in overhead sun and weather protection. Building design should respond to Tallahassee’s heat, Floridan Hotel, N. Monroe St., Tallahassee, in 1927. Demolished. humidity, rain and strong sunshine, and recognize Frequent features of “Old Florida” hotels, that winter days can be cold. Many visual elements arcades were shaded transitions between of traditional building in the South originated as lobbies and streets. devices to mitigate climate conditions: balconies; tall, double-hung windows, french doors, and shutters, for ventilation and light; arcades, colonnades, deep porches, awnings, and canopies for shade; light colors to reflect heat. These elements should still be used in response to climate and light, not just as decoration. Principles Evoke a Sense of Place Enrich the Public Realm Put Pedestrians First Build to Human Scale Entertain the Eye
Recognition of Tallahassee’s climate should be evident West Palm Beach in the city’s architecture. Sun and weather protection devices appropriate to Tallahassee include: Arcades are series of piers topped by arches, supporting a permanent roof or inset into a building facade. A colonnade is similar to an arcade, but is supported by columns with straight lintels. Awnings and canopies are located over doors, windows, or sidewalks. An awning is attached to the facade of a building, and provides sun and weather protection, identity, and decoration. Awnings are typically stretched over a lightweight metal structure, and may be fixed or retractable. More substantial but with the same purpose as an awning, a canopy of metal and/or glass usually is fixed in place. Functionally, awnings Boca Raton and canopies are nearly interchangeable. For purposes Arcades in new Florida mixed-use of these guidelines, awning shall refer to fixed or development. retractable fabric construction, and canopy to all other fixed construction. Balconies shade windows and sidewalks, and protect pedestrians from rain. See page 62. Brise-soleil (French, “sun breaker”) refers to a variety of GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 58 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
Paris
New York The underside of an awning may be lighted to Use awnings and reflect light onto the area beneath it. canopies to shade clear glass at store windows.
no
Euclid St., St. Louis Internally-illuminated awning-like signs are no not permitted.
New York New York Awnings and canopies may extend into Dimension and setbacks, and over the public right-of-way. locate awnings to correspond with the openings they are shading.
Crocker Park OH N. Monroe St., Tallahassee West Palm Beach Awnings add color and promote the image of Awnings at The A composition of balconies, awnings, tall an active market. Tennyson, downtown windows, shutters and an arcade, held Tallahassee. together by a single intense color.
59 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
3.b.8. Design for the Weather
permanent sun-shading devices, typically a horizontal projection extending from the facade of a building, at any level. Often louvers are incorporated into the device to prevent the high-angle summer sun falling on the facade, while allowing the low-angle winter sun to provide some passive solar heating. Brises-soleils can be motorized to respond to sun angles through the day. In addition to their light-modulating and energy- saving advantages, brises-soleils bring color, shadow, detail, and complexity to building facades. At the sidewalk, overhead weather protection defines places in the pedestrian realm and reduces the scale of big buildings. Awnings add color and promote the image of an active market. Bus stops benefit from coverings overhead on adjacent facades.
Guidelines “Continuous” weather protection does not have to be seamless across a given facade, nor do awnings or Baltimore canopies have to connect to those on adjacent facades. Provide reasonably continuous cover, give people room to stand out of the rain or sun, and let them not get too wet walking down the street. Avoid using pedestrian bridges and overhead
A canopy suspended Tallahassee under transom Canopies, balconies, and street trees on windows. Jefferson St., one of downtown’s most pleasant and walkable streets.
Climate has little to do with [how much people walk]. Toronto residents, New Orleanians and Manhattanites, with extremes of weather, walk more than Atlantans. The variable is the quality of the urbanism. Not the weather. People in Stockholm walk more than people in the suburbs of Seville. People in Stockholm’s center walk more than they do in Stockholm’s 1950’s new towns. The variable is always the quality of the urbanism—not the weather. —Andres Duany
Brooklyn NY GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 60 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
“skyways” that remove pedestrians from the sidewalk and life from the street. Awnings and canopies should fit the opening, and not look like an afterthought. They should complement the scale of the building without overwhelming or dominating a facade, or throwing it off balance. The size, type and placement of awnings and canopies should not interfere with signs or distinctive architectural features. Consider the scale of the space under the overhead protection: it should not be so high and shallow as to be an ineffective rain shelter. Awning color should be coordinated with the overall color scheme of the building. Light-colored undersides of opaque material can be up-lighted. Internally illuminated sign-type awnings are not permitted. Lettering can be added to an awning’s valance area. Design all overhead features to drain rainwater away from street-level façades, sidewalks, and pedestrians.
Omaha NB
California Brisbane, Australia France Brisbane, Australia Examples of brises-soleil.
LDR Standards 10-285.(b)(1)d.4. All building design shall incorporate weather protection 10-286.(b)(1)d.5. such as arcades, awnings, or canopies at the ground 10-287.(b)(1)d.5. level. Such elements are optional for single-use 10-288.(b)(1)d.5. residential uses, and for all buildings in the ASN-A district. 10-288.(b)(1)f. Building design shall use energy conservation measures including but not limited to self-shading, natural lighting, natural ventilation, outdoor circulation, and reduced dependence on artificial lighting and air conditioning. See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the complete standards. La Jolla A traditional pergola is a kind of brise-soleil.
61 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN 3.b.9. Balconies and Terraces
ot just an “architectural feature,” a good balcony is an outdoor room, a semi-private extension of interior N space into the public space of the street. Balconies strengthen human scale by lining streets with living spaces, putting people on view and their eyes on the street. Box seats on the public realm, balconies designed from the inside out are attractive, highly usable places. Like the balconies and galleries of New Orleans’ Vieux Carré, added in the nineteenth century as refuges from hot interiors, a livable balcony— living room, dining room, sleeping porch—can come to be identified not only with the visual character of the Gaines Street Design Review Districts, but also with a way of living in that part of the city. While balconies and bay windows add to the quality of residential units, they also are elements of architectural articulation for facades. Used in modular series, balconies add vertical elements to big buildings, breaking up long street frontages with rhythmic patterns of complexity, shadow, and color. Alternatives to balconies or in addition to them, terraces on roofs and on projecting building masses are encouraged. Balconies and roof terraces lift gardens in Principles the air, lending color, texture, movement and fragrance to the streetscape. New Orleans’s Evoke a Sense of Place balconied buildings tend to be otherwise unadorned. Enrich the Public Realm Build to Human Scale Add Rhythm and Pattern Entertain the Eye
Guidelines In denser development, balconies and terraces, along with courtyards and rooftops, offer alternative locations for private and semi-private open space. Balconies and terraces are not limited to residential New Orleans uses. Restaurants can have dining spaces on Like a porch, a useful balcony is a semi- balconies and terraces. Balconies on office buildings private outdoor room, a link between the are popular in downtown Tallahassee. interior of a building and the public realm of the street. Group balconies to reinforce the vertical proportions of facade modules and add rhythm to the block frontage. Consider balconies for the shadows they throw on facades through the day. Well-designed balconies and bay windows can
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 62 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
let the facade wall remain relatively simple and minimally detailed. Balconies may encroach above the setback space. Balconies may project over the public right-of-way. Balconies may be sheltered overhead by other balconies, fixed canopies, or awnings. Recessed balconies are permitted. False balconies will not be approved.
LDR Standards 10-283.(c)(8)a.5. Balconies must be usable and accessible through operable, full height doors. Balconies must be a minimum of five feet deep.
See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the complete standards.
Saint Michael Street, All Saints, ASN-B district A balcony and a terrace, both deep and livable, on recent construction in the All Saints neighborhood.
Balconies that are too shallow can wind up Paris as storage. Non-traditional materials suit a post- industrial aesthetic.
no
Portland The roof terrace restaurant of the Burnside Rocket overlooks downtown. Balconies must be “French” balconies, with full-height doors usable and accessible that open to a railing on the face of the by a full-height door. building, are permitted.
63 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
3.b.9. Balconies and Terraces
Albuquerque CA
Recessed balconies are permitted.
Oakland CA
San Francisco
Ljubljana, Slovenia Santa Monica CA Terraces can be located in step-backs as floors are pulled back from the street face.
Orenco Station OR St. Michael St., All Saints ASN-A Balconies may encroach into the setback space.
Addison TX On a single building, balconies, bay windows, and other fenestration can be used to compose a series of facade modules that are different but of a consistent character.
In this example the facade continues across a recessed terrace. Like a window, the opening frames a view, and is part of the fenestration Brooklyn NY scheme on the facade. See page 47 GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 64 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN 3.b.10. Structured Parking
he presence of a parking garage reassures us that an empty space awaits us, but too often it’s at the expense T of active, pedestrian-oriented sidewalks and multiple uses on a block. Reduced to the most minimal stand- alone structures, economy and expedience have brought downtown streets lined with open-sided stacks of vehicles, instead of what might have been populated floors of human-scaled, visually engaging architecture.
Well-designed parking structures, however, not only Sioux City IA can provide convenient storage for automobiles, they also can contribute pedestrian activity, along with architecture compatible with the character intended for streets and districts. Structured parking can be a simple above-grade, ramp access, open-air, stand-alone structure designed specifically to accommodate vehicle parking. Or structured parking can be part of a more complicated but better urban building housing other uses. In either case, drivers can park themselves, give their keys to a valet, or store their cars using various forms of automated stacking and delivery. Boulder CO Principles Enrich the Public Realm Put Pedestrians First Build to Human Scale Fit the Neighborhood
Parking garages serve important roles as transfer Charlottesville VA points for drivers as they become pedestrians entering Active uses at the sidewalk, celebrated buildings, stepping onto the sidewalk, or continuing corners, vertically modulated facades, and their trips via transit. The movement of pedestrians better-than-utilitarian lighting. Guidelines through garages has rarely been given the attention apply to garages as they do to any other building type.
Blank walls deaden streets and endanger pedestrians at night. The setback at right is useless.
65 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
3.b.10. Structured Parking
given to cars, but garages also should be designed to provide pedestrians with a pleasant, safe environment to take them from their cars to other destinations within the building, or to the street. Shared parking arrangements are encouraged. Required parking may be provided off-site. Public parking in privately developed parking is also encouraged. Cycling is encouraged as an alternative to driving.
Available secure storage for a bicycle can be a key Portland factor influencing the decision to switch to the bike. Mixed use with parking above, from the 1920s. Structured parking should be no less convenient and attractive to use for bikes than it is for cars. Parking structures are permitted in all Gaines Street Design Review Districts except the ASN-A district.
Guidelines Access to parking garages from Gaines Street is discouraged. To maintain vibrant streetscapes, structured parking should be shielded from streets with liner buildings no housing active uses. Limit driveways to side streets or alleys. The parking portion of a structure should be architecturally compatible with the rest of the building. Use the same design principles and architectural details that are required for and/or found on buildings for other uses. Block pedestrians’ views of raw concrete ceilings and light fixtures.
Vehicular entries to parking structure should not W. Park Avenue. Tallahassee dominate the street frontage of a building. Consider Ground floor parking should be screened one or more of the following design strategies: by active uses at the sidewalk. Structured Subordinate the garage entrance to the pedestrian parking requirements and guidelines also apply to first-floor parking under a building. entrance in terms of size, prominence on the Upper floor transparency requirements apply streetscape, location, and design emphasis. to all building types. Recess the garage entry portion of the facade or extend portions of the structure over the garage entry to help conceal it. Soften the appearance of garage entries on street with landscaping or art. Use all or a portion of the top level as a green roof, or as an outdoor deck, patio or garden.
Bike Parking Where structured parking is provided for cars, locate required bicycle parking inside the structure. Storage rooms, bike lockers, secure rack systems, or other Brisbane, Australia storage means should be as close as possible to the Liner shops around a parking garage. GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department 66 DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICTS ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN
entrances of the destinations being served. Locate bike parking in a location readily observable by passers-by.
LDR Standards 10-284.(b)(2)b.1. Prohibits parking garages in district ASN-A. 10-283.(c)(4)b. Minimum setbacks for front, side, and rear yards shall apply to parking structures and to parking lots, including associated pedestrian access ways, as they apply to buildings with other uses. 10-285.(b)(1)e. 10-286.(b)(1)e. 10-287.(b)(1)e. Winter Park and Carefully detailed 10-288.(b)(1)e. stipulate design features for parking structures: screening for 1. Locate parking structures behind the principal garage parking. building and access them from the rear of the lot 2. Locate retail or service uses on the ground floor of a parking structure that is the principal use on a site. 3. Design standards for parking structures apply to parking located on the ground floor of a building as well. 4. Maximum building height restrictions apply to parking structures. 5. Facades of parking structures shall comply with design standards for massing, articulation, and materials established for other building types. 6. Design openings in parking structures to be compatible with neighboring buildings. Screen openings in parking structures so that no cars, headlights, or light fixtures are visible from the surrounding streets and uses. 7. Locate pedestrian entrances to parking structures adjacent to vehicle entrances. 8. Ceiling heights for retail commercial uses on the ground floors of parking structures shall be minimum 12 feet.
Parking levels are included when measuring building height. See the Tallahassee Land Development Regulations for the complete standards.
Block pedestrians’ views of raw concrete ceilings and light fixtures. Dallas Pasadena An urban market on the A 1920s parking garage has been converted ground floor of a parking into housing. Structured parking should be garage. designed to be adaptable to other uses in the future.
67 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES ALL DISTRICTS 3.b. BUILDING DESIGN 3.b.11. Materials and Construction
he quality of a building’s design and the choice and durability of its materials contribute significantly to T a sense of place, and enrich the public realm. New buildings of high design quality and construction indicate that people are “putting down roots” in the community. New construction can reflect contemporary design standards while using elements, devices, and patterns drawn from the older urban fabric around it. Good contemporary architecture is welcome in every district. Well-built buildings last, and embody the history of the city as they age. Like the old buildings in downtown Tallahassee, Gaines Street’s buildings should be designed for a life span of seventy-five years or more. Every new building should be a long-term component of the urban fabric. Quality building stock is a good use of natural resources. Designing and building for many years of use means Denver, both examples less energy spent making new building materials, and less demolition waste. Masonry belt courses and material changes delineate floors. Principles Evoke a Sense of Place Enrich the Public Realm Build to Human Scale Fit the Neighborhood Recycled concrete Add Rhythm and Pattern Recycled glass Entertain the Eye
Guidelines Recycled concrete Building materials Use high quality, low maintenance building materials.
Exterior materials should reflect a sense of Brick in simple patterns permanence, continuity, and urban character. New building materials should complement the materials and techniques of the Gaines Street Pervious concrete architectural contexts. Recycled asphalt Construction should express the specific qualities of Consider pervious and semi-pervious materials. Heavier, more permanent materials such paving materials, as masonry should support lighter materials such as and unit pavers wood. Brick, block, and stone should be detailed in made of recycled Pervious pavers appropriate load-bearing configurations. materials.
GAINES STREET Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Dep