Skip to main content
Loading…
This section is included in your selections.

A. Housing. The following design standards apply to residential developments. While the standards are specific, the intent is not to limit innovative design, but rather provide a framework for clear direction and minimum standards.

1. Architectural Design. The street-facing elevations of residential buildings shall be broken with reveals, recesses, trim elements, and other architectural features to avoid the appearance of a blank wall as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.A.1. In addition, at least two of the following design features must be provided along the front of each residence:

a. Dormers;

b. Gables;

c. Recessed entries;

d. Covered porch entries;

e. Cupolas;

f. Pillars or posts;

g. Bay window (min. 12-inch projection);

h. Eaves (min. six-inch projection);

i. Off-sets in building face or roof (min. 16 inches).

Figure 18.3.5.100.A.1. Architectural Design

2. Orientation. Dwellings shall be designed with a primary elevation oriented towards a street. Such elevation shall have a front door, framed by a simple porch or portico, porch, or other design feature clearly visible from the street to promote natural surveillance of the street as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.A.2.

Figure 18.3.5.100.A.2. Orientation

3. Repetitive Elevations. Excessive repetition of identical floor plans and elevations shall be discouraged. See Figure 18.3.5.100.A.3.a and Figure 18.3.5.100.A.3.b.

Figure 18.3.5.100.A.3.a. Varied Floor Plans

Figure 18.3.5.100.A.3.b. Varied Elevations

4. Supplemental Setback Requirements for Garages and Accessory Structures. In addition to the setback requirements of section 18.3.5.060, the following garage and accessory structure setbacks are required, in order to promote an attractive streetscape where garages and accessory structures are visually subordinate to single-family dwellings or primary structures.

a. Where no alleys are present, garages shall be located a minimum of 15 feet behind the primary façade and a minimum of 20 feet from the sidewalk. See Figure 18.3.5.100.A.4.a.

Figure 18.3.5.100.A.4.a. Garage Setbacks/No Alley

b. Garages and accessory structures adjacent to an internal property line (i.e., neighbor’s residence) shall maintain a minimum first floor side yard setback of four feet and a second floor setback of six feet, excluding dormers. See Figure 18.3.5.100.A.4.b.

Figure 18.3.5.100.A.4.b. Garage Setbacks/No Alley

c. No side yard setback is required where garages adjoin along a common property line.

d. Garage or accessory structures, including accessory residential units, fronting and or accessed from the alley shall have a minimum rear yard setback of four feet. See Figure 18.3.5.100.A.4.d.

Figure 18.3.5.100.A.4.d. Garage Setbacks/Alley

e. The maximum allowed width of a garage opening is 22 feet. Expansion of the garage’s depth is allowed and should be considered for additional storage needs.

f. Common wall garages (i.e., adjacent garage openings), and dwellings with more than one garage opening, where the total width of adjacent garage openings exceeds 22 feet, shall have at least one garage opening recessed behind the other(s) by not less than three feet.

5. Terracing. Grading for new homes and accessory structures shall be minimized and building designs shall respond to the natural grade, to the extent practicable, pursuant to the following standards:

a. Terracing should be incorporated into the design of each lot’s development, as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.A.5.a. Terraces help ease transition between the public and private space.

Figure 18.3.5.100.A.5.a. Terraces

b. In determining whether grading is minimized and building designs are practicable, this standard shall not be interpreted so as to preclude permitted housing at planned densities.

6. Porches. Where practicable, porches shall be incorporated into building designs within the North Mountain Neighborhood, in order to promote a sense of place, socialization, and natural surveillance of the street, as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.A.6.a. Porches shall be a minimum of six feet in depth and eight feet in width, as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.A.6.b - deep enough to allow a person to stand while the door is opening and large enough to allow at least one person to sit facing the street. Porches with dimensions less than six feet in depth and eight feet in width are often used as storage areas for bike, barbecues, etc., and do not realistically function as outdoor rooms.

Figure 18.3.5.100.A.6.a. Street with Front Porches

Figure 18.3.5.100.A.6.b. Porch Dimensions

7. Driveways. In order to minimize impervious surfaces, increase opportunities for on-street parking and street trees, and provide a visually attractive streetscape that comfortably accommodates pedestrians, driveways for one dwelling and duplexes shall be no greater than nine feet wide, measured at the sidewalk. Where no alley is present and garages for multiple dwellings share a common wall (e.g., townhomes), a common driveway 12 feet in width may be used but shall serve as a shared drive for paired garages. See Figure 18.3.5.100.A.7.

Figure 18.3.5.100.A.7. Benefits of Narrow Driveways on Streetscape

B. Neighborhood Central. In addition to the following, refer to the site development and design standards of part 18.4.

1. Transitional Architectural Design. Buildings developed for residential use shall be designed and constructed in a way that allows a simple transition to commercial use, for example, through appropriate floor-to-ceiling heights and location of HVAC and other building systems.

2. Architectural Character. The architectural character of commercial buildings should reflect their importance as a focus of the North Mountain Neighborhood. Rather than taking on a residential appearance, these buildings should emulate a traditional storefront appearance. Ashland has many storefront buildings, which should be looked at for reference but not duplication. These building have a simple and flexible form, yet have a strong architectural identity. See Figure 18.3.5.100.B.2.a and Figure 18.3.5.100.B.2.b.

Figure 18.3.5.100.B.2.a. 

Figure 18.3.5.100.B.2.b. 

3. Building Setbacks & Height. Buildings shall be built up to the front and side property lines as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.B.3. Along the front, exceptions will be allowed to create courtyards, seating areas for cafes, or other special uses. These areas should be designed to further the activity along the streets. Arcades, awnings, bays, and balconies shall extend over walkways to form a continuous covered walk. In only rare cases should the façade of the second story extend beyond the first floor’s front setback.

Figure 18.3.5.100.B.3. Building Setbacks

4. Side Setbacks. A side yard setback should only be considered where the building is adjacent to a residential zone or a pedestrian accessway connects to a rear parking area. A side yard setback accommodating a rear parking area shall only occur at mid-block between two buildings as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.B.4.

Figure 18.3.5.100.B.4. Pedestrian Accessway

5. Transit Facilities. The neighborhood central area will need a transit shelter (see Figure 18.3.5.100.B.5.a). The general design of the facility should be consistent with the City’s adopted bus shelter design as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.B.5.b. While transit service is not presently available to the neighborhood, the overall density of the area will ultimately support it, and the integration of the transit shelter within the neighborhood central area will further its use.

Figure 18.3.5.100.B.5.a. Transit Stop

Figure 18.3.5.100.B.5.b. Transit Shelter

6. Mixed Uses. Second story apartments over ground floor shops are encouraged wherever practicable. Bays and balconies are encouraged to provide outlooks and create an articulated rhythm and visual interest. See Figure 18.3.5.100.B.6.

Figure 18.3.5.100.B.6. Mixed Uses

C. Street Types and Design. Several types of residential streets are planned for in the North Mountain Neighborhood. These streets would extend through the planned area to accommodate not only multi-modal movement, but also a variety of circulation options.

1. Greenway Drive. The Greenway Drive has a 49-foot right-or-way, which provides for a travel surface of 28 feet, an eight-foot planting strip, and sidewalks on each side. The sidewalk on the residential side is five feet and on the side of the Bear Creek Greenway an eight-foot sidewalk is shown. In cases where medians are identified on the North Mountain Neighborhood Plan, the median width shall be eight feet and the two travel lanes ten feet. See Figure 18.3.5.100.C.1.

Figure 18.3.5.100.C.1. Greenway Drive

2. Neighborhood Access Street. The primary type of street traversing the neighborhood is the neighborhood access street. This street has a 48-foot right-of-way, which provides for a 15-foot travel surface, seven-foot parking bays, and eight-foot planting strips and five-foot sidewalks on each side. See Figure 18.3.5.100.C.2.

Figure 18.3.5.100.C.2. Neighborhood Access Street

3. Alleys. One of the most important features making up the neighborhood is the alley. Alleys allow parking to be located at the property’s rear and diminish the negative impact of garages proliferating along street frontages, reduces pedestrian and vehicle conflicts at curb-cuts, and reduces impervious hard surface. In addition, homes, instead of garages, fill the street frontages, providing maximum opportunity for social interaction. The alley cross section is a 20-foot wide right-of-way which contains a 12-foot wide improved alley and four-foot planted or graveled strips or shoulders. See Figure 18.3.5.100.C.3. See also, setback requirements for garages and accessory structure in section 18.3.5.060 and section 18.3.5.100.A.4.

Figure 18.3.5.100.C.3. Alley

4. Pedestrian Accessways. The pedestrian accessway, separate from the Bear Creek multi-use path, provides a direct and convenient alternative route and is intended to be similar to the Alice Peil Walkway located off Granite Street. The accessway has a 12-foot right-of-way as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.C.4.

Figure 18.3.5.100.C.4. Pedestrian Accessway

5. Neighborhood Commercial Street. As a focal point of the North Mountain Neighborhood, the commercial street area should portray a strong sense of place. This is the place where neighbors will comfortably socialize on the sidewalk or plaza area before and after they patronize neighborhood businesses. The neighborhood commercial street cross section provides for an improved 45-foot wide right-of-way with a ten-foot wide sidewalk, a 17-foot deep parking space (angled 60 degrees), and an 18.foot, one way, travel lane, as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.C.5. Street trees planted within the sidewalk and between the parking area and the pedestrian path are also included. The appropriate tree spacing should be no greater than 30 feet.

Figure 18.3.5.100.C.5. Neighborhood Commercial Street

6. North Mountain Avenue. As the entrance to the neighborhood and the primary access route, North Mountain Avenue shall have significant design components that evoke a welcome and inviting feeling. Figure 18.3.5.100.C.6 identifies a tree-lines street, which provides, not only an efficient vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian thoroughfare, but also creates an attractive environment.

Figure 18.3.5.100.C.6. North Mountain Avenue

7. Planter Strips. All development fronting on streets shall be required to plant street trees in accordance with the Street Tree Standards of section 18.4.4.030 Landscaping and Screening. Large stature street trees should be used to provide a canopy effect for residential streets, while smaller stature trees may be more appropriate along alley frontages. The planting strips will also be planted with low lying ground cover and street trees that cantilever over the travel lanes and sidewalks. See Figure 18.3.5.100.C.7.

Figure 18.3.5.100.C.7. Planter Strips

8. Street Lighting. North Mountain, East Nevada, Greenway Drive, and streets within the NM-C zone shall incorporate pedestrian scaled lighting as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.C.8. Light poles and illuminating fixtures shall be decorative in design and shall be similar in design to the lights on Oak Street, between “A” and “B” Streets. Wherever possible, light poles shall be centered within the planter strips and between street trees to increase illumination cast on the sidewalk and street, and light bollards shall be used to illuminate pedestrian accessways. Lighting fixtures for pedestrian use along residential streets and alley may be attached to building walls, porches, carports or patio walls.

Figure 18.3.5.100.C.8. Street Lighting

9. Street Furniture. Outdoor hardscape elements such as benches, bollards, trash receptacles, mailboxes, light poles, etc. shall be consistent throughout the project area. The use of treated, stained wood, indigenous stone or rock, exposed aggregate concrete and painted steel is acceptable for the construction of street furniture. See Figure 18.3.5.100.C.9.

Figure 18.3.5.100.C.9. Street Furniture

D. Open Space and Neighborhood Focal Point.

1. Open Space. A variety of open space types are located within the North Mountain Neighborhood and each type should be designed based upon its environmental impact and benefiting attributes. Open space types within the area include the Bear Creek Floodplain, pocket parks, pedestrian accessways, a commercial common (plaza) and street medians. Each of those types of open space shall be accessible to the general public at all times. Development of those open spaces shall be as follows:

a. Except for pedestrian accessways and a small picnic area, use of the Bear Creek Floodplain shall be kept to a minimum. No buildings shall be permitted in the area except for a small gazebo type structure associated with the picnic area.

b. Whenever possible, pocket parks and pedestrian access ways shall be linked to formulate a more interesting and inevitable alternative. Each should be designed around natural features minimizing their impact, but increasing their appeal. Developments fronting these areas are encouraged as long as vehicular access is from an alley. See Figure 18.3.5.100.D.1.b.

Figure 18.3.5.100.D.1.b. 

c. Street medians or small pocket medians shall be designed with large stature trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers as an accent as illustrated in Figure 18.3.5.100.D.1.c. Use of turf shall be minimized wherever possible. An irrigation system shall be installed at the time of plant installation.

Figure 18.3.5.100.D.1.c. Medians

d. A plaza or commons area, similar to the plaza in the downtown shall be incorporated within the NM-C zone. The area shall be designed to provide adequate shading for comfortable midday summer use and sunny areas for winter use. Hardscape areas shall be centrally located, but minimized whenever possible. Benches, news racks, kiosks, and other street furniture shall be located within the area.

e. The area shall enclose and define the central space of the commercial core. The relationship of the maximum height of the surrounding buildings to the width of the plaza area should fall between a 1:1 and 1:5 ratio to assure special definition. See Figure 18.3.5.100.D.1.e.

Figure 18.3.5.100.D.1.e. Building Height to Plaza Area Width Ratio

2. Neighborhood Focal Point. The intersection of Greenway Drive and North Mountain Avenue should serve as a neighborhood focal point. Special right-of-way design considerations shall be incorporated into the development of these streets, including but not limited to landscaping, special paving patterns, and a neighborhood monument or gateway. See Figure 18.3.5.100.D.2.

Figure 18.3.5.100.D.2. Neighborhood Focal Point

(Ord. 3199 § 16, amended, 06/15/2021; Ord. 3191 § 15, amended, 11/17/2020)