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Home My WebLink AboutORD 3703• ORDINANCE NO. 3703 • ORIGINAL ORDINANCE OF ·rHE COUNCIL OF THE CIT'! OF PALO ALTO AMENDING TITLE 18 (ZONING CODE) REGARDING DEFINI TIONS OF GROSS FLOOR AREA, PROJECTIONSt GRADE, AND DAYLIGHT PLANE, RM-5 DISTRICT REGULATIONS, AND LANDSCAPING IN PARKING FACILITIES AND REQUIRED LANDSCAPED AREAS The Council of the City of Palo Alto does ORDAIN as follows: SECTION 1. Section 18.04.030(65) {Definitions] of the Palo Al to Municipa1 Code is hereby amended to read: ( 65) "Gross floor area" means the t.otal area of all floors of a building, measured to the outside sur faces of exterior walls, and including the following: -halls -$tairways -elevatoc shafts -service and mechnical equipment rooms -basement, cellar or attic areas deemed usable by the chief building official -open or roofed porches, arcades, plazas r balco nies, courts, wlakways, breezeways or porticos if located above the ground floor and used fo~ required access -permanently roofed, but either partially enclosed or unenclosed, building features used for sales, service, display, storage or si•ilar uses -in residential districts, all roofed porches, ar cades, balconies, porticos, breezeways 01: siilllar features when .'located above, the ground floor .. Gross floor area s.hall not include the following: -parking facilities accessory to a per•itted or · conditional use and located on the same site -roofed arcades, plazas, "1alkvays, porches, breezeways, porticos, and similar features not substantially enclo·sed by exterior wa.lls, and courts, at or near .street, level, when accessible to the general public and not devoted to sales, service, display, storage or similar uses. SECTION 2. Sections 18.04.030(117) and (118) (Definitions} of the Palo AJ to Municipal Code are hereby 1·enu•bered to sections 18.04~03G(118) and {119). SECTION 3. Section 18.04.030(117) (Definitions) is hereby adde~ to the Palo Alto Municipal Code to read: '. i ..... 1, ,·:,: • • ( 117) "Projection• means architectural eleaents, not part of the main building support, that cantilever from a single building wall or roof, involving no sup ports to the ground other than the one building wall from which the element projects. \ SECTION 4. Section 18.04.030(65) [Definitions} o[ the Palo Alto Municipal-Code is hereby amended to read: ( 65) "Grade" means the lo•iiest point of adjacent grcrnnd elevation of the finished sur:face of the ground paving, or sidewalk, excluding areas whf;?re grade has been raised by means of a berm, planter box, or similar landscaping feature, unless required for drainage~ with in the area between the building and the property line, or when the property line is more than five ( 5) h~et from the building, between the building and a line five (5) feet from the building~ SECTION 5. Section 18~04 .. 030(44) [Definitions] of the Palo Alto Mun1cipaf Code is hereby amended to read: { 44) ADaylight plane• meads an inclined plane, beg inning at a stated height above average grade, that average grade being an average of the grade at the mid points of each side property line and between the grade of the site and abutting sites, and extending into the site at a stated upward angle to the horizontal, which may limit the height or horiiontal ext~nt of structures at any specific point on the site where the daylight plane is more restrictive than the height limit or the minimum yard applicable at such point on the site. SECTION o. Section 18.29.0SO(h) (RM-5 District} of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read: (h) Site Coverage. The maximum site coverage shall be forty•five percent (45%) of the site area; provided th.at when any portion of a site is .. within 45. 7 meters ( 150 feet) of property in· any more re&trictive residential district, except RM-4, the !llaximum coverage for the entire site shall be the· average of: (1) Forty percent (40%) applied to the area of the site within 45 • .7 meters ( 150 feet) of the more r.~stric tiv• ~esidential district1 and (2) 1'"orty-five percent (45') remainder of the site area. applied to the SECTION 7. Section 18•29.0SO(i) {RM-5 District} of the Palo Alto Mun1e1pal Code is hereby &mended to read: 2. -: !: • • ( i) ·Height. The maximum height shall be 15.2 meters (50 feet)1 .provided, that on .sny portion of a site which is within 45.7 meters (150 feet} of any moce restrictive residential district, except RM-4, the mxi mum height on that speci fie portion of the site shall be 10.7 ~eters (35 feet), however, no structure except television and radio antennas and chimneys and flues shall extend above or beyond a daylight plane ha··ling a. height of 6.1 meters ( 20 feet) at each side or rear site line and an angle of forty-five degrees {45°). SECTION 8. Subsection l8.44.040(b) [CC(2) District} of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read: (b) Height. The maximum height, cegardless of use or adjacent uses on other sites, shall be 11.3 meters ( 37 feet), measured to the peak of the roof or the top of a parapet. Penthouses and E::quipment enclosur-es may exceed this height limit by a maximum of 1.52 meters (5 feet), but shall be limited to an area equal to no more than ten percent ( 10%) of the site area and shall not intrude into the daylight plane. SECTION 9. Subsections 18.04.030(76}(a) and (b) [Defini tions] of the Palo Alto Municipal Code are hereby repealed. SECTION 10. Section 18.83.060(d) [Parking Facility Landscap ing] of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read: (d) Landscaping in Parking Facilities and Requi~ed Landscaped Areas. The following minimum standards shall be observed 1 however, additional landscaping may be rec ommended by the architectural review board and required by the director of planning and community environment pursuant to chapter · 16.48 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code~ ·.· . ( 1) Each unenolos.ed parking facility shall provide ~:~·;'·<rimeter landscaped strip at least five (5) feet wide befween and adjacent to a line defining the exterior botn'idary of the parking at-ea and tne nearest adjacent property l~ne, not separated· by a building. The peri-· . meter landscaped strip may . in.elude any landscaped yard or landscaped area otherw~se required, and shall be con tinuous except.· for· ,;equired access to the site or to the parking facility. Where· the landscaped strip at:;!joins a public street or pedestriin walkway, the landscaped strip may be required to include a fence, wall, b~rm, or equivalent feature. Where the parking facility adjoins another site, a fence, wall, or other equivalent screen ing feature may be required. 3. 'i' ·1'J' ,. .• •• Ci) Interior landscapinq is required within the parking facility between the perimeter landscaped area and the edge of pavement adjacent to any building on the site. Each unenclosed parking. facility shall provide a minimum of interior landscaping ln accord with th~ fol lowing table. Where the total parking provided is located in more than one location on a site separated by differences in gra.de or. by at least 3.0 meter.s ( 10 feet) of nonpaved, area, e..:ich such area shall be considered a separate facility for the purpose of this requirement. SIZE OF FACILITY IN SQU.l\RE METERS (SQUARE FEET) Under 1,394 (14,999) 1,394 -2,787 (15,000 -29,999) 2,788 and greater (30,COO) MINIMUM OF REQUIRED INTERIOR LANDSCAPING (PERCENTAGE OF 1DTAL PARKING FACILITY AREA) 5% 7.5% 10% (a) Interior landscaped i~lands within a parking area shall have a minimum dimension of five (5) feet by five (5) feet, excluding curbing. { b) Landscaped isl.:rnds shall exist for every ten (10) sraces in a single row. ( c) Parking lot trees shall be planted or exist for each six (6) parking stalls. Only fifty percent ( 50%) of the trees lo.ca ted along the perimETter of the parking area may count toward the required nurnb~r of trees~ ( 3} Trees required to meet any section of this title shall be a minimum fifteen ( 15) gallon size., and twenty-five percent (25t) ~hall· be twenty-foi..tr ( 24) inch box or larger. Fifty percent ( 50%) of shrubs shall be a minimum of five {5) gallon size~ (4) The, ~inimum plant size req~irem~nts. set fqrth . in subse·c ti on ( 3) above may [?e decreased pursuant to chapter 18.82.in any site and design review combining district. ( 5) mc·r~ ·than exclusive the site. Areas required to be landscaped may contair'• no twenty-five perc~nt (25%) i~pervious jurface, of driveways and walkways needed by accecss to ( 6) Where this title requires a landscape .screen or buffer, a combine ti on ·of trees and shrubs shall be · · ~sed and ~he following minimum stan~ards shall apply: ·' .-r, ' i ~'' I I '' , ~ :'.'' •. ' .• ... • • --(a) On sit~s abutting or 19cated opposite a resi- dential site, a 1:3ense visual buffer shall ~ provided. In addition, trees shall be planted or shall exist ~t a ratio of not less than_ one ( 1} trf'e per three hundred ( 300) square feet of-the landscape scJ:een or fra~tion thereof,· anc1 supplemented with shrubs and ground cover·'! (b) Landscape screens required by chapter 18.41 and areas subject to chapter 18. 70, shall provide a dense visual buffer. In addition, trees shall be planted or in existence at a ratio of not less than orie (1) tree per six hundred (600) square feet of the land scape screen area or fraction thereof, and supplemented with shrubs and ground cover. (7} Provision shall be made for automatically irrigating all planted areas. (8) A permanent curbi bumpar wheel stop or similar devices shall be installed which shall be adequa.te to protect the required sidewalks, planters, landscaped areas and structures from vehicular damage. If such protection is provided by means of a method designed to stop the wheel, rather than the bumper of the vehicle, the stopping edge shall be placed no closer than two (2) feet from the edgi:;s of the required sidewalks or any building. The innermost two ( 2) feet of each parking spaoe (between the curb and any planter or sidewalk) may remain unpaved, be planted with-low ground· cover, and added to landscaping, to allow for bumper overhang. ( 9' All landscaping shall be continuously main tained. (10) Architectural pl~nters built on top of a deck covering a below'fgrade parking structure, and proposeq to meet minimum requirements for landscaped areas, shall_ have a soil depth dimension' of at least eighteen ( 18) inches for shrubs and thirty-six (36) inches for trees. ( 11) The landscaping standards set . forth above shall not apply to temporary parking facilities 1 hqw ever, the architectural review board, through its re vi c!W, m51y require minimum landscaping for ~uch fac i li- ties. · SECTION 11. Any d~velopment project whi~h obtained a recom mendat.ion for approval by the Arcni tectural R.eview Board pursuant to 'chapter 16. 48 on or before the ef fee ti ve date of this ordi nance, or, if a development project is. not subject to chapter 16. 48, but_ has applied for a building permit ahd che application has been deemed complete on· or before the effective date of this 5 .. '· .l. 1·,'. ,f . ,,:;11,,,' ',·.,' " . ' ... ' ..... • •• ordinance, shall be zoning regulations ordinance provided applicable laws and allowed to be developed in accord~nce with the in effect prior to the adoption of this that such project complies with all other regulations. SECTION 12. The Council hereby finds that this ordinance will have no significant adverse environmental impact. ,SECTION 13. This ordinance shall become effective upon the commencement of the thirty-first day after the day of its passage. INTRODUCED: August 11, 1986 PASSED: August 25, 1986 AYES: Bechtel, Fletcher, Klein, Levy, Patitucci, Renzel, Sutorius, Woolley NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Cobb ]{; VED: C::.. Myer~ 6. ''·' -\ ... . ... ,.,,',