§ 22.22.145. Planned Development.

This Planned Development Ordinance is intended to provide flexibility for applicants when applying development standards to proposed common interest developments or common area maintenance projects consistent with area plans, specific plans, design plans, and design guidelines. The purpose is to allow consideration of innovative and creative site planning and project design that will enable the County to meet its Strategic Growth goals. These specific standards are meant to incentivize creative design and include: reduced minimum lot sizes and common area, improved design qualities, more effective design responses to site features, compatibility with land uses on adjoining properties, more effective and attractive pedestrian orientation, enhanced environmental sensitivity and energy efficiency, and the more efficient use of resources.

A.

Where Allowed. A Planned Development may be proposed on property within the Residential Multi-Family, Residential Single-Family, Recreation, Commercial Retail, Commercial Service, Office & Professional, and Industrial land use categories.

B.

Residential and Mixed-Use Planned Developments.

1.

Residential Planned Developments and any portion of Mixed-Use Planned Developments with a residential component within the Residential Multi-Family, Residential Single-Family, Recreation, Commercial Retail, and Office & Professional land use categories shall meet the following site criteria:

a.

Minimum Lot Size. As set forth in Section 22.22.140.D.

b.

Parking Design and Location. All parking is subject to the following standards.

(1)

Uncovered residential parking spaces shall be screened from public streets and adjacent residential uses by landscaping or architectural screening.

(2)

Shall be located in clusters of not more than six spaces. Each parking bay of six spaces shall be separated by at least a six-foot landscape area unless located under a covered structure, which would allow up to 10 spaces.

(3)

All detached covered parking shall have a roof design that is consistent with the architecture of the primary structures. Flat or slightly pitched roofs may be used for solar access applications or where the architectural relationship to the overall design is compatible.

c.

Architectural Design. For all Residential and Mixed-Use Planning Developments, the applicant shall ensure that projects are consistent with the corresponding sections of the Countywide Design Guidelines and any relevant local design plans. All applications shall include a list of how the local design plans and County Design Guidelines are met and a list of any proposed modifications as allowed by the design plans and guidelines.

d.

Front Setbacks. For new residential neighborhoods, front setbacks may be modified as follows:

(1)

10 feet minimum for residential structure and 5 feet minimum for covered porches that front on a public street or internal private street. Setbacks for lots along a public or internal private street shall be varied and not all set at the minimum. All individual garages shall be setback a minimum of 16 feet for garages that face a public or internal private street and 10 feet for side loaded garages. Where garages face a terminal drive court or internal drive aisle for the provision of vehicular access, the garage shall be setback a maximum of 5 feet or a minimum of 16 feet (nothing in between). (See Figure 22-1)

Figure 22-1: Internal Drive Aisle Setback

(2)

Where a project is within an existing residential neighborhood, front setbacks may be established consistent with Section 22.10.140.D.2.c, except where a smaller setback is established through the land use permit consistent with the context of the neighborhood and Subsection C.1.c.(1).

e.

Common Community Gathering Area (CCGA). CCGA(s) available for use by the entire development shall be provided as follows and may be counted as required minimum open space consistent with Section 22.10.130.B.2:

(1)

250 square feet minimum per every two residential units.

(2)

Front setbacks and private open space shall not be counted as CCGA(s) but may be counted as required minimum open space consistent with Section 22.10.130.B.2.

(3)

Residential units that abut the CCGA shall be related to common area either through orientation of the main entry toward the CCGA(s) or through physical and visual connection to the common usable recreation area(s). CCGAs shall be located as centrally as possible, but may be located throughout a project with the objective of creating pleasant and convenient usable activity spaces. All units shall be within a minimum 300 feet walking distance of CCGA(s) and connected to the CCGA(s) by pedestrian access.

(4)

No CCGA is required for a project of five (5) residential units or less if the project is:

i.

Located within ¼ mile (1,320 feet) walking distance of a public park or facility with public open space (i.e., public school); and

ii.

Accessible to the public park or public open space by a dedicated pedestrian path such as a public sidewalk.

f.

Common Community Gathering Area Landscaping. The maximum amount of irrigated turf shall be consistent with Chapter 22.16 (Landscaping Standards). In addition, these gathering areas may include hardscape, planters, and common use amenities such as barbeques, tables and chairs, all in lieu of traditional turf.

g.

Private Outdoor Open Space.

(1)

175 square feet minimum per unit with one minimum dimension of 8 feet, and may include patios, decks, balconies, roof decks, and front porches where porches are not required by Section 22.30.475 (Small Lot Single-Family).

(2)

Shall be adjacent to each unit and be for the exclusive use of the residents of that unit.

h.

Community Buildings/Facilities. Where a community building is available for use by the development, the following standards shall apply:

(1)

Shall be clearly incidental in use and size to the units.

(2)

Shall be commonly owned by property owners.

(3)

Shall be architecturally consistent with the project's residential units.

i.

Fencing. Fencing for both the CCGAs and the private open space shall be designed as follows:

(1)

Fencing within the CCGA and in front yard private open space shall be consistent with Section 22.10.080. In no case shall fencing in these areas exceed four feet in height.

(2)

Fencing around side and rear yard private open space areas shall have a maximum height of six feet.

(3)

Fencing shall not be chain link. Fencing can include materials such as wood, wrought-iron, wood-appearing material, plaster, decorative concrete, or stone.

(4)

Fencing, if over three feet in height, shall be broken-up with textural variety or architectural elements designed to add interest to the fencing. All fencing shall be compatible with the design theme of the project.

2.

Detached Housing. Planned Developments in the Residential Multi-Family, Recreation, Commercial Retail, and Office & Professional land use categories that propose a single-family detached residential style of development (i.e. separated by 3 feet or greater) shall also be consistent with the standards of Section 22.30.475 (Small Lot Single-Family).

3.

Secondary Dwellings. Secondary dwellings proposed in Planned Developments in the Residential Single-Family land use category may be located on parcels with a minimum lot size of 4,000 square feet with a request for an exception from the provisions of Section 22.30.470.E (Minimum Site Area) consistent with Section 22.30.020.D.

C.

Commercial, Office, and Industrial Planned Developments. Commercial, Office, and Industrial Planned Developments and the commercial/office/industrial component of Mixed-Use Planned Developments within the Commercial Retail, Commercial Service, Office & Professional, and Industrial land use categories shall meet the following standards:

1.

Site Planning. Site planning shall include buildings, site landscaping and hardscape improvements designed to attract pedestrian movement, with vehicle circulation, storage and utilities located elsewhere on the perimeter. The use of plazas or courtyards as a means to enhance the pedestrian experience is encouraged.

a.

Building entries shall be oriented so that pedestrian circulation is attractive and convenient. Sidewalks shall be separated from vehicle circulation and loading through the use landscaped areas or planters.

b.

Work bays shall be oriented away from fronting streets, or screened by landscaping.

c.

Parking lots shall be limited in size by separating them into sub-areas divided by landscaping or structures.

d.

Building orientation shall take advantage of active and passive solar opportunities where feasible and practical.

e.

Wherever feasible, site design shall avoid locating vehicle parking at the front of the lot between the buildings and the street.

f.

The use of fences and walls shall be minimized except where required for screening outdoor storage and noise. When proposed, fences/walls shall be solid, attractive, two-sided, and designed for low maintenance, with materials and colors that are complementary to the building. No chain link fences with or without slats are allowed.

2.

Common Open Space. Common open space shall be integrated into the overall design. Such spaces shall have a direct functional or visual relationship to the main building(s) and not be of isolated or leftover character. The following shall not be considered usable common open space:

a.

Areas reserved for the exclusive use or benefit of an individual tenant or owner;

b.

Dedicated streets, alleys and other public rights-of-way;

c.

Vehicular drives, parking, loading and storage area; and

d.

Irregular or unusable narrow strips of land less than ten (10) feet in width, unless such area is improved or planted with the expressed intent to be utilized as common open space.

3.

Functional and Mechanical Features. To the maximum extent practicable, exposed storage areas, trash and garbage containers, exposed machinery installations, service areas, truck loading areas, utility buildings and structures, and similar accessory areas and structures shall be accounted for in the design of the commercial, office, or industrial planned development and screened from public streets.

4.

Driveways, Parking and Circulation. Principal vehicular access shall be from dedicated public streets, and access points shall be designed to encourage smooth traffic flow with controlled turning movements and minimum hazards to vehicular or pedestrian traffic. With respect to vehicular and pedestrian circulation, including walkways, interior driveways and parking, special attention shall be given to the location and number of access points to the public streets, the width of interior driveways and access points, the general interior circulation, the separation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, the adequate provision for service by emergency vehicles, and the arrangement of parking areas that are safe and convenient, and, insofar as feasible, do not detract from the design of proposed buildings and structures and the neighboring properties.

D.

Required Findings for Approval. The Review Authority may approve a Planned Development only after considering the justification provided in Subsection H. and making all of the following findings in addition to the findings required by Section 22.62.060.C.4.

Compliance

1.

The project complies with all applicable provisions of this Title except where modifications are granted consistent with this Section, the design plans and design guidelines;

Proposed Modifications

2.

The modifications to the development standards of this Title, and any applicable design plan and design guidelines are necessary and appropriate to accommodate the creative and thoughtful design of the proposed project, its compatibility with adjacent land uses, and its successful mitigation of environmental impacts;

Site Suitability and Neighborhood Compatibility

3.

The site is suitable for the project in terms of size, configuration, topography, and other applicable features, has appropriate access to public streets with adequate capacity to accommodate the quantity and type of traffic expected to be generated by the use and all public facilities, services, and utilities are adequate to serve the proposed project; and

4.

The location, size, site planning, building design features, and operating characteristics of the project are complementary to the surrounding neighborhood, and will be compatible with the character of the site, and the land uses and development intended for the surrounding neighborhood by the General Plan.

E.

Ownership and Maintenance. The common area of all Planned Developments shall be owned and maintained either by a Homeowner's Association or in common by the owners of the separate interests who have rights to the beneficial use and enjoyment of the common area through the use of a maintenance agreement.

F.

Phasing. If the construction of the Planned Development is to occur in phases, the common recreation area and common facilities shall be developed and made available in proportion to the number of dwelling units or nonresidential floor area occupied during any given phase. At no time during construction of the project shall the density of developed land exceed the overall density of the established land use category.

G.

Expiration. Timeframes and time extensions for approved Planned Developments with concurrent tentative subdivision maps are prescribed by those timeframes associated with the approved tentative map. Timeframes and time extensions for approved Planned Developments with no concurrent tentative subdivision maps are prescribed by those timeframes associated with the approved Conditional Use Permit.

H.

Justification. The initial application shall include an explanation of why the project is proposed as a Planned Development. This explanation shall include:

1.

A list of which development standards will need to be modified in order to allow a Planned Development to be approved.

2.

A list of project design features and amenities that represent innovative and creative site planning and project design to enable the County to meet its Strategic Growth goals.

3.

A statement describing how the project achieves more effective and attractive pedestrian orientation enhanced environmental sensitivity and energy efficiency, and the more efficient use of resources.

I.

Requests for Modifications to Standards. The Director may approve an Adjustment pursuant to Section 22.70.030 to the standards set forth in this section, provided the following criteria are met:

1.

The site is constrained due to unusual slope, topography, easements, or sensitive areas.

2.

The modification is consistent with the objectives and intent of this Chapter.

3.

The modification meets the required findings set forth in Subsection 22.22.145D.

[Added 2013, Ord. 3242; 2018, Ord. 3369]