20.25I.060 Additional design guidelines for the Neighborhood Mixed Use District

20.25I.060 Additional design guidelines for the Neighborhood Mixed Use District.

The following design guidelines apply to development in the Neighborhood Mixed Use (NMU) District in addition to the CRDD guidelines contained in LUC 20.25I.040 and the standards contained in LUC 20.25I.050:

A. Site Development Guidelines. Purpose. These site development guidelines address the qualities that make the Neighborhood Mixed Use District unique. They describe what makes an area a special, distinct place, not simply a group of individual buildings and streets.

a. Intent. Integrate new landscape areas, natural drainage/LID features, sustainable design elements and green open spaces. Reinforce existing linkages and orient buildings to the existing natural and landscaped features of the surrounding neighborhood.

b. Guideline. Site and building design should capitalize on existing significant elements of the natural environment, such as parks and open spaces, trails, riparian corridors and wetlands. Designs should also integrate new natural features, such as street trees, natural drainage systems and open space amenities for residents, employees and visitors. Depending on the location, this may be accomplished through integration of the natural environment with new development or providing a smooth transition between the natural and built environments.

c. Recommended.

i. The following existing natural environments and connections should be protected and incorporated into new development or redevelopment:

(1) Active and passive gathering places and walkways oriented toward parks and open, natural spaces.

(2) Clear and convenient public access to open space amenities.

(3) Open spaces and/or access points to local and regional trails.

ii. The minimum landscape development requirements of LUC 20.20.520 apply, and site development should maximize the retention of existing vegetation.

iii. Where a perimeter landscape area required under LUC 20.20.520.F may be relocated under Note (1) of that section, some or all of the relocated area should be used to provide a landscaped courtyard. Any relocated landscape area should be visible from the public street. The courtyard should be protected from wind on two sides and in sun during part of the day. Seating should be provided.

iv. Developments and design features that promote environmental sustainability such as natural drainage techniques, preservation and enhancement of critical areas, green walls and green roofs are encouraged.

a. Intent. A comfortable, well-designed site provides an inviting and attractive area for community gathering.

b. Guideline. Gathering spaces are well-defined, inviting, secure, and attractive. They provide space for both active use and areas of respite for employees, general public and visitors to the site. All areas should be welcoming to pedestrians and provide space for special events.

c. Recommended.

i. Outdoor gathering spaces should be incorporated into areas near active ground floor uses to provide opportunity for a variety of activities as well as areas for stopping, sitting, and viewing. Spaces should be accessible, safe, and usable in all seasons.

ii. Trees, shrubs, and plants should define walkways, gathering spaces, and amenities.

iii. Site features such as fences, walls, and light fixtures should be designed and located to contribute to the pedestrian environment and community gathering spaces. Refuse and recycling enclosures should be designed in a manner consistent with the architecture of the adjacent buildings, and not be located adjacent to public gathering spaces or walkways.

iv. Incorporate public art the design of which:

(1) Responds or relates to the unique characteristics of the surrounding area;

(2) Utilizes durable, vandal-resistant materials; and

(3) Ensures that the art will age well.

a. Intent. Use design elements to enhance the compatibility of parking structures with the urban streetscape.

b. Guideline. Parking structures should be designed so that their streetscape interface has a consistent form, massing and use of materials with the vision for the area. Preference is given to parking structures that do not face public sidewalks. However, if due to site constraints, there are sidewalk-facing parking structures, those frontages facing the sidewalk should be designed to appear like other occupied buildings in the area. The horizontal garage form can be broken down by adding more wall surface and usable retail space, while retaining adequate garage ventilation.

c. Recommended.

i. Parking structures should include space at the street level to accommodate uses when located adjacent to pedestrian walkways or public open space. In other areas, active ground floor uses facing streets or walkways are strongly encouraged.

ii. Surface parking must be located behind the building and accessible via an internal street, alley or shared driveway to minimize curb cuts.

iii. Parking structures should feature the following elements:

(1) Small openings that may be glazed to function as windows;

(2) Stairways, elevators and parking entries and exits that occur at mid-block;

(3) Single auto exit/entry control point to minimize number and width of driveway openings (entry and exit points may be separated);

(4) Vertical expression of building structure; and

(5) Cladding to disguise sloped floors from the outside view.

iv. Parking areas should be designed to minimize conflicts between pedestrian and vehicular movements. Parking area landscaping should be used to define and separate parking, vehicular access, and pedestrian areas within parking lots.

v. Parking lot landscaping should meet LUC 20.20.520 requirements for Type V landscaping. Any parking areas located along a street or pathway should be buffered by five feet of Type III landscaping per LUC 20.20.520.

B. Pedestrian Emphasis Guidelines. Purpose. The pedestrian emphasis guidelines promote an environment where pedestrians are a priority. The highest consideration should be given to the ease and comfort of pedestrian movement and gathering places.

a. Intent. Prioritize the pedestrian by eliminating barriers and ensuring that walking routes are convenient, direct and pleasant.

b. Guideline. Pedestrian routes should be attractive, easy to use and encourage walking. Sidewalks should be continuous, avoiding interruptions such as vehicle curb cuts or changes in direction or grade. The portion of the sidewalk dedicated to walking should be free of barriers such as utility poles, newspaper boxes, cafe tables and chairs, permanent planters, tree grates, mechanical equipment, waste and recycling receptacles or other obstructions and clutter.

c. Recommended.

i. The pedestrian network should include:

(1) Direct pedestrian routes;

(2) Minimal curb cuts along pedestrian routes for pedestrian safety and comfort; internal drives between sites should be continuous;

(3) Pedestrian routes that are safely integrated with the street system; and

(4) Maintain pedestrian access where rights-of-way have traditionally been located.

ii. In multiple-building complexes, buildings should be located to facilitate safe and comfortable pedestrian movement between buildings. Building location should be chosen to facilitate pedestrian and vehicular connections to buildings on adjacent properties.

iii. The landscape design for the site should include plantings which emphasize the major points of pedestrian and vehicular access to the site.

iv. Parking areas should include pedestrian walkways and be designed to minimize conflicts between pedestrian and vehicular movements. Parking area landscaping should be used to define and separate parking, access, and pedestrian areas within parking lots.

v. Vehicle access connections between properties are required except in instances where the Director determines they are infeasible or undesirable.

vi. Frequent and attractive connections between destinations through a well-connected network of streets and pathways must be provided and include the following:

(1) Planned streets that connect with surrounding streets to permit the convenient movement of traffic between residential neighborhoods and to facilitate emergency access and evacuation.

(2) An integrated and connected network of streets to provide direct walking route options, orientation, a sense of place, and multiple travel route options.

(3) Where a proposed development abuts land that may be subdivided, provide street stubs that extend the street system into the surrounding area.

vii. Internal streets must meet the following requirements:

(1) Street trees and sidewalks must be included on all internal access streets (i.e., through vehicle access connections on sites with any dimension 400 feet or greater).

viii. Pedestrian walkways should meet the following requirements:

(1) Landscape allows visibility and access and does not block pathway.

(2) Walkways, of six feet in width minimum, should be provided from the public sidewalk or right-of-way to the building. At a minimum, walkways should be located to connect focus points of pedestrian activity such as transit stops and street crossings to the major building entry points.

(3) Walkways should be provided to connect with walkways or potential walkway locations on adjoining properties in the district to create an integrated internal walkway system along the desired lines of pedestrian travel. The width of the walkway should be commensurate with the anticipated level of pedestrian activity along the connecting walkway.

ix. Weather protection of the building walkway should be provided at the entrance.

C. Architectural Guidelines. Purpose. The architecture guidelines promote high-quality development while reinforcing the area’s sense of place by encouraging innovative design, construction techniques and materials that reflect local character.

a. Intent. Use architectural features to break down the mass and scale of buildings to create a comfortable sense of enclosure with an uninterrupted street edge.

b. Guideline. The length and breadth of a building should be friendly in scale and inviting to the pedestrian. Portions of a large building mass should be broken into smaller, appropriately scaled modules, with changes in plane indicated by projections and indentations. This allows a large building to appear to be multiple smaller, side-by-side buildings. Vertical and horizontal elements should be used to create a human scale and form a coherent pattern providing visual interest to the public.

c. Recommended.

i. Long expanses of building frontage must be broken down both horizontally and vertically. Buildings with nonresidential uses on the ground floor must have articulation features at least every 50 feet along the street front to create a pattern of small storefronts.

ii. Buildings should feature a vertically articulated tripartite façade division – base, middle and top for buildings over five stories.

iii. Vertical articulation of windows, columns and bays is encouraged.

a. Intent. Building rooflines should enliven the pedestrian experience, provide visual interest with details that create forms and shadows, and create a distinct identity.

b. Guideline. A building’s silhouette should be compatible with the intended character of the area and enhance the streetscape. In some cases, it may be appropriate to mark an entryway with a distinct form to emphasize the significance of the building entry. Roof massing should be simple yet contain elements of architectural detailing and have some level of articulation.

c. Recommended.

i. Buildings visible from I-90 should have a distinctive silhouette to create a unique identity within Eastgate and announce entry into Bellevue.

ii. Buildings should incorporate a combination of the following elements:

(1) Vertical architectural expressions of important building functions such as entries.

(2) Varied roofline heights.

(3) Well-detailed cornices that have significant proportions (height and depth) and create visual interest and shadow lines.

(4) Green roofs or rooftop terraces.

a. Intent. Residential entries should provide a graceful transition between the public and private realms.

b. Guideline. Residential entries should be substantial enough to suggest privacy yet welcoming to those who approach and enter.

c. Recommended.

i. Ground-related individual unit entries should be provided on ground floor space not used by storefronts or a multifamily lobby. Where there are ground-related individual entries, a clear transition between public, semi-private, and private space should be delineated with a combination of the following techniques:

(1) Moderate change of grade (two to five feet is preferred) from sidewalk level to entry.

(2) Provision of a porch or deck at least six feet wide by four feet deep. A covered porch is preferred.

(3) Private open space at least 10 feet wide.

(4) A low fence, rail, or planting two to four feet high. (This option is recommended in combination with any of the above.)

(5) Other transition design measure(s) that adequately protects the privacy and comfort of the residential unit and the attractiveness and usefulness of the pathway at least as effectively as a combination of the above, as determined by the Director.

ii. Lobby entries to multifamily buildings should provide:

(1) Weather protection at building entries.

(2) Transparent doors, windows, or glazing near the door.

(3) Double or multiple doors.

(4) Visibility and security. Entrances should be visible from the street or pedestrian path and located in areas with high pedestrian activity or where residents can view the entry.

iii. Entries are encouraged to feature the following:

(1) Doors combined with transom windows or side lights.

(2) Durable, high-quality metal door hardware.

(3) Doors accessed from canopy-covered entries.

a. Intent. Upper floor residential windows should create an open and inviting atmosphere that adds visual interest and enhances the experience of the building both inside and out.

b. Guideline. The windows of a residential building should be pleasing and coherent. Their size and detailing should be of a human scale with regular spacing and a rhythm of similarly shaped windows.

c. Recommended.

i. Windows should feature the following:

(1) Multiple window lights or divisions;

(2) Operable windows;

(3) Trim around framed openings; and

(4) Windows recessed from building façade, not flush.

a. Intent. Design retail and commercial entries should create an open atmosphere that draws customers inside.

b. Guideline. Primary entries to retail and commercial establishments should be frequent and transparent, allowing pedestrians to see the activity within the building and bring life and vitality to the street. Architectural detail should be used to help emphasize the building entry.

c. Recommended.

i. The sides of a building facing a public street should include public entrances to the building.

ii. In retail areas within high-use pedestrian areas, entrances should be provided at least every 50 feet on average to generate pedestrian activity.

iii. Entrances should feature some of the following elements:

(1) Doors with a minimum of 50 percent window area.

(2) Building lighting that emphasizes entrances.

(3) Doors combined with special architectural detailing and hardware.

(4) Large cafe or restaurant doors that open the street to the interior by pivoting, sliding or rolling up overhead.

a. Intent. Use transparency to enhance visual interest and to draw people into retail and commercial uses.

b. Guideline. Retail and commercial uses should use unobstructed windows that add activity and variety at the street level, inviting pedestrians into retail and commercial uses and providing views both in and out.

c. Recommended. Clear window glazing that provides visual access to the activity within the building should be provided on ground floor façades. (Ord. 6366, 8-7-17, § 11)