i. The most important part of a Building to a pedestrian is its ground floor, which a person experiences walking past or entering the Building. This “pedestrian experience zone” shall provide eyes on the street, a sense of enclosure, and a continuous, safe, and comfortable street edge for the pedestrian. Ground floor Building Transparency should foster interaction between the public and private realms;

ii. Windows and Building entries that are transparent should be provided at the street level;

iii. Visual interest should be created on walls by using a variety of forms, colors, and compatible cladding materials;

iv. Façades should provide a varied pedestrian experience by using bays, columns, pilasters, or other articulation at the street level;

v. Weather Protection should help to define the upper edge of the pedestrian experience zone. A change in materials and scale will further define this zone;

vi. Signs and lighting at the ground level should complement the Pedestrian Scale;

vii. Building edges should maintain strong visual and physical connections to the Sidewalk;

viii. Primary entries should support an active year-round pedestrian experience with an exceptionally high level of visual and physical porosity through features that include, but are not limited to, concertina doors, large pivot doors, roll-up doors, and large operable windows; and

ix. Street corners should be enlarged and/or designed to accommodate a higher volume of pedestrians and Ground Floor Uses.

i. Weather Protection along the ground floor of Buildings shall protect pedestrians from rain and provide shade in summer, but allow some daylight penetration;

ii. The design of Weather Protection shall be an integral component of the Building façade;

iii. Weather Protection shall be in proportion to the Building and Sidewalk, and not so large as to impact street trees, light fixtures, or other street furniture;

iv. Weather Protection shall assist in providing a sense of enclosure for the pedestrian;

v. Durable materials shall be used for Weather Protection;

vi. Awning and Marquee designs shall be coordinated with Building design;

vii. The minimum height for awnings or Marquees is eight feet above Finished Grade, except as otherwise required in the International Building Code, as adopted and amended by the City of Bellevue;

viii. The maximum height for awnings or Marquees is 12 feet above Finished Grade;

ix. Pavement below Weather Protection shall be constructed to provide for drainage;

x. Weather Protection shall have a horizontal rather than a sloping orientation along the Building Elevation; and

xi. Weather Protection shall follow the pattern of storefronts.

i. Outdoor gathering spaces should be inviting and maximize opportunities for use. They should be spatially well-defined, inviting, secure, and easy to maintain. They may be intimate and quiet or active and boisterous;

ii. All outdoor areas should work well for pedestrians and provide space for special events, as well as passive activities;

iii. Provide gateways, courtyards, squares, and Plazas to enhance adjacent Ground Floor Uses;

iv. Use Buildings to surround green spaces and give the space visual definition. Vitality can be generated by Ground Floor Uses and programming within the space;

v. Use trees, shrubs, and plants to help define Walkways, create transitions from Open Spaces to the street, and provide visual interest;

vi. Provide for outdoor spaces that can support active uses such as farmers’ markets, festivals, and community events;

vii. Provide Structures, pavilions, and seating areas that are easily accessible and feel safe and secure during day and evening hours; and

viii. Provide pedestrian Walkways and courtyards in residential or office Development Areas.

i. Site and Building design should capitalize on existing elements of the natural environment, such as Habitat corridors, Sturtevant Creek, Mercer Slough, and Trail connections including the Lake Washington Loop Trail, Lake to Lake Trail and other Points of Interest.

ii. Designs should also integrate new natural features, such as Pedestrian Connections, 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.

iii. The following existing natural environments and connections should be protected and incorporated into New Development or redevelopment:

iv. The landscape Development requirements of LUC 20.25Q.080 shall apply.

v. New Buildings should be Sited to take maximum advantage of Sound Transit’s East Main Station, natural areas, and Open Spaces.

vi. Architectural elements should use materials, colors and forms that are harmonious with the natural surroundings.

vii. The Lake Washington Loop Trail, Lake to Lake Trail, Sturtevant Creek, and Mercer Slough should be identified as assets to New Development and redevelopment through the provision of complementary Open Spaces and access points, signage and other design elements that raise awareness and use of the Trails and Open Space.

viii. Green walls, green roofs, rain gardens and abundant landscaping are encouraged on and around Buildings visible from the Interstate 405 corridor, to promote the natural character of East Main.

ix. Rain gardens, modular wetlands, and Stormwater planters pursuant to Bellevue Utilities Department Engineering Standards Chapter D9, now or as hereafter amended, are encouraged.

x. Developments and design features that promote environmental sustainability such as Low Impact Development, preservation and enhancement of Critical Areas, and energy efficiency are encouraged.

xi. All plant selections should be selected to provide year-round interest.

xii. Plant selections should support a variety of sensory experiences and ecological functions.

xiii. Explore the Expansion of tree beds to accommodate understory plantings.

i. Use formal benches, movable seating, and informal seating areas such as wide steps, edges of landscaped planters and low walls;

ii. Provide more seating areas near active retail establishments especially outside eating and drinking establishments and near food vendors;

iii. Provide seating adjacent to Sidewalks and pedestrian Walkways;

iv. Create places for stopping and viewing adjacent to and within parks, squares, Plazas, and courtyards;

v. Create a sense of separation from vehicular traffic; and

vi. Provide comfortable and inviting places where people can stop to sit, rest and visit.

i. Use both permanent and temporary art to provide a conceptual framework to organize Open Spaces including Plazas, Open Spaces, Setbacks, and streetscapes;

ii. Use art to support orientation/wayfinding, mark entryways, corners, gateways and view termini;

iii. Integrate art into Building elements, including but not limited to: façades, canopies, lighting, etc.;

iv. Designate a location for the artwork that activates the Public Realm and is in scale with its location;

v. Use materials and methods that will withstand public use and weathering if Sited outdoors; and

vi. Explore opportunities to enhance the history of diversity in the Bellevue community, technological innovation, and/or environmental context of Bellevue. This can be achieved through the installation of multilingual and universally accessible placards, pedestal signage, embedded markings, or through an artistic element.

i. Pedestrian-Scaled lighting should be provided along pedestrian Walkways and public Open Spaces;

ii. Lighting should be dimmable and compatible among projects within East Main to accentuate its unique character;

iii. Fixtures should be visually compatible so as not to overpower or dominate the streetscape;

iv. Lighting may also be used to highlight trees and similar features within public and private Plazas, courtyards, Walkways, and other similar outdoor areas and to create an inviting and safe ambiance;

v. Use lighting to highlight Landscape Areas;

vi. Integrate and conceal fixtures into the design of Buildings or landscape walls, handrails, and stairways;

vii. Install foot lighting that illuminates Walkways and stairs;

viii. Direct bollard lighting downward toward walking surfaces;

ix. Provide festive lighting along streets on Buildings and trees;

x. Decorative lighting may be used in Open Spaces to make the area more welcoming; and

xi. Explore the potential for catenary lighting where possible.

i. Signs should not overwhelm the streetscape. They should be compatible with and complement the Building’s architecture, including its awnings, canopies, lighting, and street furniture;

ii. Sign lighting should be integrated into the façade of the Building;

iii. Signs should be constructed of high-quality materials and finishes;

iv. Signs should be attached to the Building in a durable fashion; and

v. Signs should be constructed of individual, three-dimensional letters, as opposed to one single box with cutout flat letters.

i. Where adjacent to a right-of-way, a minimum of 20 feet of the first and second floors measured from the façade inward shall be habitable space for residential, office, or commercial use. The following right-of-way is excluded from this requirement:

ii. Parking garages and integrated structured parking shall be designed so that their streetscape interface has a consistent aesthetic through massing and use of materials complementing the vision for the area;

iii. Parking garage openings shall be glazed when adjacent to right-of-way or adjacent to the pre-located street, Potential Street, Open Space, or pedestrian and bicycle route above the second floor, except when the openings are adjacent to the freeway, in which case the openings shall be glazed on floor levels above the adjacent freeway;

iv. Openings shall be provided adjacent to interior property lines to avoid blank walls and shall be glazed to function as windows;

v. Parking garage floors shall be horizontal to accommodate adaptive reuse;

vi. Stairways, elevators, and parking entries and exits shall occur at mid-block;

vii. Design a single auto exit/entry control point to minimize number and width of driveway openings (entry and exit points may be separated) and potential conflicts;

viii. Design shall include vertical expression of Building Structure that provides continuity with the surrounding Development;

ix. Profiles of parking Structure floors shall be concealed and not visible to the public through façade treatments and materiality while providing openings consistent with residential and nonresidential Buildings;

x. Parking garages and structured parking should be designed to be compatible with the urban streetscape;

xi. Sill heights and parapets shall be sufficient to screen view of automobiles;

xii. Rhythm and spacing of openings should reflect a typical commercial or residential Development;

xiii. Where glazing is required, the applicant may elect to provide a maximum of 25 percent of the openings of the total perimeter wall area of each level as unglazed or the minimum required openings percentage for natural ventilation established by the applicable International Building Code Section 406.5.2, as amended by the Bellevue Building Code, whichever is greater, to ensure the natural ventilation of the garage; and

xiv. Except as provided in subsection A.9.b.i(1) and (2) of this section, the Director may approve an Administrative Departure pursuant to LUC 20.25Q.030.D.1 for the use of art in conjunction with less glazing as a garage treatment if the applicant demonstrates that the use of art to enhance the compatibility of parking garages and integrated structured parking provides an equal or better result than the requirements of this section.

i. Transparency. Seventy-five percent minimum;

ii. Weather Protection. Seventy-five percent minimum, 6 feet deep minimum. When a Building is adjacent to two or more rights-of-way, Weather Protection shall be provided for the two rights-of-way with the highest pedestrian orientation. Refer to subsection A.2 of this section for more guidelines on Weather Protection;

iii. Points of Interest. Every 60 linear feet of the façade, maximum;

iv. Vehicular Parking. No surface parking or Vehicle access directly between Perimeter Sidewalk and main pedestrian entrance; and

v. One hundred percent of the Street Wall shall incorporate Ground Floor Uses.

i. Transparency. Seventy-five percent;

ii. Weather Protection. Seventy-five percent. When a Building is adjacent to two or more rights-of-way, Weather Protection shall be provided for the two rights-of-way with the highest pedestrian orientation. Refer to subsection A.2 of this section for more guidelines on Weather Protection;

iii. Points of Interest. Every 75 linear feet of façade, maximum;

iv. Vehicular Parking. No surface parking or Vehicle access directly between Perimeter Sidewalk and main pedestrian entrance; and

v. Fifty percent of Street Wall shall incorporate Ground Floor Uses.

i. Transparency. Blank walls and inactive uses may occupy 25 percent of the façade;

ii. Weather Protection. At entries;

iii. Points of Interest. Every 90 linear feet of façade, maximum; and

iv. Vehicular Parking. No surface parking or Vehicle access directly between Perimeter Sidewalk and main pedestrian entrance.

i. Transparency. Seventy-five percent minimum;

ii. Weather Protection. Seventy-five percent minimum, six feet deep. When a Building is adjacent to two or more rights-of-way, Weather Protection shall be provided for the two rights-of-way with the highest pedestrian orientation. Refer to subsection A.2 of this section for more guidelines on Weather Protection;

iii. Points of Interest. Every 30 linear feet of the façade, maximum;

iv. Vehicular Parking. No surface parking or Vehicle access shall be allowed directly between Sidewalk and main pedestrian entrance; and

v. One hundred percent of the Street Wall abutting the Build-To Line shall incorporate Ground Floor Uses.