Battle Ground City Zoning Code

The intent of this subsection is to provide design guidelines that create pedestrian-scale development and that facilitate pedestrian access to developments; connect uses to the street; decrease the distance between adjacent developments; draw users onto a site; create walkable blocks of a human scale; create a sense of place; reduce the amount of land devoted to surface parking; reduce curb cuts; reduce the frequency of auto traffic interrupting pedestrian traffic; provide greater opportunities for pedestrian connectivity; and facilitate more pedestrian-friendly design.

Parking lots shall be located behind and to the side of buildings and shall not be placed on the corner of two streets.

The auto circulation system and parking shall be designed as an extension of the public street system through the use of continuous sidewalks, landscaping consistent with public streets, utilization of the street elevation, the use of parallel parking and the use of driveways and circulation drives as mid-block connections.

Parking lots and developments shall be divided into blocks with perimeters of eight hundred to two thousand feet (two hundred to five hundred feet per side). Blocks can be defined by auto circulation drives and the placement of buildings on the site.

Shared parking between users of same or abutting properties shall occur wherever practicable. Users with differing peak periods, such as offices and movie theaters, are especially suitable for shared parking.

Common driveways between users on the same or abutting properties shall be required wherever possible.

All curb cuts shall be as narrow as safety allows (subject to BGMC Title 12, Streets and Sidewalks) in order to reduce the distance a pedestrian must cross.

Parking and pedestrian circulation shall be designed to accommodate connections between developments.

Drive-through facilities shall not be located between a building and the public street except in cases where all of the following are included:

The intent of this subsection is to provide design guidelines that result in pedestrian-oriented development to provide the most direct route to the public transportation infrastructure; to reduce out-of-direction travel; to minimize travel distance; and to add human-scale interest and convenience to users of a development.

Pedestrian linkages shall be designed with development to connect to the public infrastructure. Linkages shall be a continuation of the public infrastructure to reduce dead-end paths and encourage users to directly access the development. Consideration shall be given to off-site destinations in the design of the on-site pedestrian system.

Pedestrian circulation routes shall be composed of treated surfaces, such as scored, brushed, stamped and colored concrete and brick pavers, in order to differentiate the pedestrian system from the vehicular system. Where pedestrian routes cross driveways or vehicular access aisles, different paving material shall be provided as noted above. Pedestrian circulation routes shall be a minimum of five feet in width.

Amenities such as benches, sitting areas, art, pedestrian squares and varied building facades shall be provided along pedestrian routes.

Pedestrian facilities along building frontages and developments shall incorporate rain protection and boulevard landscaping whenever possible. When such facilities are provided, special attention shall be given to ensure pedestrian safety, security and convenience by not creating enclosed spaces that may shelter potential criminal activity. Appropriate lighting shall be incorporated whenever possible.

The intent of this subsection is to promote a high level of accessibility for pedestrians to structures within a development and to create a welcoming streetscape; to provide spaces for civic interaction; to increase the pedestrian accessibility of developments from the street; and to foster a sense of community identity and arrival within developments.

Primary building entrances shall be oriented toward the public street. The entrance shall be visually prominent from the public street through the use of architectural details, entrance paving treatments and landscaping. Where there is more than one public street abutting the site, the planning director shall determine which street shall have preference based on its access classification, pedestrian use, transit use, and presence of on-street parking.

Buildings shall be located as close as possible to the public street and sidewalk, preferably at the sidewalk line or the minimum required buffer, and in all instances shall comply with the maximum setback requirement specified in Table 17.118-2. A minimum of fifty percent of the street-facing facade shall meet the maximum setback standard. Where there is more than one public street abutting the site, the planning director shall determine which street shall have preference based on its access classification, pedestrian use, transit use, and presence of on-street parking.

Pedestrian plazas, street furniture and public open spaces shall be incorporated as site amenities whenever possible. Creative configuration and type of landscaping and buffering can be used to accomplish this.

Buildings on corner lots shall be located on the street corner with building frontage on both streets, with primary entrances oriented toward the intersection. If no buildings are located at street corners, pedestrian plazas and amenities shall provide a focus for the area.

The intent of this subsection is to encourage pedestrian-scale development through creative and innovative building and architectural design.

The ground floors of building facades facing streets shall have at least fifty percent of the total ground floor wall area in clear vision glass, pedestrian entrances or open shops, with no reflective surface or film permitted. This standard shall not apply to ground floor building elevations fronting SR 503. Other building facades shall have at least fifty percent of the total wall area in permeable surfaces or permanent architectural features that break up the monotony of large blank walls or facades, or a combination of permeable surfaces and permanent architectural features.

Buildings with frontages greater than fifty linear feet shall vary the building line and/or create offsetting walls, awnings, arcades, modulated wall textures, climbing landscaping materials and other features that visually reduce the scale of the wall.

Buildings shall integrate awnings, overhangs or other rain protection features when abutting pedestrian amenities. The minimum depth of such features is four feet, with a vertical clearance of between eight and twelve feet. Such features may extend up to four feet into the public right-of-way if such extension can be safely accommodated. When located in the public right-of-way, the applicant shall obtain an encroachment permit from the city of Battle Ground consistent with Chapter 12.122 BGMC.

The project includes other buildings that have ground floor walls that meet the ten-foot maximum setback for at least twenty-five percent of the street frontage on site. These buildings must be constructed at the same time or before the exempt building is constructed.

An internal circulation system must be provided that meets the following requirements of this section. Each accessway/driveway providing access from the public street into the site must have sidewalks of at least ten feet in width running the length of the access on both sides of the access drive. Tree wells must be provided every thirty feet. Parallel parking must be provided on both sides of the accessway.

In addition to the aforementioned design requirements listed in subsections A through D of this section for commercial districts, the following architectural and design features shall be incorporated into the design of any building over eighty thousand square feet in area:

Ground level building facades along streets shall include large display windows with a sill height of twelve inches to thirty inches above the street.

First floor ceiling heights shall be at least ten feet.

Flat roofs shall be used with extended parapets and projecting cornices.