Glendale, CO Zoning Ordinance

Glendale City Zoning Code

CHAPTER 17

18 SITE DESIGN STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO ALL DISTRICTS

§ 17.18.010 Intent.

The intent of the following design and development standards is to encourage the creation of safe, adequate and attractive facilities and to minimize views of unattractive uses or activities through use of sound design principles and establishment of minimum requirements. The standards set forth have been conceived to both enhance the compatibility of dissimilar uses and increase property values.

(Ord. 1997-13 § 1 (part); Ord. 2007-14 § 1 (part); Ord. 2018-2 § 1 (part))

§ 17.18.020 Site design requirements.

All development shall respect and complement existing development on abutting sites. This shall include:

Provision for consolidating access points with abutting properties through joint access easements or other negotiated means;

Provision for making sidewalks contiguous with abutting properties;

Compatible building massing and scale.

All development shall be designed so that for the given location, egress points, grading and other elements of the development could not be reasonably altered to:

Reduce or consolidate the number of access points onto an arterial or collector street;

Minimize adverse impacts on any existing or planned residential use;

Reduce disruption to the existing terrain, vegetation or other natural site features;

Improve pedestrian and vehicle safety within the site and egressing from it;

Improve pedestrian connections within the site and from the site to adjacent uses;

Improve views to the mountains and to Cherry Creek channel from this development and existing residential uses;

Reduce the visual intrusion of parking areas, screened storage areas and similar accessory areas and structures.

All development including buildings, walls and fences shall:

Complement existing development in scale and location;

Provide an adequate system of sidewalks or an off-street system of pedestrian and bicycle paths greater than six (6) feet in width;

Provide pocket parks or green spaces that at a minimum provide seating and landscaping;

Ensure exterior walls are designed on a pedestrian scale by:

Fragmenting them into smaller or multiple structures,

Providing mature landscaping and manipulating the land form,

Placing wall texture at eye-level,

Clustering of small scale elements such as planter walls around the primary structure;

Ensure that ground floor uses are oriented toward the pedestrian with storefronts that open onto the sidewalk as well as other pedestrian-oriented spaces;

Provide either a building or a landscaped area at least ten (10) feet wide containing dense planting between the front property line of any use and an outdoor parking or service area.

All auto-oriented uses shall provide a distinct edge to separate the impacts of the automobile from nearby residential and office uses. Each development shall include acceptable edge treatments. Representative examples include but are not limited to: back buffer landscaping, the screening of trash and loading facilities, and the introduction of alleyways, streets or pedestrian walkways.

Facility entrance drives shall be readily observable to the first-time visitor;

Minimum conflict shall exist between service vehicles, private automobiles, and pedestrians within the site.

All development shall provide at least three (3) or more of the following design features as a condition of development approval:

Public or private outdoor seating areas;

Usable public spaces located in sunny places;

Pathways to civic uses and amenities;

Primary structure built to the sidewalk;

Inviting street-level storefront that is oriented toward pedestrians and provides visually interesting forms or displays for the pedestrian; and/or

Parking placed totally behind the primary structure, below grade, in a parking structure or limit parking to one side of the building.

Colorado Boulevard Requirements. The applicant shall pay close attention to the following design guidelines found in the adopted boulevard plan.

Front setbacks;

Upper level setbacks;

Building placement; and

Building facades.

All multistory buildings, three (3) stories and higher, shall provide architectural detail or pedestrian amenities, such as signs, awnings, visible lobbies or retail on the first level, or outdoor cafes at street level, to contribute to a lively pedestrian environment.

All new development or redevelopment shall follow the adopted street and highway plan and pedestrian framework plan found in the adopted Glendale land use master plan. The city shall require at minimum a pedestrian easement and a roadway dedication of any land parcel impacted by the adopted street and highway plan and pedestrian framework plan.

All streets and pedestrian paths shall connect with existing or planned thoroughfares within Glendale. (Reference the street and highway plan map, and the pedestrian framework plan in the adopted Glendale land use master plan.)

The applicant shall ensure that each development provides for "eyes on the street and sidewalk" since natural surveillance is a basic technique of urban security.

For parcels undergoing redevelopment, the following design standards shall be adhered to:

Any redevelopment occurring adjacent to designated civic focal points shall make the necessary pedestrian and vehicular links to ensure the smooth and coherent movement of both people and cars.

Any redevelopment occurring adjacent to designated civic focal points shall consider the public facilities, parks and open space in the design and orientation of the development.

The following design standards shall apply to parcels of land adjacent to the Cherry Creek channel or adjacent to Cherry Creek Drive South:

All development along the creek, whether public or private, shall include at least one (1) eight (8) foot wide pedestrian path, with ten (10) to twelve (12) feet being the desired width to accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists and rollerbladers. This pedestrian path shall be so designed as to connect to the existing bike path.

Any development occurring next to Creekside Park shall include pedestrian paths to the park and to the creekside.

All new development along Cherry Creek Drive South shall create safe, accessible pedestrian paths to the Creekside Park pedestrian bridge.

Major pedestrian entries that continue the system of pedestrian paths, allowing people to travel from the south side of Glendale across Cheery Creek Drive South and then to the creek, shall be integrated into any development along Cherry Creek Drive South.

(Ord. 1997-13 § 1 (part); Ord. 2007-14 § 1 (part); Ord. 2018-2 § 1 (part))

§ 17.18.030 Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED).

It is desired that each development reasonably maximize the proper design and effective use of the built environment to reduce crime. CPTED consists of five (5) key concepts used to reduce crime, which should be incorporated when practicable and at the recommendation of CPTED Administrator in each site plan application as provided in Chapter 17.32.

Using natural surveillance through the placement of physical features, activities, and people to maximize visibility.

Design and placement of physical features to maximize visibility. This will include building orientation, windows, and entrances and exits, parking lots, refuse containers, walkways, fences and gates, landscape trees and shrubs, use of wrought iron fences or walls, signage and other physical obstructions.

Placement of persons or activities to maximize surveillance possibilities.

Minimum maintained lighting standards that provide for nighttime illumination of parking lots, walkways, entrances, exits and related areas to promote a safe environment.

Using natural access control though the placement of walkway, fences, landscaping, and lighting to guide visitors to the entrance or exit and restrict criminal intrusion into areas where they will not be easily observed.

The use of sidewalks, pavement, gates, lighting and landscaping to clearly guide the public to and from entrances and exits.

The use of gates, fences, walls, landscaping and lighting to prevent or discourage public access to or from dark or unmonitored areas.

Using activity support through the presence of activity planned for the space where the individuals engaged in an activity will become part of the natural surveillance system.

Place safe activities in areas that will discourage would-be offenders, to increase the natural surveillance of these activities and the perception of safety for normal users, and the perception of risk for offenders.

Place high risk activities in safer locations to overcome the vulnerability of these activities by using natural surveillance and access control of the safe area.

Locate gathering areas in locations that provide for natural surveillance and access control or in locations away from the view of would-be offenders.

Improve the scheduling of space to allow for effective use and appropriate intensity of accepted behaviors.

Maintaining landscaping, lighting treatment and other features to facilitate the other concepts of CPTED and to express ownership of the spaces for its intended purpose.

Proper maintenance of lighting fixtures to prescribed standards.

Landscaping which is maintained at prescribed standards.

Minimizing the conflicts between surveillance and landscaping as the groundcover, shrubs and trees mature.

Territorial reinforcement is a concept that clearly delineates private space from semi-public and public spaces, and creates a sense of ownership.

The enhanced feeling of legitimate ownership by reinforcing existing natural surveillance and natural access control strategies with additional symbolic or social ones.

The design of space to allow for its continued use and intended purpose.

The use of pavement treatments, landscaping, art, signage, screening and fences to define and outline ownership of space. However, it is the intent of this provision to continue to prohibit fences separating building frontages from the right-of-way, creation of gated developments, and the creation of enclave developments and communities.

(Ord. 2018-2 § 1 (part))