This district is intended to promote investment and reinvestment that encourages a diverse pedestrian-oriented and walkable street environment north of Grinnell's Historic Central Business District. Buildings and structures must create a functioning & sustainable block-structure with special consideration of the design, architecture, and materials utilized to promote a thoughtful transition from the Central Business District into this District, ultimately comprising of mixed-use commercial and high-density residential buildings.

   1.   Permitted Uses: Any use permitted within the C-2 Central Business District except one and two-family residential units.

   2.   Accessory Uses: Any uses permitted in the C-2 Central Business District.

      A.   No commercial use is permitted above a residential use unless there is separate access to the commercial use.

   3.   Interior Living Space: Minimums provided by the International Building Code or International Residential Code adopted at the time of construction.

   4.   Bulk Regulations. The following minimum requirements shall be observed:

      A.   Lot Width: No minimum or maximum.

      B.   Lot Area: No minimum or maximum.

      C.   Rear Yard Setback: 5' if adjoining an alley right-of-way.

      D.   Side Yard Setback: No Minimum or maximum.

      E.   Front Yard Setback: No minimum or maximum.

      F.   Maximum Height: 65 feet

         (1)   Ground Story Base Height shall be no lower than fronting sidewalk, no taller than 4 inches of fronting sidewalk.

         (2)   Ground Story Minimum Wall Height shall be no lower than 12 feet. Second story and above shall be a minimum height of 9 feet.

      G.   Awnings and other similar devices, excluding signs, may project not more than 6 feet into the street right-of-way.

   5.   Parking and Garages. Openings for parking garage entries shall have a maximum clear height no greater than sixteen (16) feet and a clear width no greater than twenty-two (22) feet. Parking space dimensions shall be in accordance with the off-street parking regulations.

   6.   Street walls.

      A.   A street wall not less than four (4) feet in height or greater than eight (8) feet in height shall be required along any building line frontage when:

         (1)   At-grade parking is located inside the front setback line; or

         (2)   Refuse storage areas or bulk material storage areas are present in view from the street.

      B.   One access gate no wider than twenty-two (22) feet and one pedestrian entry gate no wider than five (5) feet shall be permitted within any required street wall. Where a street wall is required to screen the edge of a parking area or outdoor refuse or bulk material storage area, the street wall shall be located along any building line frontage that is not otherwise occupied by a building. Street walls must be constructed utilizing either masonry or a private landscape buffer in accordance with the provision of the Architectural Standards Regulations or any combination thereof. Walls may be opaque or partially open and may include landscaping.

   7.   Balconies.

      A.   Balconies may not project within five (5) feet of a common lot line.

      B.   Balconies shall not project more than two (2) feet forward of the building line.

      C.   Balconies must be a minimum size of eight (8) feet wide and five (5) feet deep.

      D.   Balconies shall be enclosed by balustrades, railings, or other means.

      E.   Balconies shall not otherwise be enclosed above a height of forty-two (42) inches, except with insect screening and/or columns/posts supporting a roof or connecting with another balcony above; and shall be covered, by roofs or by balconies above.

      F.   No balcony installed over a sidewalk within a right-of-way may be less than 10 feet from the sidewalk grade height below. No balcony shall project over the travel lanes of any public right-of-way; the proposed balcony must meet all applicable design standards contained in this Code and other ordinances passed by the council.

   8.   Exterior Elements. New buildings and new building façades are required to achieve a complete and discrete vertical façade composition along a street frontage. This requires compliance with the following minimum standards:

      A.   There must be a clearly different ground story façade configuration, either materials or fenestration proportions and spacing or both, from one vertical façade composition to the next; and at least two (2) of the following:

         (1)   Fenestration (being the arrangement of windows and doors on the elevations of a building) proportions differing between one vertical façade composition to the next of at least twenty (20) percent in height or width or height to width ratio.

         (2)   Change in wall material (changes in paint color are insufficient).

         (3)   Change in total fenestration percentage (minimum difference of ten (10) percent; ground floor façades are not included).

      B.   Each façade composition, regardless of the number of bays such composition may have, shall include a functioning street entry door. At least one functioning entry door shall be provided along each ground story façade. No ground story façade may include a section of greater than seventy-five (75) feet without a functioning entry door.

      C.   Any front porches or similar outdoor areas shall be completely covered by a roof. Front porches may be screened when all architectural elements columns, railings, etc.) occur on the outside of the screen on the side facing the street. The front porch finished floor height shall be no more than eight (8) inches below the first interior finished floor level of the building to which it is attached.

      D.   Ground story height.

         (1)   Non-residential uses.

            (a)   The ground story finished floor elevation shall be no lower than the average fronting exterior sidewalk elevation; and no higher than eighteen (18) inches above the average fronting sidewalk elevation.

            (b)   The ground story shall have a clear height of at least twelve (12) feet contiguous to the required building line frontage for a minimum depth of twenty-five (25) feet.

         (2)   Residential units at the required building line.

            (a)   Residential units may not be located on any ground story that has frontage facing a public street right-of-way.

            (b)   The finished floor elevation shall be no less than three (3) feet from grade.

            (c)   The ground story shall have a clear height of at least nine (9) feet.

            (d)   Main entrances and lobbies may be at grade, with transitions to meet the minimum finished floor elevation for the units within the building interior.

            (e)   Upper story height. The minimum clear height for each upper story is nine (9) feet.

   9.   Siting.

      A.   At corners the building façade shall be built to the required building line within thirty (30) feet of a block corner. Within sixteen (16) feet of the block corner, the ground story façade may be chamfered to form a corner entry.

      B.   The building line, which is as an absolute line, allows an offset area (or depth) of twenty-four (24) inches beyond that line (into the buildable area) to allow for façade articulation, unless otherwise stated in this section. Portions of the façade located within that twenty-four-inch zone must comply with the required building line.

   10.   Fenestration:

      A.   Blank lengths of wall exceeding fifteen (15) linear feet are prohibited on walls abutting a right-of-way with the exception of Alley right-of-ways.

      B.   For 1st Floor Designs:

         (1)   Ground story fenestration shall comprise between fifty (50) percent and ninety (90) percent of the ground story façade.

         (2)   Single panes of glass shall not be permitted larger than ten (10) feet in height by five (5) feet in width.

         (3)   Ground story windows may not be made opaque by window treatments (exempting operable sunscreen devices within the conditioned space.)

      C.   Where glass is used to meet the fenestration requirements it shall have a light transmission at the ground story of at least seventy (70) percent and for the upper stories at least fifty-five (55) percent, unless otherwise required by the building or energy conservation code.

      D.   No part of any building may be located outside of the buildable area except overhanging eaves, awnings, stoops, steps, or balconies. Handicapped ramps approved by the director in    order to comply with federal law may also extend beyond the buildable area. Stoops, steps, and ramps shall not be located within a required clear walkway. For appropriate commerce and retail uses, temporary displays or cafe seating may be placed by first obtaining permission form City Council.

      E.   (80) percent of the window surface shall allow a view into the building interior of at least fifteen (15) feet.

   11.   Exterior Building Materials: All newly constructed buildings shall recognize the importance of material strength and permanency through the selection of building materials, and the principal structure strength and permanency shall dominate the structural and exterior materials and components. The primary exterior material of any wall of a building shall consist of a combination of brick, architectural concrete panels, textured concrete block, or stone of no less than eighty percent (80%) of the wall area, excluding glass. Metal panels or sheet metal will not be considered an acceptable exterior building material.

   12.   Curb cuts interfere with pedestrian movement and should be limited or removed to the extent possible during redevelopment.

      A.   For lots with an alley accessible to service vehicles, existing curb cuts shall be eliminated or vacated at the time of redevelopment unless the director, in consultation with the department of public works, determines that they are necessary to protect public safety or avoid traffic congestion, or because alley access will not serve the functional needs of the property.

      B.   For lots without alley access, existing curb cuts may be maintained or relocated along the same frontage.

   13.   Signage: All signage within this district shall meet the regulations as outlined in section 157.11 with the exception of the additional requirements of section 10 of this chapter.