Design with nature. Before any layout or structure placement can be drawn for a site, the property should be evaluated for topography, natural water courses, and stands of trees. Placement of homes on high ground assists with gravity waste water infrastructure, and avoiding the development of naturalized areas creates the opportunity for passive subdivision amenities to be located in those areas, for the benefit of all the residents. Maximizing the accessibility of homes allows for fewer roads to be built, reducing the overall need for improvements and impervious surface area for the project in total.

Consider green infrastructure. Utilize stormwater right at the source: rather than inserting those waters back into an adjacent stream system, utilize reclaimed stormwater to irrigate on-site landscaping or parks amenities. Capitalize on the use of natural filtration via rain gardens and pervious pavement, both of which can reduce the amount and velocity of stormwater that does manage to make it off-site. Even residential downspouts can be responsibly connected to the storm sewer system, if those discharges are routed to a pond used for irrigation at the source.

Install amenities which serve a dual purpose. Stormwater management detention (dry ponds) can be utilized as sports fields, as Kyle on average only experiences 49 days per year of measurable precipitation. Retention ponds (wet ponds) can be designed as a source of local irrigation, and also as a focal point or gathering place for a passive recreation park or trail. Street-side tree plantings serve as traffic calming, provide shade and cooling for pedestrians, provide protections in the form of a buffer between pedestrians and vehicle traffic, and recent studies show the shade provided by the over-story canopy actually shades the sidewalk and road pavement, which reduces the expansion and contraction cycle of the hard surfaces, leading to longer time periods between necessary resurfacing (street infrastructure resiliency). Easements for underground utilities which cannot be built upon with structures can be used for trail systems and bike/pedestrian connections.

Avoid mass grading to the greatest extent possible. Native landscapes thrive best in undisturbed top soil to which they've grown accustomed. Retain native topsoil, specifically do not strip and later replace topsoil in areas that will not be built upon. Top-and sub-soil cleared and disturbed during the construction process is also much more susceptible to wind and water erosion, leading to siltation of neighboring water bodies. If no built improvements are planned for a particular area of a housing project, segregate those areas as "no encroachment zones" during the construction process. This saves on labor, fuel, and equipment costs, with the added benefit of preserving a mature landscape area when the project is complete.

Encourage the installation of trails and passive recreation areas, rather than cut and fill near water courses. Residents located in projects too remote to be reached via walking or biking, still need walking and bike trails located near to where they live. Those areas that can't be built upon because of steep slopes, stands of mature forest canopy, or proximity to floodplain and other low sections of land are prime candidates for trails and low-impact recreation improvements. For a comparatively low capital outlay, the value of that amenity to a prospective buyer should be considered a necessary investment in any housing project.

Avoid culs-de-sac. Sometimes despite substantial obstacles, the transportation network in the project should create the most amount of connectivity possible. Through streets which create multiple pathways in, out, and through a project actually lead to lower overall speeds in a neighborhood, and greatly reduce the number of congestion points as compared to a project designed with dead-end culs-de-sac. Reduced connectivity places a higher stress on those few remaining streets which do connect to adjacent collector and arterial roadways. Relieve the overall traffic demand on the most-popular corridors by creating alternatives for that traffic flow.

Short-term off-street parking should be provided. 90-degree and angled off-street parking spaces located throughout a residential project allow for occasional, temporary parking without taking up room in a private driveway, nor blocking travel lanes in violation of Kyle's life safety requirements for the unobstructed widths of streets. The provision for excess parking off-street also allows streets to be paved with less width required, which fulfills a traffic calming design function, reduces site-wide impervious surface area, and lowers overall development costs.

Within any project containing any amount of low-density residential land use, roughly two percent of the project's net acreage should be reserved for active recreational opportunities, especially geared toward children. Playgrounds and tot lots should be situated as to be within a four-minute walk of most households. When they are spaced at this distance, a typical neighborhood will contain more than one such park. Each lot should be no smaller than a quarter-acre in size, containing hardscapes and landscaped areas, benches for resting, and play equipment, all in proximity to ample tree cover. While pocket parks may occupy an undeveloped home lot, it is best placed at a conspicuous location such as a staggered intersection or vista termination.

Avoid homogeny of product styles in close proximity to one another. Vary orientation, architectural ornamentation, exterior building cladding, and colors for homes along the same block or development phase. No home plan should be built within three lots, on either side of the street, of the same home plan within the same block.

Residential architecture should stay true to a specific style (Queen Anne, Craftsman, Victorian, Colonial, etc.), and not unnecessarily mix styles.

Respect the scale of homes along the same block. Do not place two homes of disparate scale/height alongside one another without appropriate separation, as that breaks up the predominant rhythm of the block from a pedestrian scale. No structure may exceed the height of an adjacent structure by more than one floor. Similarly, front building setbacks shall be complimentary along the block.

Alley loading is required for all homes on lots less than 50 feet in width*, preferable for homes on lots of less than 60 feet in width, and should be encouraged for all new housing projects, similar to the housing pattern established in Kyle's downtown. The greatest and most obvious benefit to this development style is a much-reduced reliance on front-loaded, auto-oriented dwelling units.

* Cul-de-sac lots notwithstanding.

Detached garages or other accessory structures must be located in the rear yard.

Front-loaded garages shall not be located any closer than 20 feet to a front property line in any district. Driveways will provide adequate room for parking without the need to block any sidewalks.

In no case, should the enclosed garage be the portion of the home closest to the front property line unless the home complies with Ord. No. 928 as passed on January 17, 2017. A designation of front wall can be given to a load-bearing wall that defines an inhabitable area on-grade. This designation does not require the front wall to be fully enclosed, but it shall dominate the non-garage opening portion of the front elevation, such as the load-bearing portion of a covered front porch, or the load-bearing portion of a front porch where there is a covered balcony overhead. Uncovered areas in front of the home will not count as a front wall. Final determination of what does and does not constitute the designation of front wall shall be determined by the planning director ("director") or designee.

Corner lots at the intersection of streets with different classification shall take vehicular access from the more minor of the two intersecting streets, if not alley or rear loaded.

All homes will feature exteriors of a masonry material on all sides. This includes brick, natural stone, stucco, cementitious siding/panels, or other approved masonry cladding. Doors, windows, door and window casings, porch decking, roofs, and other architectural accent features are not required to be made from masonry materials.

As new technologies emerge in the building industry, materials may be introduced that resemble traditional building materials in appearance, especially regarding exterior cladding. New, composite materials, including a combination of wood, cement, and plastic fibers, may be considered for selected, specific uses, as long as they can meet or exceed the performance of the material they are imitating. It is important that alternate materials closely replicate original materials in size, texture, profile and surface treatment.

The application of faux veneer panels as a primary cladding, such as brick veneer sheeting, Dryvit, EIFS, and engineered plywood is prohibited.

All single-family and two-family structures must provide a garage for the dwelling unit(s). The minimum size for garages shall be 380 square feet; homes with garages that measure fewer than 430 square feet shall additionally provide an on-site storage structure, with floor area of no less than 140 square feet; homes with garages that measure at least 430 but less than 480 square feet shall additionally provide an on-site storage structure, with floor area of no less than 80 square feet; homes with garages that measure 480 or more square feet shall have no such requirement to provide any additional on-site storage structure.

The architectural dominance of the garage door(s) on front-loaded home architecture shall be minimized above all else. Kyle alternately requires or at the least strongly encourages alley-loaded, rear-facing garage type products, and the consistent use of side-loading garages, as well as garages located in the rear of the property but accessed from the front of the property.

Forward facing garage door(s) shall be clad in a neutral color, noticeably darker so as not to draw primary attention to the façade, and yet complimentary to the overall aesthetic of the home. The door(s) shall present architectural features like hinge straps, windows, awning/roofs, and/or decorative handles. No front-facing garage façade or combination of garage façades may comprise more than half the overall width of the home's front façade.

All façades of a building shall contain a combination of architectural treatments, windows, returns, awnings, stoops, porches, and doors such that the maximum allowable unbroken façade distance for each building or side of building shall be 20 feet. Such controls shall pertain to both the vertical and horizontal elevations. "Blank façades" that do not feature windows, doors, or the above architectural treatments are strictly prohibited. Exposed vents, electric meter boxes, storm gutters and similar utility conduits do not qualify as architectural treatments. It should be noted that for fire-rated walls, penetrations are not required to meet this standard, so the standard is still valid in all cases.

The reveal (exposed portion) of siding will be a minimum of four inches and shall not exceed six inches. Corner boards should have the same width and depth as the siding reveal, and are not permitted to be more than two inches greater than the siding reveal, or more than one inch less than the siding reveal.

If appropriate to the architectural style, covered front porches shall be fully-functional, habitable areas and be of at least 120 square feet and at least eight feet in depth.

Window shutters, whether functional or decorative, shall be scaled as if to cover the window to which they are adjacent.

When utilizing asphalt shingles as a roofing cover, the shingles will be 3-tab "architectural" or "dimensional" style shingles.

A cover sheet showing the following:

An existing conditions plan that shows the following:

An erosion and sedimentation control plan that shows the following:

A site plan that shows all visible improvements to the land, including the following:

A grading and drainage plan that shows the following:

A utility plan that shows the following:

A building plan, including floor, building, foundation, and roof plans, and elevations.

A landscape plan that shows the following:

Construction details that show (when applicable) the following:

Two complete sets of construction plans shall be submitted to city staff for review by the city engineer at any time prior to the issuance of a building permit, along with the following:

City staff shall review all construction plan submittals for completeness at the time of application. If, in the judgment of city staff, the construction plan submittal substantially fails to meet the minimal informational requirements as outlined above, it will not be accepted for review.

The city engineer shall review the construction plans to ensure compliance with this chapter, and other applicable city ordinances, codes, standards and specifications, and good engineering practices.

Construction plans may be rejected at any time subsequent to submittal and prior to final approval for failure to meet the minimum information requirements of this chapter.

Specific approvals required from other agencies shall be obtained by the owner.

All improvements shown in the approved construction plans shall be constructed pursuant to and in compliance with the approved plans, except as otherwise specifically approved.

It shall be the right of the applicant seeking construction plan approval, to appeal a decision of the city engineer to the planning and zoning commission and have a final decision rendered by the planning and zoning commission.

The developer and the engineer that prepares and submits such plans and specifications shall be and remain responsible for the adequacy of the design of all such improvements; and

Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed or construed to relieve or waive the responsibility of the developer and his engineer for or with respect to any design, plans and specifications submitted.