The purpose of these standards and guidelines is to produce development that meets a number of objectives. These include:

   A.   Ensure housing design is based on a consistent, compatible, and aesthetic architecture.

   B.   Ensure that new housing is designed with sensitivity to the site, as well as pedestrian scale, and reflects a strong residential character for the neighborhood and community.

   C.   Ensure that new homes use building materials and architectural finishes in a manner that exemplifies quality, durability and encourages innovative and imaginative architecture.

   D.   Support and define safe pedestrian, transit, bicycle and vehicular circulation.

   E.   Maintain the scale, context and texture of existing neighborhoods.

   F.   Encourage creative designs for sites and buildings.

   G.   Allow for infill development that is sensitive to its context. (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

The standards and guidelines in this chapter intend to promote orderly community growth which will both protect and enhance property values for the community as a whole. In order to protect the existing environment of the city of Mountain Home and to reduce potential impacts of new development and infill development, the provisions of this chapter shall apply to all multi-family development, residential planned unit development (PUD), duplexes and single-family developments proposing lots (in R-3 and R-4 zones). Each development project shall be evaluated with regard to how it achieves an overall design that meets the intent and direction of the design standards and guidelines. Each standard includes examples and illustrations of ways in which the intent of the standard can be achieved. The graphic examples are meant to be examples, and are not the only acceptable means toward accomplishing the intent and purpose of the standards. Applicants are encouraged to consider designs, styles and other techniques not pictured in the examples provided that they fulfill the intent of the design standard. (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

The standards in this chapter use the word "shall" while the guidelines use the word "should". Regardless of which term is used, each standard and guideline must be addressed by an applicant. The city will expect to see how the design of a project has responded to each standard and guideline. The "shall" statements, with such wording, indicate requirements and offer relatively little flexibility unless choices are provided within the statements themselves. All projects must include these elements as described unless determined by the design review authority that an alternative design proposed by the applicant meets the general intent and purpose of the design standards and guidelines. However, the guidelines that use the word "should" are meant to be applied with flexibility. They indicate that the city is open to design features that are equal to, or better than, those stated, so long as the intent is satisfied. The applicant assumes the burden of proof to demonstrate how a proposed design meets the standards and guidelines and determination will be made by the design review authority. Applicant has the right to appeal the decision of the design review authority. Appeals will be decided by a subcommittee of the city council. (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to provide transition and separation between proposed housing and the public pedestrian and vehicular systems where the front yard functions are usable outdoor space and provide a clear, welcoming, and safe arrival and entry for pedestrians from the sidewalk and streets to the multi-family buildings.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   When there are common entries, they shall be clearly identifiable and visible from the street, with well defined walkways from pedestrian routes to building entries.

      2.   Front yards shall include an entrance sequence between the sidewalk and the building including elements such as trellises, site furnishings, landscaped materials and special paving.

      3.   Building entries should face primary pedestrian access points. If the doorway does not face the street, a clearly marked walkway shall connect the entry to the sidewalk.

      4.   Lighting shall be provided to create a condition of personal security which may include yard lighting, parking lot lighting and perimeter security lighting.

      5.   Four (4) or more of the following elements shall be used to highlight the main entrance to multi-family buildings:

         Architectural details and accents.

         Artwork near the entry.

         Changes in paving. The use of stamped/colored concrete, pavers, or other alternatives to standard concrete pavements, if appropriate to the site conditions, is encouraged.

         Fencing, arbors, trellis.

         Functional, accent lighting, materials, textures, colors:

         Colors

         Landscaping

         Lighting.

         Open space, plaza, or courtyard.

         Ornamental gate and/or fence.

         Planters.

         Porches.

         Seating.

         Water features.

      6.   Landscaping shall be used to enhance the site, building elevations and/or screen elements such as adjacent commercial or industrial development, utility boxes, outdoor storage areas, and dumpsters. Fencing and other architectural features may be used in addition to or in lieu of landscaping.

      7.   Buildings and the major pedestrian entries shall be oriented toward the primary pedestrian street or parking area or if in clusters, toward a common open space with pedestrian connection to primary pedestrian street.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   If high back curb is used, curb cuts shall be limited to one per one hundred fifty feet (150') of street frontage or as required.

      2.   Landscape planting should consider the use of native shrubs, trees and ground covers where and when available or feasible.

      3.   Accent lighting should be used to highlight special focal points, building/site entrances, public art and special community features, if applicable.

(Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to provide a friendly pedestrian environment through the creation of a variety of usable and interesting open space(s) within multi-family developments and residential planned unit developments.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   The standards for common open space apply to all new single- family, duplex, manufactured home, and multi-family developments of five (5) acres or more. The total land area of all common open space shall equal or exceed five percent (5%) of the gross land area of the development.

      2.   Where provided, public pedestrian walkways and open spaces shall be connected and accessible to the residents. Private open spaces may not be included in this requirement.

      3.   At least one on site common outdoor space shall provide at least two (2) of the following amenities to accommodate a variety of ages and activities. Amenities include:

         Accent paving, such as colored or stained concrete, stone, brick or other unit pavers.

         Gardens.

         Open lawn with trees.

         Patios or courtyards.

         Pedestrian scaled accent lighting.

         Picnic areas, tables, lawn areas.

         Play areas.

         Public art.

         Site furnishings (benches, tables, bike racks).

         Special interest landscaping.

         Sports courts.

         Water feature(s) such as fountains, streams, ponds, etc.

      4.   Low impact development: Landscaped swales with bioinfiltration designed as part of a stormwater system is counted toward open space and landscaping minimums.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Location of outdoor spaces should take advantage of sunlight.

      2.   Outdoor seating opportunities such as overlook benches, seat walls, ledges, perches, boulders, artwork, etc., should be provided near building entries, along walkways, and other pedestrian routes outside of parking areas (see subsection 9-19A-1-1B2 of this article).

      3.   Landscape accent features, such as trellises, arbors, hanging baskets, site furniture, and container planting are encouraged within open spaces, along pedestrian circulation routes and to define building and/or residential entrances.

(Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to provide outdoor space that encourages use and a sense of ownership by residents.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Individual private outdoor spaces such as yards, decks, terraces, porches, verandas and patios shall be visually and partially screened from each other and delineated from the street. Shielding may consist of walls, fences, berms, hedges, trellises, arbors and landscaping.

      2.   Outdoor spaces shall not be located adjacent to dumpster enclosures, loading/service areas, or other incompatible uses without screening and sight obscuring landscaping provided.

      3.   Minimum of one hundred twenty (120) square feet of attached private open space for rear or front facades of each unit, inclusive of decks, patios, other pedestrian only areas. These areas should have a minimum of thirty (30) square feet (5 foot by 6 foot porch and entry or landing).

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Planting areas are encouraged to use hardy natives where and when feasible. (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to maintain a contiguous, active pedestrian realm along street fronts by locating and screening parking lots to the side or behind buildings. The intent of these guidelines is to locate the parking areas away from the street frontage in a manner which screens and reduces the appearance of the parking areas from the viewpoint of the adjacent street frontages.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   In situations where there is one building on a property, the intention of the guideline is to encourage the resident and guest parking for that building to be located primarily behind or to the side of the building.

      2.   In situations where one or more larger primary buildings are located on a property, multiple parking areas located adjacent to street frontages are discouraged.

      3.   Front yard setbacks may be reduced to no less than fifteen feet (15') for an R-4 or twenty feet (20') for an R-3 when parking is provided at the rear or side of the building and screened.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Access to multi-family parking lots located behind buildings should be provided from rear alleys and/or other internal drives.

(Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to reduce the visual impact of parking lots through landscaping, screening and/or architectural features that complement the overall design and character of development.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Small Parking Lots: Parking lots with fewer than ten (10) spaces shall be encouraged to consider alternative landscaping options, i.e., container landscaping.

      2.   Trees Required: There shall be at least one deciduous tree for every five (5) outdoor parking spaces.

      3.   Planter Requirements: All interior planters shall:

         a.   Have curbing or wheel restraints sufficient to prevent cars from overhanging into landscaped areas.

         b.   Have no tree planting area less than five feet (5') wide in any dimension.

      4.   Amount Of Landscaping: The amount of landscaping required is based on the total number of parking spaces.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Existing trees should be retained unless they are unhealthy, cause public safety hazards, or cannot be reasonably retained due to site specific limits. (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to maintain a safe and secure pedestrian environment through the use of adequate lighting.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Lighting used in parking lots shall not exceed a maximum of thirty feet (30') in height or as deemed appropriate by the reviewing authority.

      2.   The parking lot lighting should be appropriate to create adequate visibility at night and evenly distributed to increase security.

      3.   All lighting should be glare free and shielded from the sky and adjacent residential properties and structures, either through exterior shields or through optics within the fixture.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Pedestrian scale lighting shall be a maximum of sixteen feet (16') in height, when deemed appropriate by the design review authority. (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to reduce the visual impact of trash storage areas.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   All trash collection areas shall be screened by the use of one or more of the following:

         Landscape planting areas.

         Masonry.

         Wood.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Use of trellis, arbors or other architectural elements.

(Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to maintain the residential scale and character of neighborhoods.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Structures shall incorporate pitched roof forms having slopes between three to twelve (3:12) and twelve to twelve (12:12) or greater, or flat roofs with parapets that provide compatible character.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Gables or other roofline variations (i.e., parapets, dormers, etc.) facing the street are encouraged.

      2.   Dormers, chimneys and other architectural elements may be incorporated to break up long lengths of roof. (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to provide differentiation to large residential structures, with a single front facade, shared entries and elevation options for common side and/or rear entries with two (2) or more units per building. The following standards and guidelines shall apply to all building elevations.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   When the building floor plans or shapes are repeated in a project, the architectural components shall be changed on each building to add variety. Examples: front facade treatments, porches and decks, bay windows, trim details.

(Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to maintain a residential character and varied streetscape and building elevation.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Windows shall be provided in building facades facing streets.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Windows should have visually prominent trim and accent elements, at least 1.5 inches in width.

      2.   Decorative window features are encouraged, such as:

         a.   Sun shading devices.

         b.   Planter boxes and trellises.

         c.   Accent trim.

         d.   Window shapes that contribute to an overall composition. (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to provide residential/pedestrian character along the streetscape.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Buildings shall include modulation along the facades. Special attention shall be given to street/publicly viewed areas. Flat blank walls are discouraged.

      2.   Horizontal facades longer than thirty feet (30') shall be articulated into smaller units of the residential scale. At least two (2) of the following methods shall be included:

         a.   Distinctive roof and wall forms or elements.

         b.   Changes in materials or patterns.

         c.   Windows (shape, pattern, trims and/or details).

         d.   Color differentiation.

         e.   Recesses/offsets/cantilevers. Architectural features (bay, bow windows; chimneys; lower roofs and awnings).

      3.   Street facing facades shall be modulated with recesses at least four feet (4') deep at every thirty feet (30') of maximum length. Rooflines shall be modulated at every seventy five feet (75') of maximum length through the use of varied roof heights five feet (5') or more.

(Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to provide distinction, transition and separation between buildings and the public pedestrian and vehicular systems where the front yards function as usable outdoor space and provide a clear, welcoming, and safe entry for pedestrians from the public sidewalk and streets to the single- family residences.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Primary building entries shall be clearly identifiable and visible from the street, with well defined walkways from public pedestrian and vehicular systems to residential entries.

      2.   Developments which utilize a clustered arrangement shall orient buildings around a common open space with a common pedestrian/vehicle entrance onto the primary street.

      3.   When the doorway does not face the street, a clearly marked and well maintained walkway shall connect the entry to the sidewalk.

      4.   Landscaping shall screen undesirable elements such as views to adjacent commercial or industrial development and dumpsters.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Front yards should include an entrance sequence between the public way and the residence which may include elements such as: trellises, site furnishings, low hedges, landscaped borders, site lighting, and accent paving.

      2.   Accent lighting should be used to highlight special common area focal points, building/site entrances, public art and special landscape features.

      3.   Signage identifying building address should be visible from the street and public pedestrian walkway and be a minimum of three inches (3") and a maximum of six inches (6"). (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Standards Required:

      1.   Landscaping and landscape plans are required for all new structures, except additions to single-family homes.

   B.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Front yards should be planted with drought tolerant plants. Native vegetation is encouraged when and where available and feasible. Native vegetation must be landscaped and maintained. (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Standards Encouraged:

      1.   Driveways which access onto public streets shall be spaced to minimize access points and to increase the amount of on street parking available.

      2.   If alley access is available or is provided within the development, vehicle access shall be from the alley with no curb cuts (if applicable).

(Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to provide private, outdoor space as distinct from common space that encourages use and reinforces a sense of ownership by residents.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Outdoor spaces shall be screened when located adjacent to dumpster enclosures, loading/service areas, or other incompatible uses.

      2.   All outdoor spaces shall be landscaped.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Walls, hedges, and fences used to define outdoor private spaces should incorporate visually permeable elements, such as open rails, ironwork, or trellis treatment to encourage interaction between neighbors.

      2.   Outdoor spaces such as yards, decks, terraces, porches, verandas and patios shall be delineated from common space. Delineation may consist of walls, fences, berms, hedges, and landscaping. (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to ensure that single-family developments with small lot sizes are compatible with land use goals.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Except as permitted under the city's PUD ordinance, lot coverage shall not exceed thirty five percent (35%).

      2.   The following are exempted from floor area calculations:

         a.   Uncovered decks less than eighteen inches (18") above grade.

         b.   Decks shall respect setback requirements per the IRC.

         c.   Accessory buildings or structures less than one hundred twenty (120) square feet and under six feet (6') in height (limit 1 per lot). (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to maintain the residential scale and character of neighborhoods.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Structures shall incorporate pitched roof forms having slopes between two to twelve (2:12) and fifteen to twelve (15:12) or greater (not applicable to porches and dormers). Flat roofs with parapets shall also be allowed.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Gables or other roofline variations (i.e., parapets, second roof, dormers, etc.) facing the street are encouraged.

      2.   Dormers, chimneys, bay windows and other architectural features may be incorporated to break up long lengths of roof. (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to maintain a residential character and varied streetscape and building elevation.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Windows shall be provided in building facades facing streets.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   Windows should have visually prominent trim and accent elements, at least 1.5 inches in width.

      2.   Decorative window features are encouraged, such as:

         a.   Sun shading devices.

         b.   Planter boxes and trellises.

         c.   Accent trim.

         d.   Window shapes that contribute to an overall composition.

(Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to provide visual residential/pedestrian character and variety along the streetscape.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   Buildings shall include modulation along the building facades facing and visible from public rights of way and private access driveways and roads. Flat blank walls are discouraged.

      2.   Horizontal facades longer than thirty feet (30') shall be articulated into smaller units, of the residential scale. At least two (2) of the following methods shall be included:

         a.   Distinctive roof forms and wall forms or elements.

         b.   Changes in materials or patterns.

         c.   Windows (shape, trim, pattern and/or details).

         d.   Color differentiation.

         e.   Recesses/offsets/cantilevers. Architectural features (bays, bow windows and awnings or lower roofs). (Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)

   A.   Intent: The intent is to ensure that garage doors and automobiles do not dominate the street facing building facades or overshadow pedestrian entryways and that adequate parking is provided for duplexes and multi-family dwellings.

   B.   Standards Required:

      1.   When garage doors are facing the street or private driveways, they shall be set back at least twenty feet (20') from the property line or sidewalk or edge of pavement of private street.

      2.   The garage shall not project more than ten feet (10') from the face of the main structure for duplex and multi-family dwellings.

      3.   Where alleys exist, access to garages shall be primarily off the alley.

      4.   Where street parking is limited or restricted, each lot shall provide for a minimum of two (2) parking spaces with a driveway area that can accommodate a minimum of two (2) vehicles.

      5.   Consideration shall be given to the location of garage door setbacks in relation to street frontage and neighboring properties. Until such time that subdivision plats are designated with garage setbacks, even numbered lots shall have a minimum setback of twenty feet (20') and odd numbered lots shall have a minimum setback of twenty two feet (22').

         a.   The design review authority shall give consideration to lots in subdivisions that are already under construction, such that new buildings do not create discord in existing neighborhoods.

   C.   Guidelines Encouraged:

      1.   When feasible, garages are to be located away from the street frontage of building facades or architecturally treated.

(Ord. 1628, 1-12-2015)