The INST, Institutional District is designed to:

(1)

Permit and regulate a variety of governmental, educational, religious, and cultural uses that provide important services to the community. These uses are not located within a particular geographic area and are often in proximity to lower-density residential districts.

(2)

Require appropriate transitions between higher-intensity institutional uses and adjacent lower-density residential districts.

(3)

Encourage sustainable design practices that apply to buildings, private development sites, and the public realm in order to enhance the natural environment.

(Ord. No. 1606, § 1007.01, 11-8-2021)

The following standards apply to new buildings and major expansions of existing buildings (i.e., expansions that constitute 50 percent or more of building floor area) in the institutional district. Design standards apply only to the portion of the building or site that is undergoing alteration.

(1)

Corner building placement. At intersections, buildings shall have front and side façades aligned at or near the front property line.

(2)

Entrance orientation. Primary building entrances shall be oriented to the primary abutting public street. The entrance must have a functional door. Additional entrances may be oriented to a secondary street or parking area. Entrances shall be clearly visible and identifiable from the street and delineated with elements such as roof overhangs, recessed entries, landscaping, or similar design features.

(3)

Vertical façade articulation. Buildings shall be designed with a base, a middle and a top, created by variations in detailing, color and materials. A single-story building need not include a middle.

a.

The base of the building should include elements that relate to the human scale, including doors and windows, texture, projections, awnings, and canopies.

b.

Articulated building tops may include varied rooflines, cornice detailing, dormers, gable ends, stepbacks of upper stories, and similar methods.

(4)

Horizontal façade articulation. Façades greater than 40 feet in length shall be visually articulated into smaller intervals of 20 to 40 feet by one or a combination of the following techniques:

a

Stepping back or extending forward a portion of the façade;

b.

Variations in texture, materials or details;

c.

Stepbacks of upper stories; or

d.

Placement of doors, windows and balconies.

(5)

Window and door openings.

a.

Windows, doors, or other openings shall comprise at least 60 percent of the length and at least 40 percent of the area of any ground floor façade fronting a public street. At least 50 percent of the windows shall have the lower sill within three feet of grade.

b.

Windows, doors, or other openings shall comprise at least 20 percent of side and rear ground floor façades not fronting a public street. On upper stories, windows, or balconies shall comprise at least 20 percent of the façade area.

c.

Glass on windows and doors shall be clear or slightly tinted to allow views in and out of the interior. Spandrel (translucent) glass may be used on service areas.

d.

Window shape, size, and patterns shall emphasize the intended organization and articulation of the building façade.

e.

Displays may be placed within windows. Equipment within buildings shall be placed at least five feet behind windows.

(6)

Materials. All exterior wall finishes on any building must be a combination of the following materials: No less than 60 percent face brick; natural or cultured stone; pre-colored factory stained or stained on site textured pre-cast concrete panels; textured concrete block; stucco; glass; fiberglass or similar materials and no more than 40 percent pre-finished metal, weathering steel, copper, premium grade wood with mitered outside corners (e.g., cedar, redwood, and fir), or fiber cement board. Under no circumstances shall sheet metal aluminum, corrugated aluminum, asbestos, iron plain or painted, or plain concrete block be acceptable as an exterior wall material on buildings within the city. Other materials of equal quality to those listed may be approved by the community development department.

(7)

Four-sided building design. Building design shall provide consistent architectural treatment on all building walls. All sides of a building must display compatible materials, although decorative elements and materials may be concentrated on street-facing façades. All façades shall contain window openings. This standard may be waived by the community development department for uses that include elements such as service bays on one or more façades.

(8)

Special or object-oriented buildings. In some cases, a uniquely designed building may be proposed that is considered outside of these stated standards due to its purpose, use, design, and/or orientation (e.g., a memorial, special civic function, etc.). If such a building is proposed, then it may be considered independently of these standards and would be subject to final approval by the city council.

(9)

Maximum building length. Building length parallel to the primary abutting street shall not exceed 200 feet without a visual break such as a courtyard or recessed entry, except where a more restrictive standard is specified for a specific district.

(10)

Garage doors and loading docks. Loading docks shall be located on rear or side façades and, to the extent feasible, garage doors should be similarly located. Garage doors of attached garages on a building front shall not exceed 50 percent of the total length of the building front.

(11)

Rooftop equipment. Rooftop equipment, including rooftop structures related to elevators, shall be completely screened from eye level view from contiguous properties and adjacent streets. Such equipment shall be screened with parapets or other materials similar to and compatible with exterior materials and architectural treatment on the structure being served. Horizontal or vertical slats of wood material shall not be utilized for this purpose. Solar and wind energy equipment is exempt from this provision if screening would interfere with system operations.

(12)

Dimensional standards.

Table 1007.02

(13)

Improvement area. Improved area, including paved surfaces and footprints of principal and accessory buildings and structures, shall not exceed 75 percent.

(14)

Surface parking. Surface parking on large development sites shall be divided into smaller parking areas with a maximum of 100 spaces in each area, separated by landscaped areas at least ten feet in width. Landscaped areas shall include pedestrian walkways leading to building entrances.

(15)

Parking placement. Where parking is placed between a building and the abutting street, the building shall not exceed a maximum setback of 85 feet, sufficient to provide a single drive aisle and two rows of perpendicular parking along with building entrance access and required landscaping. This setback may be extended to a maximum of 100 feet if traffic circulation, drainage and/or other site design issues are shown to require additional space. Screening alongside and rear lot lines abutting residential properties is required, consistent with section 1011.03(b).

(Ord. No. 1606, § 1007.02, 11-8-2021)

Table 1007.03 lists all permitted and conditional uses in the institutional district.

(1)

Uses marked as "P" are permitted.

(2)

Uses marked with a "C" are allowed as conditional uses in the district where designated.

(3)

A "Y" in the "standards" column indicates that specific standards must be complied with, whether the use is permitted or conditional. Standards for permitted uses are included in chapter 1011; standards for conditional uses are included in chapter 1009.

Table 1007.03

(Ord. No. 1606, § 1007.03, 11-8-2021; Ord. No. 1634, § 2, 7-10-2023)