The ST combining district is intended to apply to all lands designed in the General Plan as "special treatment" areas, with the exception of the Bethany Neighborhood Special Treatment Area (BNSTA) which will be reviewed and considered per Land Use Action 12 (LA-12), and in other areas subsequently designated by the city council where special planning efforts are desired. The intention of this zoning district is to encourage the incorporation of special design considerations into project development and redevelopment, in an effort to implement a visually pleasing environment in areas deemed to be of special importance to community image. It is further intended that development within an ST combining district shall be subject to submittal requirements of a specific plan with the exception of the BNSTA which will be reviewed and considered per Land Use Action 12 (LA-12), as enumerated herein. In addition, the city encourages planned development where appropriate when proposing developments in the special treatment areas. The development standards set forth in this chapter are consistent with the intent of the special treatment overlay designation for areas specified as special treatment planning areas in the General Plan.

(Ord. 16.76 § 1 (part), 1989; Ord. No. 16.135, § 1, 11-5-2014)

The following development standards shall apply in all special treatment "ST" combining districts and shall be in addition to the regulations of the base zoning district to which this combining district is attached.

A.

A specific plan shall accompany development proposal(s) in this district, with the exception of the BNSTA which will be reviewed and considered per Land Use Action 12 (LA-12). The specific plan shall be prepared consistent with California Government Code Section 65451 and the goals, objectives, policies, programs and land use designations described in the General Plan. The following is a summary of those requirements which shall apply to development proposals in this district.

A specific plan shall include a text and diagram(s) which specify all of the following in detail:

1.

The distribution, location and extent of the existing and proposed uses of land, including but not limited to open space, within the area covered by the plan;

2.

The existing and proposed distribution, location and extent and intensity of major components of public and private transportation, including but not limited to streets and roads, sewage, water, drainage, solid waste disposal, energy and other essential facilities proposed to be located within the area covered by the plan and needed to support the land uses described in the plan;

3.

Standards and criteria by which development will proceed, and standards for the conservation, development and utilization of natural resources, where applicable;

4.

A program of implementation measures necessary for the systematic implementation of the General Plan, including but not limited to regulations, standards, conditions, programs, public works projects and financing measures necessary to carry out the provisions of subdivisions 1 through 3 of this section and to implement all applicable provisions of the open-space element of the General Plan and provisions of an economic feasibility analysis and consideration of financial mechanisms to provide for public improvements;

5.

A statement of the relationship of the specific plan to the General Plan;

6.

Any other measures which may be necessary or convenient to ensure the implementation of the General Plan.

B.

The following general design criteria shall apply to all development in the ST combining district:

1.

The design should be compatible with the immediate environment of the site, including the streetscape. In the Scotts Valley Drive study area, standards of the Scotts Valley Drive Master Plan shall apply to the project under review;

2.

The design should produce harmonious transition in both scale and character between adjacent land uses;

3.

Buffers should be provided between land use types and where density variations warrant;

4.

Development should be clustered whenever possible to protect visual natural resources and to provide open space;

5.

Open space and recreational areas should be included as part of future development planning. The amount and arrangement of open space and landscaping should be appropriate to the design and function of the structure(s);

6.

Provisions for the dedication of park land, recreational improvements and maintenance agreements, as appropriate, within future development should be included;

7.

Landscaping should be compatible with and complement site planning as well as the design of building(s);

8.

Specific special treatment planning areas, as defined in the General Plan, shall be designed with respect to notable use and design considerations recognized in the General Plan;

9.

Materials, textures, colors and details of construction should be an appropriate expression of the development's design concept and function and the same should be compatible with adjacent structures and functions;

10.

Provisions for comprehensive circulation planning and improvements for future development should be included;

11.

Access to the parcel(s) and circulation thereon should be safe and convenient for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles;

12.

The provision of adequate services to provide for future development should be included;

13.

The project should protect and enhance buildings that have historic and cultural value by virtue of preservation, architectural character, historic association and the like;

14.

Energy efficiency shall be included in all site and architectural design.

C.

The following architectural standards shall apply to all buildings in the ST combining district:

1.

Harmony: Structures and parts of structures of both new and old construction shall be compatible in terms of architectural styles, features, colors and materials;

2.

Wall treatment: All exterior wall elevations visible from and/or facing streets are to have architectural treatment. No building surface on a street shall have a flat, void surface without architectural treatment or elements. Examples of architectural treatment include exterior finishes, siding, stucco patterns, paint patterns and graphics. Examples of architectural elements includes form modulation, windows, canopies and balconies;

3.

Mechanical equipment and utilities: All roof-mounted mechanical equipment or duct work which projects vertically above the roof or parapet is to be screened by an enclosure which is detailed consistently with the building design. Solar heating equipment need not be screened but must be as unobtrusive as possible;

4.

Gutters and downspouts: Gutters and downspouts are to be painted to match the surface to which they are attached, unless used as a major design element, in which case the color is to be consistent with the color scheme of the building;

5.

Storage areas: All outdoor storage for goods, materials, commercial vehicles or equipment shall be visually screened, said screening shall form a complete opaque screen with a maximum height of eight feet;

6.

Refuse collection areas: All outdoor refuse collection areas shall be screened by a complete opaque screen;

7.

Pedestrians: At street levels, structures should be sensitive to the pedestrian, making him or her comfortable when walking past, by including planters, fountains and seating areas along the sidewalk;

8.

Energy conservation: Buildings should be designed to minimize mechanical heating and cooling. Sunlight should be used for direct heating and illumination wherever possible. Natural ventilation and shading should be used to cool a building. Active and passive solar heating is encouraged;

9.

Design theme: Architectural themes chosen for buildings, shopping districts, industrial parks, the Scotts Valley Drive area, entrances to the city or other identifiable districts of the city shall be implemented through well-developed and articulated physical features. Examples of these features are corridors, posts, beams, arches, columns, colonnades, canopies, cornices, balconies, ornamental tiles, recesses, overhangs, exterior wall materials, graphics, window treatment, fountains, landscaping and other artistic features.

D.

The following site planning standards shall apply to all parcels within the ST combining district, where applicable:

1.

Site suitability: The structure should be planned to fit a site's natural conditions, rather than altering a site to accommodate a stock building plan. Existing topography should be preserved to make the project design more attractive or functional. Topography may be modified where it contributes to good appearance, but natural grade and vegetation should be retained if possible. Excessive cuts and fills should be avoided;

2.

Functions: A site's various activities and elements should be logically located so that the project may operate efficiently. Pedestrian and vehicular routes should be separated. Loading and service areas should be separated from customer parking and traffic areas;

3.

Transition: From the street to project, there should be a pleasing transition that provides for adequate landscaping, walkways and parking;

4.

Parking areas: Parking areas should be screened from public streets and divided with landscaping, buildings, walls, fences, berms or other means. In large parking lots, islands of trees shall be incorporated into the design;

5.

Trash collection and other service areas: Trash containers and service and loading docks should be conveniently located and sized, but must not interfere with other circulation or parking on the site. Trash containers should be located away from public streets and store entrances and should be completely screened with materials similar to or compatible with buildings located on the same site. All outdoor refuse collection areas shall be enclosed per city-approved standard details, as illustrated in Figure 17.44.020;

6.

Traffic circulation: Circulation should provide for safe and efficient traffic movement. Adequate auto stack-up areas should permit a minimum of two cars to enter the parking lot area without obstructing either street through traffic or vehicle back-up areas within the parking lot. The number of curb cuts connecting the site with collector or arterial streets should be minimized. Traffic circulation between the site and adjacent lots shall be coordinated. Mutual access easements and mutual driveways should be used to minimize paved areas and curb cuts;

7.

Energy conservation: Solar access shall be planned into the site design where possible. Solar access shall be reserved, where appropriate, through recorded easements or other devices or instruments. Climatic factors such as prevailing winds, shade trees, window and door orientation and the positioning of buildings on the site shall all be coordinated to maximize energy conservation;

8.

Grading and drainage: Grading and drainage plans illustrating existing topography, proposed cuts and fills, sedimentation and erosion control measures, the direction of all site drainage, and all structural drainage facilities shall be submitted as a part of architectural and site plan review. On-site stormwater detention ponds shall be required where permanent storm drainage facilities are not available. Permanent stormwater drainage facilities shall be used to transmit stormwater to recharge areas whenever possible;

9.

Elimination of architectural barriers to the physically handicapped: State laws require that all facilities which are open to the public must be accessible to and usable by the physically handicapped. Plans for construction of new public facilities and remodeling of existing facilities shall incorporate features that insure accessibility to the physically handicapped.

E.

The following landscape standards for design and maintenance shall apply to all parcels within the ST combining district:

1.

When a parcel is undeveloped at the time landscaping requirements are imposed upon the parcel, landscaped yards and areas shall be provided and maintained at the time a main building is constructed and occupied or when any open use, other than agricultural, occurs on the parcel. All unpaved areas shall be landscaped with ground cover and/or shrub plant material and undeveloped areas proposed for future expansion shall be landscaped with appropriate ornamentals, to include ground cover, shrubs and/or trees;

2.

No artificial or nonliving materials may be used in place of vegetation. All required landscaping is vegetation except for fences, walls, fountains, lighting, sculpture, ornamental paving and similar items;

3.

All trees planted adjacent to a street shall be of a minimum fifteen-gallon size; all others shall be a minimum five-gallon size;

4.

All plants shall be planted with spacings and locations (given the plant types and character, type of soil, availability of or likelihood of watering regularity and similar considerations) so that the plantings will achieve their purpose within a reasonable time;

5.

Landscaping required as a screening device shall be of a type which provides a year-round barrier and shall be of trees and/or shrubs spaced so that any view of objects on the opposite side (at ground level) is effectively screened. A fence or wall required as a screening device shall be of solid board fencing or masonry, so constructed as to effectively eliminate any view of objects on the opposite side below the maximum height of the required fence or wall. Fences and walls shall be landscaped and modulated to provide visual relief from continuous wall or fence surfaces;

6.

All shrubs used for screening purposes shall be of a minimum five-gallon size;

7.

Areas utilized for parking, storage or loading shall be effectively screened, modulated or integrated from view of access streets, freeways or adjacent properties (at ground level).

(Ord. 16.76 § 1 (part), 1989; Ord. No. 16.135, § 2, 11-5-2014)