25.135.060 Design standards.
The following design standards shall apply to all buildings in the commercial corridors overlay district:
(1) Mandatory Standards.
(a) Solid blank facades must be avoided on the front or street-facing sides of the building. They must be treated with windows, entrances, canopies, cornices, and by articulating the façade and/or screening with landscaping.
(b) Screening of Electrical and Mechanical Equipment.
(i) Rooftop electrical and mechanical equipment shall be obscured from view (e.g., by use of an architecturally integrated screen or parapet).
(ii) Mechanical equipment when placed on the ground shall be obscured from view by use of an architecturally integrated screen.
(iii) Wall-mounted electrical and mechanical equipment shall be located on the less visible side of the building and obscured from public view.
(c) Rear of Building.
(i) Rear of the building and service areas must not be located facing a public street, as identified in PMC 25.135.020. In cases where there are no other options, the service areas and rear located facing the street must be screened from public view with landscaping, grading and/or fencing.
(ii) Fencing shall be consistent with the building design.
(iii) On parcels abutting or across a public way from residential zones, the sides and rear of the building adjacent or across a public way from residential zones shall be consistent with the street-facing façade(s) of the building in terms of design style, building material and architectural themes.
(2) In addition to mandatory building standards, buildings on parcels abutting residential zones shall incorporate on the abutting elevation(s) at least one of the optional standards listed below:
(a) Elevations more than 50 feet long shall be treated with the following:
(i) Change in the roof or wall plane (four-foot minimum);
(ii) Projecting or recessed elements;
(iii) Varying rooflines (four-foot minimum).
(b) Entrance to the building made visible and prominent by using large entry doors, porches, protruding, or recessed entrances.
(c) Light poles, signage and similar accessories which are coordinated so that the view and accessibility to the entrance are not obstructed.
(d) Windows which help create a visual connection between the indoor and outdoor environment in order to make businesses more attractive.
(e) Additional architectural features such as porches, canopies, and display windows. [Ord. 4241 § 1, 2015; Code 1970 § 25.59.060.]