20.590.050 Design standards | Vancouver Municipal Code

20.590.050 Design standards.

This section was recently added by Ordinance M-4423, codified in December 2023.

A. Exceptions. The planning official may allow exceptions to a design standard in this section without the need to obtain a variance in accordance with Chapter 20.290 VMC. For each standard for which an exception is sought, the applicant must demonstrate that at least one of the following criteria is met:

1. The alternative design results in a variance of 20 percent or less to a numerical design standard and the design cannot be modified to meet the standard due to the physical characteristics of the site or existing structure(s).

2. The alternative design better complies with the intent of the standard as described in the relevant subsection of this chapter.

1. Applicability. These standards apply to all multistory buildings with nonresidential uses on the ground floor. The following standards apply to the portions of ground floor walls of a street-facing façade that is 20 feet or closer to a street lot line or a publicly accessible plaza.

a. Intent. The intent of this standard is to promote building designs which maximize the visibility of ground floor spaces to passing pedestrians, emphasize the importance of the ground floor in providing access to services and amenities, and encourage active commercial uses on the ground floor.

i. The minimum distance from the finished floor to the bottom of the ceiling structure must be at least 12 feet.

ii. The area meeting this standard must be at least 25 feet deep, measured from the street-facing façade.

a. Intent. The intent of this standard is to create an interesting environment for pedestrians by opening up the ground floors of buildings for views into activity and merchandise. The intent of the standard is also to support natural surveillance of public spaces.

b. Standards. The ground floor wall of street-facing façades must provide at a minimum 60 percent transparency between two and eight feet above sidewalk grade.

i. Windows and/or doors may be used to meet this standard.

ii. Windows shall not be mirrored or treated in such a way to block visibility into the building.

iii. Windows into storage areas, vehicle parking areas, mechanical and utility areas, and garbage and recycling areas do not qualify.

Figure 20.590-9. Ground Floor Transparency, Nonresidential Uses

a. Intent. The intent of this standard is to create a more comfortable experience for pedestrians on the sidewalk by providing protection from sun and rain.

b. Standards. Weather protection must be provided along at least 50 percent of the street-facing façade located within 20 feet of a street property line. For the purposes of this standard, weather protection may be in the form of awnings, canopies, overhangs, or other architectural features. The weather protection must:

i. Project out at least four feet from the adjoining wall;

ii. The height must be between nine and 15 feet above the grade underneath it and consistent with the provisions of VMC 20.630.030; and

iii. Where applicable, weather protection shall be designed to accommodate pedestrian signage (e.g., blade signs) while maintaining required vertical clearance.

1. Applicability. These standards apply to any residential dwelling unit that is located on the ground floor of a building and that is 20 feet or closer to a street lot line or a publicly accessible plaza.

a. Intent. The intent of this standard is to promote attractive and livable ground floor residential units and emphasize the importance of the ground floor as the architectural base of the building.

b. Standard. The minimum distance from the finished floor to the bottom of the ceiling structure must be at least 10 feet.

a. Intent. The intent of this standard is to promote attractive and livable ground floor residential units and support natural surveillance of public spaces.

b. Standards. The ground floor wall of street-facing façades must provide at a minimum 25 percent transparency between two and eight feet above sidewalk grade.

i. Windows and/or doors may be used to meet this standard.

ii. Windows shall not be mirrored or treated in such a way to block visibility into the building.

iii. Windows into storage areas, vehicle parking areas, mechanical and utility areas, and garbage and recycling areas do not qualify.

a. Intent. The intent of this standard is to provide an interesting experience for pedestrians, define the transition between public and private space, provide spaces for residents to gather and spend time outdoors, and private sufficient privacy for residents.

b. Standards. For the purposes of this standard, separation is required between the public right-of-way and residential entrances. Entrances must be set back at least five feet from the street lot line but no more than 10 feet and have at least two of the following elements within the setback to create a sense of transition from the public space to the private dwelling space and encourage interaction between residents and passersby. In addition to any elements provided from the list below, the standards of Table 20.925.030-2 must be met.

i. A low wall, railing, or fence that is a maximum of 30 inches in height and at least 75 percent transparent;

ii. Raised landscape planters a minimum of 18 inches in height and a maximum of 30 inches in height with a minimum horizontal depth of two feet that contains landscaping;

iii. One small canopy tree per unit;

iv. Individual private space of at least 48 square feet with a minimum dimension of four feet in width that is 20 percent paved and areas not paved are landscaped with a combination of shrubs, groundcover, and perennials; or

v. A change of grade where the door to the dwelling unit is 18 to 36 inches above the grade of the right-of-way. All residential development must comply with all applicable state and federal accessibility requirements.

1. Applicability. The standard applies to the street-facing elevations of buildings more than 20 feet in height.

2. Intent. The intent of this standard is to promote visually interesting building façades by prohibiting large expanses of blank walls facing the street and requiring building façades to be divided into smaller planes.

3. Standard. Buildings must incorporate vertical and horizontal articulation and divide the vertical mass of the building into a base, middle, and top using distinct physical transitions.

a. Base. The ground level of the building must be articulated using at least one of the following elements:

i. Materials that are different than upper stories.

ii. Awning or canopy line.

iii. Molding, belt course or other horizontally articulated transition piece that makes ground floor distinguishable from upper floors.

iv. Transom windows.

b. Middle. The middle of the building must be articulated using at least one of the following elements:

i. Recesses or extensions a minimum depth of two feet.

ii. Vertically oriented windows.

iii. Pilasters that project from the façade.

c. Top. The top of the building must be articulated using at least one of the following elements:

i. Cornice that is a minimum of eight inches tall and projects a minimum of three inches beyond the face of the façade.

ii. Change in material or color.

iii. Upper-level setback.

iv. A roof overhang that is a minimum of eight inches beyond the face of the façade.

v. Change in roof form.

1. Intent. The intent of this standard is to limit the use of materials that lack surface texture and visual interest, do not promote a sense of quality and permanence, or more easily deteriorate over time.

2. Standard. The following building materials are prohibited on street-facing building façades and shall not collectively be used on more than 35 percent of any other building façade:

a. Vinyl PVC siding.

b. T-111 plywood.

c. Exterior insulation finishing (EIFS).

d. Corrugated metal.

e. Plain concrete or concrete block.

f. Sheet pressboard.

1. Applicability. These standards apply to any roof-mounted mechanical equipment under two feet in height or ground level mechanical or service equipment located at grade. These standards shall not apply to any solar energy production equipment, wind energy production equipment, and/or green roof features.

2. Intent. The intent of this standard is to ensure that utilities and equipment are screened, integrated into building and landscape design and/or located in less prominent locations to minimize the visual impact on the pedestrian experience.

3. Standard. Utilities shall be located away from primary streets and pedestrian sidewalks and located on alleys or secondary streets wherever possible. Utilities shall be located below grade in vaults or inside buildings where possible. If not possible, the following standards apply:

a. Ground Level. Ground level mechanical and service equipment shall be located behind or beside buildings. Equipment must be set back a minimum of five feet from the front lot line. Ground level mechanical and service equipment, including but not limited to electric meters, gas meters, HVAC equipment, and waste receptacles, shall be screened with landscaping or a site-obscuring fence or wall per Chapter 20.970 VMC and may not be visible from the street, ground-level private open space, or common open space.

b. Rooftop. Rooftop mechanical equipment shall be set back at least 15 feet from roof edges on street-facing façades and include screening to minimize visual impact on the public right-of-way by one of the following methods:

i. A screen around the equipment that is made of a primary exterior finish material used on other portions of the building, wood fencing, or masonry.

ii. Green roof features or regularly maintained dense evergreen foliage that forms an opaque barrier when planted.

Required screening shall not be included in the building’s maximum height calculation.

c. Venting System Locations. Venting of air exhaust and mechanical building systems shall be away from primary streets and main pedestrian areas and shall be architecturally incorporated into buildings.

d. Wall-Mounted Utilities. Utilities mounted on building walls shall not intrude on the public right-of-way space adjacent to a pedestrian path of travel, and shall be set back or have a landscape zone for a buffer.

e. Mechanical Vents. Mechanical vents required on building exteriors shall be located eight feet above grade or between grade and 18 inches and shall be integrated into the façade design to minimize visual impacts.

1. Applicability. These standards shall be in addition to Chapter 20.912 VMC and shall supersede those standards where they conflict.

2. Intent. The intent of this standard is to limit the visual impact of taller fences and surface parking areas on the pedestrian experience and to promote natural surveillance of public spaces.

a. Solid freestanding walls, fences, or hedges higher than three feet shall be prohibited between the street-facing façade of a building and a street lot line. Fences greater than 36 inches must be at least 75 percent transparent.

b. New barbed razor wire, electric, vinyl, or chain link fences shall be prohibited in the overlay district.

c. Off-street parking areas shall be screened per VMC 20.945.040(I)(2) to a maximum height of three feet. (Ord. M-4423 § 2 (Att.), 2023)