Dimensional standards
Density
Height & bulk
Housing
- Two-family
- by_right
- Three-family
- by_right
- Four-plus family
- by_right
Uses
Permitted by right4
Extracted standards
50 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.
Design
The Required Build-to Line and the Parking Setback Line shall be interpreted to be parallel to the street at a specified distance measured from the centerline of the street
- Commercial ground floor glass percentage50 pct
At least fifty percent (50%) of the ground floor primary front façade shall be composed of windows and doors for General Urban buildings; Storefront buildings require 70%.
- Corner entrance distance12 ft
A main pedestrian entrance for a corner building shall be either at the corner of the building in a chamfered design or on each building façade within twelve feet (12') of the corner.
- Drive-through window limits
Buildings are limited to one (1) drive-through window. The drive-through window shall be located on a secondary façade. Buildings containing a drive-through window are limited to no more than two (2) lanes and are required to provide a pass-by lane.
- Primary eave overhang18 in
Eaves must overhang a minimum of 18 inches on the primary structure.
- Forecourt dimensions
The width is greater than ten percent (10%) and less than forty percent (40%) of the width of the overall building, and the depth is greater than ten percent (10%) and less than forty percent (40%) of the depth of the overall building.
- Minimum ground floor heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.14 ft
The ground floor of all GU and SF buildings shall have a minimum fourteen-foot (14') height, floor to floor.
- Parking structure interior building depth30 ft
Where the parking structure is located in the interior of a block it shall be surrounded by buildings having a minimum depth of thirty feet (30')
- Porch requirement
Fifty percent (50%) of the single family detached buildings facing the street or common open space shall include a porch or portico having a minimum area of forty-eight (48) square feet and a minimum depth of six (6) feet. The porch shall project a minimum of two (2) feet beyond the façade. For single family attached, 50% shall include a porch of at least 24 sq ft and depth 4 ft.
- Residential front façade glass percentage25 pct
At least twenty-five percent (25%) of the primary and secondary front façades shall be composed of glass.
- Service station requirements
Fueling pumps shall be located adjacent to a secondary building façade and located no closer than twenty-five feet (25') to the Required Build-to Line. The clear-height of the canopy shall not exceed fourteen feet (14')... The balance of the Required Build-to Line not used for building, or vehicular or pedestrian access shall be occupied by a four-foot (4') tall masonry wall.
Height
- Maximum accessoryAccessory useA secondary activity customarily incidental to the main use of the lot — a garage, a home office. building heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.25 ft
The height of an accessory building shall not exceed the height of the principal building or twenty-five feet (25'), whichever is less.
- Minimum drive-through building heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.25 ft
A single-story building, with a minimum building height of twenty-five feet (25'), is permitted so long as the building has a pitched roof.
Lighting
- Maximum light pole heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.15 ft
light poles shall be no higher than fifteen feet (15') anywhere within the CD District.
Other
- AccessoryAccessory useA secondary activity customarily incidental to the main use of the lot — a garage, a home office. building separation from principal building10 ft
Accessory buildings shall be separated a minimum of 10 feet from the principal building.
- AccessoryAccessory useA secondary activity customarily incidental to the main use of the lot — a garage, a home office. building setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from rear and side lot lines3 ft
Accessory buildings shall be setback a minimum of 3 feet from the rear and side lot lines.
- Amenity area shaded percentage50 pct
Amenity Areas shall be designed to provide at least fifty percent (50%) of the area in a 'shaded' condition.
- Garage setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from alley easement3 ft
Garages and parking structures with vehicular access onto alleys shall be set back from the alley easement by at least 3 feet.
- Minimum glass light transmission70 pct
Glass areas on front facades shall be clear or lightly tinted. Lightly tinted shall be defined as window tint not containing a metallic material which allows greater than seventy percent (70%) visible light transmission. Mirrored glass is not permitted.
- Loading location
Loading shall be permitted only in the rear yard or internal loading bays not visible from the street.
- Maximum loading spaces
no more than one (1) loading space shall be required for each use and multiple uses may share a loading space
- Loading screen heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.6 ft
Loading areas not within loading bays shall be screened from any adjacent use by a six-foot (6') tall brick wall.
- Ground-mounted mechanical equipment screening
Ground-mounted and mechanical equipment shall be located in the side or rear yard. Screening shall be required for any ground-mounted mechanical equipment in the form of a brick or other masonry wall or shrub plantings that obscure visibility of the equipment from any street, plaza, green or park.
- Rooftop mechanical equipment screening
All rooftop HVAC and mechanical equipment shall be screened from view from all abutting streets and public or private open space. This shall be accomplished for flat roofs by limiting the area of the penthouse or screened area containing the equipment to no more than fifty percent (50%) of the area of the floor below...
- On-street loading credit distance300 ft
On-street loading spaces located along the block frontage within 300 feet of the use may be credited towards meeting the loading requirements for that use.
- Open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted. canopy coverage50 pct
Open Space areas shall provide a minimum of fifty percent (50%) canopy coverage.
Buffer yards less than ten feet (10') in width. Stairs or ramps providing access to buildings on or off-site. Area of steep slopes or slopes greater than 4:1. Structural stormwater management devices.
- Open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted. requirement
For developments that include 25 or more dwelling units, useable open space and or outdoor amenity areas are required. However, all residential development is encouraged to provide useable open space. All commercial development shall include useable open space and outdoor amenity areas.
- SetbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from public open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.10 ft
Principal and accessory buildings and parking structures constructed on lots that share a side or rear lot line with Public Open Space shall be set back from the property line a distance of at least ten (10) feet. However, for principal buildings and parking structures proposed at the Required Build-to Line of Catoctin Circle, Harrison Street or the urban boulevard, the setback from the Public Open Space shall be at least 20 feet.
- Parking buffer shrub heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.18 in
having a minimum height of 18 inches
- Parking buffer shrub spacing4 ft
at least one shrub, having a minimum height of 18 inches, for every four feet (4') of shared lot line
- Parking buffer tree spacing35 ft
at least one medium canopy or understory tree for every thirty-five feet (35') of shared lot line
- Parking buffer width5 ft
Along a lot with a side or rear lot line, a planting buffer a minimum of five feet (5') in width excluding vehicle overhang at least one medium canopy or understory tree for every thirty-five feet (35') of shared lot line and at least one shrub, having a minimum height of 18 inches, for every four feet (4') of shared lot line shall be provided on the perimeter of the parking lot.
- Parking screening wall heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.5 ft
Alternatively, a 5-foot (5') tall brick screening wall with a 5-foot (5') wide landscape buffer yard and shrubs planted as stated above along the outside of the wall may be substituted for the landscaped setback.
- Permitted building materials
Permitted materials for exterior walls... limited to the following: Brick or tile masonry, Native stone, Wood lap siding, Fiber cement siding, Stucco, Pre-cast masonry, Split-faced block, GFRC, EIFS, Textured concrete masonry units, Metal, Molded polyurethane trim.
- Play structure setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from residential unit25 ft
Play Structures shall be located no closer than twenty-five feet (25') to a residential unit
- Primary building material percentage75 pct
Primary building material shall comprise at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the visible wall materials.
- Buffer to residential districtZoning districtA mapped area with one set of rules, identified by a code like R-1 or B-2.20 ft
A site located inside the perimeter of the CD District which immediately abuts a residential zoning district outside of the CD District shall be required to meet the requirements of Sec. 12.8 Buffers and Screening or provide a twenty-foot (20') buffer, whichever is less.
- Minimum tree canopy10 pct
a minimum ten percent (10%) tree canopy shall be required in the CD District.
- Minimum useable open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted. area300 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
useable open space shall be considered as any natural or landscaped area consisting of at least 300 square feet
- Waste receptacle enclosure heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.6 ft
Outside waste/recycling receptacles shall be enclosed by a six-foot (6') tall wall constructed of brick or other masonry material matching the primary building material
Parking
- Bicycle parking ratio
All parking structures and parking lots shall provide sufficient bike parking based on a minimum of one (1) bike space for every 10 automobiles up to a maximum of 10 bike spaces.
- On-street parking credit
On-street parking spaces located along the frontage of a lot on its side of the street shall be credited towards meeting the parking requirements for the uses on that lot.
- Off-street parkingMinimum parkingThe number of off-street spaces a development must provide before it may open. prohibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance. in front yardYardThe open space left between a building and its lot line — the space a setback creates.
Off-street parking shall not be permitted in the front yard.
- Parking location
Parking shall be permitted in the rear yard and the side yard behind the Parking Setback Line.
- Maximum parking spaces
The parking requirements of Sec. 11.3 Number of Parking Spaces Required shall not be exceeded except when parking spaces are located in a parking structure.
- Parking setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. for front lines abutting open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.
For lots with front lines immediately abutting public or private open space, parking lots shall be set back behind the front façade of the principal building a distance equal to at least half the depth of the building.
- Parking setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. for side/rear lines abutting open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.20 ft
For lots with side or rear lines immediately abutting a public or private open space, or public open space or institutions outside of the CD District, parking lots shall be set back at least 20 feet.
- Tandem parking allowed
Tandem parking (double-length perpendicular parking with one space in front of the other) integral to the dwelling unit may be used to meet required parking for Townhouse and 2-over-2 residential units.
Use
- Maximum retail tenant size50,000 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
No single retail tenant shall occupy more than 50,000 gross square feet of space in a single building.
From the ordinance
The CD District is subject to siting, site, building type, and material specifications.
Parking requirements
{
"office": "1.0 space per 400 sq ft gross floor area",
"retail": "1.0 space per 285 sq ft gross floor area",
"bicycle": "1 bike space per 10 automobiles, up to max 10 bike spaces",
"eating establishment": "First 20 outdoor seats no parking; thereafter 1.0 space per 4 outdoor seats"
}