§ 21.37.040. Development standards.

A.

Purpose . The purpose of this section is to regulate the impact of university development on the surrounding neighborhood as envisioned in the comprehensive plan, maintain levels of service, and maximize the return on public investments in infrastructure.

B.

Development standards . All developments must comply with:

1.

Building height . There is no maximum building height for new buildings.

2.

Building setbacks .

a.

For structures abutting a public street, the minimum setback shall be 10 feet from the edge of the right-of-way, assuming the public street is constructed to city standards, including landscape strip and sidewalk.

b.

For structures abutting a private street, the minimum setback shall be 10 feet from the edge of the curb or 5 feet from the edge of the sidewalk.

c.

Structures shall have a minimum setback of 5 feet from the edge of a pedestrian access way.

3.

Building entrances .

a.

Buildings designed for human occupancy with facades facing a public or private street shall have a main building entrance facing the street and not just an emergency exit.

b.

Buildings designed for human occupancy shall include a pedestrian amenity, such as a porch, plaza, quad, courtyard, covered entryway, or seating area, as a component of a main building entrance.

c.

Buildings such as sheds, barns, or garages, used exclusively for agricultural purposes, research, or storage shall be exempt from these standards for building entrances as described in "a" and "b," above.

4.

Ground floor windows .

a.

Buildings designed for human occupancy with facade(s) that face a public or private street, path, or sidewalk shall have windows and pedestrian entrances.

b.

Ground floor is defined as the finished floor elevation of the first floor that qualifies as a story in a building, as defined in the Building Code.

c.

Mirrored glass may not be used in ground floor windows.

d.

Parking structures either above or below ground, shall be exempt from these standards for ground floor windows.

e.

Buildings or portions of buildings used exclusively for research or storage purposes shall be exempt from the standards for ground floor windows described in "a", through "c", above.

5.

Roof mounted equipment .

a.

No roof-mounted mechanical equipment shall be visible from the entrance of buildings that abuts the development site.

b.

Satellite dishes, antennas, colocated/attached wireless telecommunications facilities, and other telecommunications equipment shall not be visible from nearby streets or buildings and must be screened behind a parapet wall or architectural feature.

6.

Landscaping .

a.

Landscaping shall be provided for new campus buildings as well as parking areas adjacent to public and private streets as defined in CMC 21.42 (landscaping).

b.

This vegetative buffer will be required upon any redevelopment of existing parking lots and/or the razing and redevelopment of existing buildings.

7.

Parking improvements .

a.

Parking areas shall be designed to promote safe and convenient pedestrian access.

b.

Parking improvements may be constructed as stand-alone projects and/or concurrent with new development.

c.

Parking should be considered to meet the needs of new residence halls and classroom space.

d.

Vehicle parking shall be located to the rear of buildings, and where it does not disrupt the pedestrian streetscape, it may be located to the side of buildings.

8.

Transportation improvements .

a.

Safe and convenient transportation improvements shall be provided in conjunction with new development. This includes street, pedestrian, landscape strips, and in some cases, bicycle improvements.

b.

Pedestrian amenities such as lighting, sidewalks, bench placement, planters, courtyards, quads, transit stops/shelters, bicycle racks, recycling receptacles, etc. shall be considered part of typical street improvements and incorporated into the final design.

c.

Transportation improvements shall be constructed to ensure ADA compliance.

d.

Copies of complete as builts shall be certified by the design engineer and shall be submitted to the city for approval for all newly constructed public improvements.

9.

Pedestrian and bicycle system connections .

a.

Clearly defined and direct pedestrian connections shall be provided between street and building entrances, and between parking areas and building entrances.

b.

All pedestrian connections shall be a minimum of six feet in width of unobstructed passage and must be hard surfaced using pavers, brick, asphalt, or concrete.

c.

Sidewalks shall be provided along all streets and shall be required as an improvement when development and/or redevelopment occurs.

d.

Bicycle and pedestrian improvements shall be constructed to ensure ADA compliance.

10.

Site furnishings .

a.

Site furnishings shall not block or impede pedestrian circulation or reduce the required sidewalk width.

11.

Transit .

a.

A transit stop and/or transit shelter shall be provided as required by the Spokane Transit.

12.

Bicycle parking .

a.

Bicycle parking shall be constructed with each development.

b.

Bicycle parking shall be near, but shall not block or impede building entrances.

13.

Mechanical equipment, trash enclosures, and outdoor storage areas .

a.

All mechanical equipment enclosures, trash enclosures, and outdoor storage areas for non-agricultural buildings shall be screened as part of the building construction or with landscaping, masonry walls, solid wood fencing, or a combination of these materials for those areas that are visible from a street, building, or pedestrian access way, or are adjacent to a neighborhood.

14.

Public, private, and franchise utilities .

a.

All new utility distribution lines shall be underground.

b.

Transformers and vaults not underground shall be screened.

15.

Exterior lighting .

a.

The historic style light fixtures shall have poles and bases, and associated pole-mounted equipment such as banner hangers, etc., finished with a dark color.

b.

Contemporary light fixtures with shielded luminaries that minimize up lighting and glare shall be used in parking areas or other areas outside of the historic campus core and shall meet the requirements of a full cut-off light fixture.

c.

Outdoor field lighting may be installed on intramural and recreational playing fields, provided that the light is directed on the fields.

d.

With the exception of lighting for intercollegiate athletic facilities and intramural and recreational playing fields, light trespass onto surrounding residential properties shall not exceed 0.1 foot-candles, except in areas where additional lighting for safety and security, as determined by the university, is necessary. In such cases, light trespass onto surrounding residential properties shall not exceed 0.25 foot-candles.

e.

Stadium lighting for future expansions to the football stadium shall be provided in a manner that does not increase light spillage outside of the stadium proper.

(Ord. No. W-22, § 74, 4-22-2014)