HomeMy WebLinkAboutCD Downtown Design Criteria PPT“Good Design” Guidelines for
Downtown
City Council Meeting -February 5, 2017
Preliminary Findings and Recommendations
Advisory
Committee Team:
•Larry Paul: Planning
Commission /Architect
•Bruce Bagnoli: Business
Leader/Project Manager
•Bill Carney: Landscape
Architect/Environmental
Leader
•Max Crome:
Architect/Retail and
Branding
•Lisa Max: Environmental
Leader/Developer
•Jeff Rhoads:
Architect/Town Planner
Purpose:
•With significant projects now in the pipeline in Downtown San
Rafael, define the elements of “good design” to provide
guidance for decision makers and project developers
Process:
•Review San Rafael’s prior
planning efforts
•Study Downtown San
Rafael’s historic and existing
built environment
•Identify successful designs
and analyze less successful
ones
•Study other communities to
see what we can apply here
•Identify key design principles
appropriate for San Rafael
Objectives:
•To ensure that change will
improve our Downtown
•To address community
concerns regarding growth
•To unify widely varying
opinions on what “good
design” means for San Rafael
•To improve the quality of
Downtown architecture and
public spaces
Opportunities:
•Support land uses that
benefit San Rafael
•Create welcoming
public spaces and
public amenities
•Enhance existing
historic and
architectural
resources
•Promote
environmental
sustainability
Strengths:
San Rafael’s Downtown is Marin’s
city center and crossroads
•Varied architecture contributes to
its sense of place
•Historic building stock is worthy of
protection
•Neighborhoods are walkable, bike-
able and well served by transit
•Attracts a significant residential
population
•Enlivened by many programmed
activities
•Traditional grid streets contribute
to wayfinding and mobility
Strengths:
4th Street is a classic main street,
with architectural variety from the
1860’s to the modern era:
•It is easily walkable from one end
to the other
•The city’s “Alive after 5”:
promotes activity beyond
working hours and on weekends
•It has diverse retail, dining,
entertainment, and other options
•There is ample on street parking
and access to convenient public
and private garages
Strengths:
Gateway District is San Rafael's
front door
•SMART train and Bettini
Transit Center
•North-South Greenway
•Access to the Canal and
Montecito
•Transit oriented
development potential
•Excellent visibility from
all transportation modes
•Tamalpais is the
pedestrian/bicycle/transit
front door to downtown
Strengths:
Lindaro District epitomizes
San Rafael's role as an
employment center
•A transitional district
between Downtown and
adjacent light industrial
and residential
neighborhoods
•Corporate Center is a well
designed office campus
with plazas, internal
courtyards, open spaces
and appropriate street
relationships
Strengths:
2nd/3rd Street Corridor is San
Rafael’s major east-west
arterial
•Current traffic volume of
63,865 Average Daily Trips
•Availability of $10 million in
roadway and pedestrian
improvements could create
a boulevard character and
improve pedestrian safety
•Variety of building ages,
types, setbacks, heights and
character
•Larger and taller buildings
are are anticipated in this
boulevard setting
Strengths:
N-S Pedestrian Streets
connect the Lindaro and
Boulevard districts to 4th street
•B Street is a key historic
street
•A Street is a key pedestrian
connection between the
Mission and Albert Park with
a legacy view of Saint
Raphaels bell tower
•Lindaro is a key pedestrian
connection from 4th Street
to the 2nd/3rd Boulevard and
Lindaro Districts
General Downtown
Design Guidelines:
•Each project should have an
internally consistent design
vocabulary
•Forms and materials should
express the building’s design
intent and context
•Design strategies such as
“base middle and top” are
encouraged but not the sole
design alternative
General Downtown
Design Guidelines:
•Height and bulk can be
mitigated by step backs,
articulation, use of different
materials
•Projections over public right
of ways shall be limited to
bay windows, balconies and
marquees *
General Downtown
Design Guidelines:
•Provide architectural interest
such as strategic placement of
forms and applied features and
special treatment at corners
especially at intersecting streets
•Concentrate premium materials
at points of maximum enjoyment:
▪At street level
▪At building entrances
▪On highly visible architectural
forms and elements
•Maintain pedestrian scale,
especially at the lower floors
General Downtown
Design Guidelines:
•Buildings should relate to
established streetscape elements such
as cornice lines, fenestration or other
shared elements
•Historic and distinguished
period buildings should be
retained, restored, and if
necessary repurposed as a
key element of place making*
•New building design may include high
quality contemporary architecture
General Downtown
Design Guidelines:
•Use landscape to humanize
and frame the built
environment *
•Use durable, reusable,
flexible, permeable and
repairable pavement
materials*
•All mechanical
equipment shall be
screened and shall not
project above its
enclosure*
General Downtown
Design Guidelines:
Exceptional design is encouraged
and may be allowed to deviate
from the design guidelines.
However:
•Projects must be exemplary
•They must make a significant
contribution to their
surroundings
•They must contribute public
benefit beyond great design
General Downtown
Design Guidelines:
•Projects should conform
with General Downtown
Design Guidelines and
District Design Guidelines
•Different districts of
Downtown have different
design priorities
District Guidelines
4th Street:
•Build to the street wall
•Preserve and restore attractive
historic and period buildings
•Set back new floors behind
period storefronts when
adding height to an existing
building,*
•New buildings should be
maximum of 3 stories at the
street wall, particularly on the
south side of the street. If
adjacent buildings are taller,
additional height may be
allowed*
District Guidelines
4th Street:
•Provide active storefronts
including higher floor to
floor height and store front
transoms
•Implement pedestrian scale
signage*
•Encourage sidewalk
activities such as dining
•Plant and maintain
appropriately scaled trees*
District Guidelines
4th Street:
•Locate parking behind buildings
with access from side streets
•Improve alleys to create
inviting public spaces*
•Avoid extension of barrier free
ramps into public sidewalks
•Conform to standards for
dining areas that extend into
the sidewalk and parklets in
curb side parking zone*
District Guidelines
Gateway District:
•Provide active street fronts
along Tamalpais
•Articulate elevations to avoid a
“building as wall” parallel to the
freeway.
•Create a sense of arrival with
welcoming gateway elements
such as:
▪Distinctive building form
massing and detailing
▪Public plazas
▪Creek restoration
▪Improved pedestrian
experience under the
freeway
District Guidelines
Gateway –Transit District:
•Target specific historic
resources in the district for
preservation including the
former railroad depot and
residences fronting 5th Ave*
•Enhance the Tamalpais
greenway from 2nd to Mission
as a complete street
•Anchor the district with a high
quality transit center
District Guidelines
2nd/3rd Corridor & Lindaro:
•Reduce building mass along the
boulevards with 3rd or 4th floor
setbacks and at ground level
corner entrances
•Use distinctive forms and
detailing at corners particularly
those facing oncoming traffic
•Locate retail at intersections
and along pedestrian N -S
streets
District Guidelines
2nd/3rd Corridor & Lindaro:
•Enhance the boulevard, by
providing continuous curbside
planting strips and/or ample
tree pockets with grates *
•Consider increasing the 5’
setback requirement along 2nd
and 3rd Street*
•Varied setback depths are
encouraged particularly on N-
S streets for pedestrian
amenities and landscaping
•Place back flow preventers,
transformers, and other
utilities out of site or in under-
sidewalk vaults*
District Guidelines
N-S Pedestrian Streets:
•Apply the 4th Street design
guidelines
•Apply the 4th street building
mass setbacks limitation on A
and B Streets
•Design all intersections as
highly visible pedestrian safe
zones*
•Minimize driveways and
service bays
Suggested Next Steps
•Review standards for
encroachments into the right of
way such as dining areas,
parklets, ramps and signage and
revise where needed
•Establish sun and shading
standards for select public and
quasi-public spaces downtown
•Conduct a quick analysis of
potential historic resources in
active project areas including the
transit center: Identify resources
with high preservation priority
Suggested Next Steps
•Prepare standards for projections
over rights of way (bay windows,
balconies, marquees)
•Review 4th street streetscape and
determine how to respond to
pavement heaving, maintenance,
and other issues
•Prepare standards for street trees
and landscaping within and
adjacent to downtown streets
(Prioritizing 2nd through 4th street
first)
•Review and revise enhanced
pavement standards for public
plazas and sidewalks
Suggested Next Steps
Prepare a Downtown Precise
Plan including:
•A Form Based code
•Height and bulk standards
•Historic preservation standards
•Street scape section,
pavement and landscaping
standards
•Programmatic EIR with a
development capacity
envelope
•Transfer of Development
Rights criteria
Suggested Next Steps
Applying in lieu exactions for
public benefits
•Create a programmable “Town
Square” at 4th Street level in
front of the buildings at
Courthouse Square
•Extend retail/food and beverage
uses under the 101 viaducts at
4th to link each side of the
freeway (except over the creek)
•Commission an illuminated art
piece on the underside of the
freeway viaducts at 4th Street
•Re green downtown creeks
including under the freeway
•Implement a public art program
“Good Design” Guidelines for
Downtown
Questions and Comments
Site Specific Guidelines
Bio Marin/Whistlestop:
•Provide a strong pedestrian
connection with amenities
along west side of Lindaro
•Implement traffic control and
pedestrian crossing
improvements on the west
side of the 3rd and Lindaro
intersection to support better
access to 4th street
Site Specific Guidelines
Seagate Site 3rd & Lincoln:
•Apply design guidelines from the
Gateway transit and 2nd and 3rd
district
•Recognize the importance of the
relationship to the transit center
and NWP depot building
•Limit vehicular access to one
driveway on Tamalpias and one
on Lincoln or provide driveway
access from 3rd Street only
•Lincoln and Tamalpias corners are
preferred retail locations
•Orient the primary pedestrian
entrance on Tamalpais
Site Specific Guidelines
1001 –1017 4th Street:
•Orient building mass and bulk
toward 3rd street to insure access
to sun on the north side of 4th
Street including Courthouse
Square and City Plaza
•Use of the setback above the 4th
street façade for a terrace is
encouraged
•Provide a distinguished and
welcoming building entrance on
4th Street
End
Suggested Next Steps
Implement a historic preservation
program as part of a downtown
place-making and branding
strategy:
•Update the City’s historic
resources inventory and
ordinance with initial focus on
downtown and active project
areas
•Implement a Mills Act contract
program to incentivize historic
preservation
•Designate more historic
landmarks to provide access to
20% historic landmark tax credits