Santa Clara Zoning Code § 6.3 Standards (continued)

feet; buildings shall not exceed either metric (per Precise Plan Policy 5.1.E ) See Section 6.3.J for exceptions and elements which are allowed above the maximum building height Building height in stories includes all floors (except for subterranean basements below the ground floor), subject to the following:

1. Mezzanines. A mezzanine—a partial floor contained within a tall building story—which constitutes less than 50% of the habitable area of the building story where it is located, does not count as an additional story

2. Parking Liner. One habitable floor lining multiple structured parking levels—as may be common with tall ground floor retail spaces—only counts as one story

• D. Height of Building Elements. All buildings are subject to the standards listed in Table 6-2 (see the following spread), regardless of whether the project has qualified for bonus heights or not

• E. Primary Facade Height. The primary facade is the portion of the facade located within the Front Street Build-To Range along a street and/or open space (see Section 5.3 )

1. For projects which are 4 stories or less, the entire length of the primary facade may be built up to the maximum allowed building height for the location (per Figures 6-1 and 6-2 )

2. For projects which are taller than 4 stories (where permitted by Figures 6-1 and 6-2 ), a maximum of 50% of the primary facade length may be built above 4 stories within the Build-To Range The remainder of the primary facade is limited to 4 stories within the Build-To Range Any other floors above 4 stories shall be set back a minimum of 15 behind the lower primary facade See Figure 6-3

• F. First Floor Level. Except for retail-ready ground floors ( Section 9.4.C ) and accessible ground floors at sidewalk level, all residential ground floors shall be raised between 2 and 4 feet from sidewalk grade

• G. Floor Heights. Floor heights shall meet the standards listed in Table 6-2

1. Retail/Housing Flex. All ground floor residential is subject to the minimum heights listed in Table 6-2 However, ground floor residential throughout the Downtown Zone is encouraged to go well beyond those minimums and be 14’ feet tall, floor to ceiling, and designed so that future compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) for commercial use is not precluded See the Retail/Housing Flex frontage type in Section 9.4.C

FIGURE 6-3 APPLICABLE TO PROJECTS TALLER THAN 4 STORIES* *where permitted by Figures 6-1 and 6-2

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facade is limited to 4 stories
within the Build-To Range
Neighboring
building
(separate
project)
50% max.
Primary facade
length

A maximum of 50% of the primary facade length may be built above 4 stories within the Build-To Range (see Table 5-2 in Section 5: Building Placement)

The remainder of the primary facade is limited to 4 stories within the Build-To Range

Any other floors above 4 stories shall be set back a minimum of 15 behind the lower primary facade

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25 | Chapter 6: Building Height

Text read from an image; its layout may differ:
15’
B
A
E [1] E [2]
F
D [1] D [2]
C

FIGURE 6-4 GROUND FLOOR AT STREET LEVEL

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FIGURE 6-5
RAISED GROUND
FLOOR
15’
B
A
E [1] E [2]
KEY
F
Property Line
D [1] D [2]
Build-to Line
C
Private Frontage

TABLE 6-2 | HEIGHT OF BUILDING ELEMENTS

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Standards Applicable to All Character Overlays
Facade and Building Height
A Primary Facade Height See Standard 6.3.E and Figure 6-3
B Maximum Building Height See Figures 6-1 and 6-2
First Floor Level (measured from level of exterior sidewalk) [1]
C General Overlay 0 to 4 feet [2]
C Shopfront and Retail-Ready Overlay 0 feet
Floor Heights (min)
D Ground Floor (Residential) [3] D [1] 10 feet floor-to-ceiling; 11 feet floor-to-floor D [2]
D Ground Floor (Non-residential) [3] D [1] 14' feet floor-to-ceiling; 16' floor-to-floor D [2]
E Upper floor (Residential) E [1] 9 feet floor-to-ceiling; 10' floor-to-floor E [2]
E Upper floor (Non-residential) E [1] 9 feet floor-to-ceiling; 10' floor-to-floor E [2]
Building Base Height (min - may span multiple floors per §6 3 E)
Base on Buildings of 3 Stories Not required;
F
or less 1-story base allowed
1 story base required;
F Base on Buildings of 4 Stories 16 feet minimum
Base on Buildings of 5 Stories 2-story base required;
or more 25 feet minimum

Notes

1 First floor level standards are applicable to the first 30' behind the facade.

• 2 If the first floor level is elevated from the sidewalk, the appropriate frontage and architectural projection(s) must be chosen. See Chapters 9 and 10, respectively, for applicable standards.

• 3 Ground floors in the Shopfront and Retail-Ready Overlays are required to be Non-Residential.

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26 | City of Santa Clara Downtown Form-Base Code

• H. Building Base Height. The building base (shown below) shall be measured from the sidewalk grade to the (lower) cornice, string course, or horizontal plane break In absence of any of these elements, the mid-point between the topmost point of the first-floor openings and the lowermost point of the second-floor openings shall serve as an upper reference point The Building Base lines the public realm and visually supports the upper floors The Building Base may span multiple floors, rather than simply the ground floor Per Table 6-2 , buildings of 5 stories or more must have bases which span at least 2 floors—or the visual equivalent of 2 floors

• I. Upper Floor Setback Area. The upper floor setback area may be covered by an open structure—such as a trellis or upper floor loggia , shown to the right—with a front facade that is no more than 10% solid, excluding any parapet wall height

J. Elements Above the Maximum Building Height

1. For buildings of 3 stories or fewer: Pitched roofs may exceed the maximum building height by up to 8 feet Buildings with pitched roofs exceeding the stated height limit, if fronting Benton St or Homestead Rd, shall be oriented with eaves (not gables) to the street Pitched roofs should be symmetrical and sloped no less than 4:12, except that roofs for porches and other attached shed roofs which should be no less than 2:12 Gables facing the public realm should not exceed 30 feet in width

2. Upper-floor terraces and rooftop decks are allowed, provided that they are not enclosed with walls or roofs Upper floor terraces and rooftop decks may have umbrellas and shade structures, provided that their walls are no more than 10% solid, excluding any parapet wall height Such elements shall not exceed the maximum building height by more than 10 feet

• a. Publicly-accessible decks and terraces (such as those for restaurants) are encouraged to extend to the building edge to be visible from the street

3. Enclosed roof access is allowed within structures that measure no more than 20 by 20 feet in plan Such structures shall not exceed 12 feet in height above the floor and shall be set back from the primary facade by 15 feet minimum

4. Certain decorative, uninhabitable architectural elements, such as roof signs (see Section 11.3.I ), may exceed the height limit Such elements which exceed the height limit by less than 5 feet shall be subject to Director approval Elements which exceed the height limit by 5 feet or more shall be subject to the Planning Commission

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BUILDING
BASE

BUILDING BASE HEIGHT —The Building Base lines the public realm and visually supports the upper floors.

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

OPEN STRUCTURES IN UPPER-FLOOR SETBACKS —The upper floor setback area may be covered a trellis (right) or upper floor loggia (left), outlined in yellow above.

5. Wireless facilities shall be designed into the building and/or mounted on the roof Roof-mounted facilities shall not exceed 6 feet in height from the finished roof, shall be set back from the primary facade by 15 feet minimum, and shall not be visible from the public right-of-way or existing single family residences

6. Solar panels may exceed the maximum building height if located on the top level of a parking structure In such a case, they shall not exceed 60 percent of roof area, shall not exceed 20 feet above top garage floor level, and shall be set back 40 feet from the edge of the building to reduce visibility from below

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27 | Chapter 6: Building Height

K. Architecturally Significant Historical

Sites. Per Precise Plan Policy 5.2C : "Where it will be adjacent to a historic building or within areas of historic sensitivity, new development should be designed to be compatible with historic resources, consistent with the Secretary of the Interior standards and City regulations, such as by using similar proportion, scale, facade modulation, and stepdowns For new buildings on the same parcel as a historic building or within a buffer area defined by Figure 5-6: Historic Resources and Areas of Historic Sensitivity (2022), the height of new development should not distract from the historic building Accordingly, height limits have been set in the western area of the Downtown Plan in response to adjacencies of sensitive buildings and historic resources "

1. See also Standards 1.2.C–E

Figures from Precise Plan Goal 5.2

Figure 5-6 HISTORIC RESOURCES AND AREAS OF HISTORIC SENSITIVITY (2022)

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POST OFFICE

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Architecturally Significant & Historic Sites
100ft buffer around Historic Sites
Historic Combining District (HT)
Further study needed

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Figure 5-7
POST BUILDING HEIGHTS
OFFICE ADJACENT TO HISTORIC
BUILDINGS AND AREAS OF
HISTORIC SENSITIVITY
Architecturally Significant & Historic Sites
Historic Combining District (HT)
Further study needed

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28 | City of Santa Clara Downtown Form-Base Code

7 Building Massing