Santa Clara Zoning Code § 8.2 Standards (continued)

D. Parking Structure Facade Standards

1. Facade design. Parking structure facades shall be designed to fit into the urban context in one of the two following ways:

• a. Facades that look similar to other Downtown buildings with designs that meet the standards of Sections 7 and 8

• b. Facades designed as art walls, murals, or screens that incorporate decorative, graphic, or sculptural elements Such facades are subject to recommendations from the Cultural Arts Commission and Historical and Landmarks Commission, followed by Director approval, based on the following Required Findings:

• i. Facade design theme, materials and aesthetic complement and enhance the intended unified streetscape aesthetic of Downtown, as defined by this Specific Plan

• ii. Facade design is unique and iconic, using durable, element-resistant, materials and techniques

2. Future-Proof Parking. Parking garages which can easily convert to accommodate other uses— such as offices or housing—if and when the need for parking diminishes, are encouraged Features which enable such 'future-proof' flexibility include:

• a. Level floors, apart from necessary ramps;

• b. Floors with 10' minimum clear height from floor to ceiling;

• c. Cut-outs for planned shafts in decks and other structural members to accommodate future utilities (such as heating, cooling, and venting)

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

PARKING STRUCTURE designed like a typical building with occupiable space on the sidewalk

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

AVOID: Wide, horizontal garage openings create too large a break in the street wall.

3. Ground floor facade. Per Standard 5.3.B , structured ground floor parking must be set behind at least 30 feet of occupiable ground floor liner space Vehicular entries are subject to the standards of Section 9.4.F

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

FLEXIBLE BUILDINGS like this example in downtown Los Angeles, whose upper floors once hosted a department store and offices but now serves as a parking garage.

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

PARKING STRUCTURE designed like a typical Downtown Building, with ground floor parking set behind commercial space with shopfronts lining the street. The flat, tall parking floors of this building could easily accommodate other uses in the future.

18 Attachment 1:129

Publication, Apr 2026

SANTA CLARA CODE

39 | Chapter 8: Facade Design

E. Materials

1. Fiberglass or plastic (false) architectural elements or ornamentations are prohibited

2. Materials used on shopfronts should be smooth and non-abrasive to touch

3. Rough-cast and sand-finishes are discouraged on all building surfaces that are visible from a street

4. Where more than one material is used for the facade, the heavier material must be used below the lighter material (e g brick below siding, not vice versa)

• a. Modulations, color schemes, balconies, and other facade elements shall be consistent within an individual facade or within an individual Massing Increment, when required per Section 7.2

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

SHOPFRONT MATERIALS —This example uses smooth material finishes, especially at the shopfronts where the most pedestrian interactions occur.

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

STACKING MATERIALS —Masonry used below lighter materials such as stucco, synthetic cladding, or siding.

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

SHOPFRONT MATERIALS —A simple palette of materials across multiple storefronts does not need to feel boring as long as they are well composed.

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

MATERIALS ON INCREMENTS —Materials and design are consistent within each Massing Increment.

18 Attachment 1:130

Publication, Apr 2026

ZONING

40 | City of Santa Clara Downtown Form-Base Code

• F. Expressing Visual Weight and Load-Bearing Structure. To ensure that new development in downtown is compatible with the historic building fabric and visual structural principles of Downtown Santa Clara, the following standards apply to the building structure, architectural elements, and materials and color:

Text read from an image; its layout may differ:
Bay

Vertical structural elements frame the bay; visual weight within the bay is transferred clearly to the ground.

1. Building Structure. To express the load-bearing structural characteristics of traditional downtown buildings, the following standards shall apply:

• a. Vertical Structure. The vertical structural elements of a building—comprising piers, columns, or portions of solid wall which flank each bay of the facade (see §8 2 A 2)—shall be configured so as to visually carry the apparent weight of upper floors down to the ground in a coherent manner (see precedents below) If any vertical structural element is expressed but does not extend to the ground, it shall be supported by structure beneath it, with a visual system of weight transference from the supported element to the ground

• b. Horizontal Structure. Horizontal structural elements—such as beams and lintels—shall be sized to appropriately support the visual weight of the building mass and elements above them with respect to the distance they span

• c. Structural Honesty. The visual system of bays and structure that is expressed on the facade shall be organized and configured to express or reinforce the actual building structure

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

Bays of windows framed by masonry building structure

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

Storefront windows framed by structural elements

AVOID: Heavy upper floor building masses are not coherently supported. Vertical structure elements which frame upper floor bays randomly misalign with those in the building's base.

18 Attachment 1:131

Publication, Apr 2026

SANTA CLARA CODE

41 | Chapter 8: Facade Design

2. Architectural Elements. To ensure that architectural elements appear to be properly supported, the following standards shall apply:

• a. Projections. Architectural Elements projecting from the building’s facade—i e balconies, bay windows, and deep roof eaves—shall be visually supported with brackets, corbels, cantilevered beams, or structure that transfers their weight to the structural vertical and horizontal elements of the facade as defined in 1a / 1b

  3. Materials and Color. To ensure that materials and color reinforce the visual structural logic of a facade, the following standards shall apply:

  • a. As stated in §8 2 E 4, materials heavier in apparent weight (i e brick) shall be used below materials that are lighter in apparent weight (i e wood siding)

  • b. Colors also suggest visual weight Colors should complement, and in no way undermine, the visual structural logic of a facade

• b. Heavy Elements. Heavy elements—i e those made of masonry, projecting bays or rooms, etc —shall appear to be supported rather than floating or affixed onto a weaker-appearing material

• c. Non-Supportive Elements. Elements which are intended to be accents to the facade—i e such as spandrel panels between windows—shall not project from the facade Rather, they shall be inset as architectural relief, with the facade material holding it in place visible around it There shall be no floating elements or details which appear artificially pasted on

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

Traditional bay windows had wooden and masonry structural elements, creating a coherently-supported assembly

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

This modern bay window has a metal structural frame supported by concrete cantilevers.

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

Balcony supported by metal tension rods.

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

Spandrel panels are recessed into the wall between vertical structural elements.

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

Color reinforces the role of the panels as decorative rather than strong and loadbearing.

18 Attachment 1:132

Publication, Apr 2026

ZONING

42 | City of Santa Clara Downtown Form-Base Code

9 Private Frontages