6-22 Community Design Street Walls and Street-front Setbacks The siting of buildings will play a critical role in establishing the character and sense of place for the District. Siting buildings at the street s edge gives spatial definition to the public realm that is critical to supporting pedestrian activity. It also establishes a visual connection between businesses on opposite sides of the street that is an important ingredient of a successful shopping street. Buildings may be set back to create small plazas provided that these setbacks do not substantially disrupt the street wall s continuity. Buildings should be sited at property lines or designated frontage lines adjacent to public street frontages in order to establish consistent and continuous building street walls that give scale and definition to adjacent streets and civic spaces. Portions of the building street wall may be setback from the public right-of-way to accommodate key features such as a recessed storefront entrance, an entry forecourt, or a plaza, as long as such features do not substantially interrupt the continuity of the street wall. Gaps in the street wall (i.e., street frontage with no building) should be limited to those areas needed to accommodate pedestrian and, in limited instances, vehicular access (see guidelines for Parking and Vehicular Access ). On corner parcels, the corner of the building may be recessed from front and side property lines on a diagonal. The recessed corner may include just the ground level, or ground floor and upper levels. At street corners, the street wall may be set back diagonally to emphasize the intersection and to extend the public realm. Buildings at street corners should be oriented to both intersecting streets with a building entrance fronting directly onto the corner.
Community Design 6-23 On-site Open Space The provision of on-site open space such as plazas, courtyards, and paseos is an integral component of the pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use district that complements the parks, plazas, and streetscapes of the public realm. These semi-public spaces provide a finer-grained, more intimate setting that encourages pedestrians to gather and linger, and can be designed specifically to complement and enhance the commercial function of adjoining private-sector uses. The creation of semi-public outdoor spaces such as on-site plazas, patios, courtyards, paseos, terraces and gardens that support pedestrian activity and community interaction is strongly encouraged, particularly in larger projects. On-site open space areas should be designed to complement and enhance the function and character of adjacent commercial uses by providing a transition from the public streetscape to the private business, and providing outdoor areas that can accommodate commercial activity (e.g., outdoor dining, display areas, etc.). Building frontages adjacent to semi-public outdoor spaces should include building entrances and storefront windows that face onto the open space and architectural and landscape features that activate the façades. Plazas and open space areas intended for public use should have clearly defined visual and physical connections that promote a comfortable transition from the public to the private realm. Paseos are an important element of the District s urban open space system and are strongly encouraged as connective elements and open space features. They promote pedestrian activity by creating spaces scaled to pedestrian use, reducing conflicts with automobile traffic, and providing more direct routes between off-street parking areas and primary street frontages. They also provide the benefit of increasing the amount of potential retail frontage. To promote user comfort, plazas and courtyards should be well-defined by buildings and landscaping, comfortably scaled, landscaped for shade and ornament, furnished with areas for sitting, and lighted for evening use. Water is intended as a defining feature of the District, so water features such as fountains, pools, and runnels should be incorporated into the design of urban open spaces where possible, to enhance their character and to symbolically link private open space to the design of the broader District. Landscaping should be used to activate building façades, soften building contours, highlight important architectural features, screen less attractive elements, provide shade, and add color, texture, and visual interest. Landscape materials should be of high quality and suitable for the Southern California Mediterranean climate. Given the general lack of precipitation, naturalized and low-water-use plant species are preferred. On-site open space is encouraged to have a semipublic character that transitions from the public to the private realm; windows, doors, and commercial activities (e.g. café seating or display areas) should be used to activate these spaces.
6-24 Community Design Parking and Vehicular Access Parking will be a critical factor in the successful redevelopment and revitalization of the Creekside District. In order to be successful, the District needs to not only ensure that adequate parking is provided to support proposed development, but that the location and design of that parking also supports the creation of an attractive, pedestrian-friendly mixed use district. The current prevalence of sites with front-loaded surface parking lots and driveways crossing public sidewalks is functionally and aesthetically antithetical to the vision for the District. The Plan promotes a fundamental re-thinking of on-site parking that reduces its visual prominence and the potential for pedestrian/vehicle conflicts by placing it on the interior of blocks, in structures, or below ground. The Plan s parking management strategy (see Chapter 5, Circulation and Transportation for a more detailed discussion) also promotes a park once environment that encourages individuals to walk to all their District destinations after they have parked their car. In order to accommodate proposed development intensities and create an attractive pedestrian environment, surface parking is discouraged and should be kept to a minimum. Where it occurs, surface parking should be located behind buildings and on the interior of blocks where it is screened from public view. Parking should be accomodated in above- or below-grade structures; parking structures should be wrapped with active ground-level uses and articulated to screen vehicles parked in upper stories. Generally, off-street parking should be located in above- and below-grade parking structures. New development is encouraged to take advantage of the fill that will be required over much of the area to provide parking below grade (either fully or partially).
Community Design 6-25 Parking structures should be located on the interior of the block where feasible. Parking garages adjacent to public streets should be wrapped with liner space for retail and commercial uses that activate the street frontage and screen parking. At the very least, retail and other pedestrian-oriented uses should line the street-level façade of parking structures fronting on public streets. Upper floors of parking structures that are visible from the street should be designed to screen views of cars and parking structure lighting, and to reflect a level of articulation and design character consistent with the rest of the building façade. Access to off-street parking should be provided primarily from mid-block alleys or from the District s north-south streets. Driveways and curb cuts should not occur on Main Street, and should be limited to no more than one or two per block on Creekside Drive to serve areas not accessible from north-south streets. Where feasible, driveways on north-south streets should be limited to a single mid-block curb cut. Existing curb cuts and driveways with access off San Marcos Boulevard, McMahr Road, Via Vera Cruz, Bent Avenue and Grand Avenue ultimately should be phased out as subject properties are redeveloped and alternative access can be provided. Service Areas, Loading, and Building Equipment As a functioning commercial area, it is essential that retailers and commercial tenants can efficiently obtain the supplies and services needed to operate. It is just as important, however, that these functions and their related facilities are carefully integrated into the design of new development so that they do not compromise the quality or character of the District. Service, loading and storage areas should be located to the rear of buildings and on the interior of blocks where they are away from public view. Wherever possible, service access should be provided via alleys. Loading docks, storage areas, trash bins, and other service areas and facilities should be located away from public streets and screened from public view in a manner that is consistent with the architectural style and character of the associated building. On-site infrastructure, such as back-flow devices, irrigation controls, electrical panels, etc., should be located in interior utility closets or on the interior of blocks, away for public streets, where they are out of public view. Building Design Building Massing Allowing for more compact development and larger buildings makes it important that future buildings are designed so that their scale and massing does not overwhelm the public realm and make it unattractive or inhospitable. Large buildings can be attractive and dramatic and yet still preserve a pedestrian scale at street level. They do not have to be either monolithic or imposing. There are many design techniques for adding visual interest and mitigating a building s apparent bulk and scale. Building Façades Building façades are the walls of the public realm, and will do much to establish the character of the District. The doors, windows, and detailing that animate their surfaces both activate the streetscape and establish a pleasing sense of order and proportion. Trash bins and other service areas should be located away from public streets and be screened from view. Buildings should be scaled and proportioned to create a pedestrian-friendly development pattern.
6-26 Community Design Commercial buildings should be simple in form and massing; this building has a storefront base and a detailed parapet Buildings may be stepped back above the third story to reduce apparent bulk It is important that they be neither too dull nor too busy, and that they present a perceptible unity without sacrificing variety. Building façades should incorporate a hierarchy of vertical and horizontal features and articulation that establish a sense of order and reflect changes in building form. Façades that face public streets and open space areas generally should be architecturally subdivided with some form of modulation or articulation every twenty-five (25) to fifty (50) feet to promote visual interest and a comfortable pedestrian scale that is reminiscent of traditional pedestrian-oriented shopping and residential districts. Façade increments should be defined at both the ground floor and at upper stories. Buildings with longer frontages should be subdivided to accommodate multiple individual storefronts with a regular pattern of storefront entrances along the street. Preferably, individual storefronts should not exceed fifty (50) feet in width. With larger tenants, it is desirable to locate the majority of their floor area behind a smaller frontage (e.g., wrap floor area behind liner storefronts along the street frontage). Turrets and towers can be used to emphasize important locations, such as street intersections Strategies for varying façades and defining distinct modules may include: articulation of building volumes, changes in rooflines and fenestration patterns, introduction of vertical architectural features such as columns and pilasters, the use of decorative detailing and architectural elements, and changes building materials and color. Changes in architectural character, façade materials or color should be associated with a change in building plane or separated by a vertical feature (e.g., a column or pilaster).
Community Design 6-27 Building façades that face public streets, sidewalks, trails, and open space should incorporate architectural features such as building entrances, display windows, awnings, overhangs, balconies, light fixtures, and other design features that add human scale and visual interest to the façades. Buildings should maintain a consistent quality and character in terms of the articulation, detailing, and finishes on all elevations visible from public streets and open spaces, not just the primary façade. Avoid the creation of uninterrupted blank wall surfaces on all building façades. Building Entrances Primary building entrances and lobbies shall be clearly visible and directly accessible from the primary street. Buildings that front onto multiple streets should provide an entrance along each street. In mixed-use buildings, retail storefront entrances should be clearly distinguishable in form and character from entrances to upper-floor office and residential uses or to a building s main lobby. The scale and module of building articulation should extend to the upper floors; this building uses windows, brickwork, and awnings to create a horizontaly and vertically consistent module. Secondary building entrances from paseos, alleys, and parking structures are encouraged as long as they do not detract from the primacy of the main building entrance and street frontage (i.e., buildings should not have primary orientation to parking lots). The design of secondary entrances should be related to that of the primary entrance and the building as a whole. Facades of larger buildings should be divided into pedestrian-scaled modules
6-28 Community Design Building entrances should be well-defined and accentuated through use of façade articulation, architectural detail, and use of materials. Appropriate strategies for architecturally defining building entries include: creating a recessed entry bay; incorporating the entrance into a taller vertical mass (e.g., a small tower) that is differentiated from the rest of the building; sheltering the entrance with a canopy, awning, or overhang; employing architectural features such as columns, pilasters, clerestory windows and sidelights, decorative tiles and light fixtures; and enhancing ground surface with decorative paving. Building entrances should be easily identifiable through façade articulation, architectural detail, and use of materials; in this building, a recessed bay was combined with architectural ornament to accentuate the building entrance To the degree feasible, service entrances, loading docks, and storage areas should be located and screened so they are not visible from public streets and open spaces or interfere with public use of the District. Service entrances and loading docks should be located to the rear or side of buildings, and preferably take access from alleys or driveways from the District s north-south streets. Building entrances to upper-floor offices or residences should be clearly distinguishable from entrances to retail storefronts.