HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-08-29; Council Policy No. 44 - Neighborhood Architectural Design GuidelinesCITY OF CARLSBAD
COUNCIL POLICY STATEMENT
Policy No. 44
Page 1 of 5
Date Issued MAY 2,
Effective Date ,
Cancellation Date No Cancellation Date
Supersedes No. 10/10/89. 08/26/97.
12/11/01 _
General Subject: NEIGHBORHOOD ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
Specific Subject: Establishment of Architectural Design Guidelines for the Development of Livable
Neighborhoods
Copies to: City Council, City Manager, City Attorney, Department Heads and Division Heads,
Employee Bulletin Boards, Press, File
PURPOSE AND INTENT:
The purpose and intent of the architectural guidelines is to ensure that a variety of architectural elements are
incorporated into single-family homes and two-family structures so that they: a) are visually interesting, b)
have sufficient building articulation to reduce their bulk and mass, c) are in scale to their lot size, and d)
strongly contribute to the creation of livable neighborhoods
APPLICABILITY:
• A new individual single-family home or remodel shall not be subject to these architectural guidelines.
• New single-family and two-family residential projects of 2-4 homes shall comply with architectural
guidelines 1, 2, 3, 4, 9,10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 (regardless of stated percentages).
• New single-family and two-family residential projects of 5 or more homes shall comply with all of the
architectural guidelines.
PROCEDURES:
1. Applicants for discretionary project applications shall design projects/homes so that they comply with
the guidelines. Each applicant shall provide documentation demonstrating compliance with this
policy concurrent with the submittal of development permit applications.
If an applicant wishes to propose an architectural style that complies with the Purpose and Intent of
this policy and yet cannot comply with the requirements of the guidelines, the applicant may request
deviations from any of the architectural guidelines to achieve an architectural design or style of
equally superior quality. All such requests shall be fully justified specifying how the Purpose and
Intent of this policy is being achieved.
2. Staff shall review projects for compliance with the guidelines and provide recommendations to the
decision-makers regarding:
a. Project compliance with the policy;
b. Whether or not any requested deviations are justified; and,
c. Whether or not the purpose and intent of the policy would still be achieved if a deviation is
granted.
3. Decision-makers shall determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether the project complies with the intent
of the policy to create livable neighborhoods.
CITY OF CARLSBAD
COUNCIL POLICY STATEMENT
Page 2 of 5
Policy No. 44
Date Issued
Effective Date
Cancellation Date
Supersedes No. 10/10/89. 08/26/97.
12/11/01
General Subject: NEIGHBORHOOD ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
Specific Subject: Establishment of Architectural Design Guidelines for the Development of Livable
Neighborhoods
Copies to: City Council, City Manager, City Attorney, Department Heads and Division Heads,
Employee Bulletin Boards, Press, File
ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES:
Floor Plans and Elevations
1. All residential projects shall be required to have a minimum number of different floor plans, different
front and corresponding matching rear elevations with different color schemes as identified below:
a 2-4 dwelling units shall provide 1 floor plan and 2 different elevations.
a 5-12 dwelling units shall provide 2 different floor plans and 2 different elevations.
a 13-20 dwelling units shall provide 2 different floor plans and 3 different elevations.
a 21+ dwelling units shall provide 3 different floor plans and 3 different elevations.
2. Every house should have a coherent architectural style. All elevations of a house, including front, side
and rear, should have the same design integrity of forms, details and materials.
3. In addition to the previous requirements, design details should reinforce and enhance the architectural
form and style of every house and differ from other elevations of the same floor plan. A minimum of 4
complimentary design details, including but not limited to those listed below, shall be incorporated into
each of the front, rear and street side building fa?ade(s) of the house.
DESIGN DETAILS
Balconies
Decorative eaves and fascia
Exposed roof rafter tails
Arched elements
Towers
Knee braces
Dormers
Columns
Exterior wood elements
Accent materials (i.e.; brick, stone, shingles, wood or siding)
4. Floor plans in a project shall exhibit a variety of roof ridges and roof heights within a neighborhood.
CITY OF CARLSBAD
COUNCIL POLICY STATEMENT
Page 3 of 5
Policy No. 44
Date Issued
Effective Date
Cancellation Date
Supersedes No. 10/10/89. 08/26/97.
12/11/01
General Subject: NEIGHBORHOOD ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
Specific Subject: Establishment of Architectural Design Guidelines for the Development of Livable
Neighborhoods
Copies to: City Council, City Manager, City Attorney, Department Heads and Division Heads,
Employee Bulletin Boards, Press, File
Site Planning
5. Houses with both the same floor plan and elevation style shall not occur on adjacent lots.
6. Reverse floor plans shall be included where possible to add variety to the street scene.
Single Story Requirements
7. A minimum of 15% of the total number of homes shall be single-story structures. Single-story is defined
as a maximum plate-line of 15 feet and a maximum building height of 20 feet. Lofts are permitted subject
to CMC Section 21.04.330.
or
A minimum of 10% of the total number of homes shall be single-story structures and 15% shall be
reduced second story structures. A reduced second story structure shall comply with the following
criteria:
a A minimum of 60% of the roofline shall be single story;
a A 2-story element may be added in the central portion of the front and rear elevation; and
a The second story element may be no greater than 25% of the floor area of the first floor of the house
(including garage).
or
For alley-loaded product, a minimum of 20% of the homes shall be single-story for the front 20% of the
home (overall depth of house times 20%).
8. A maximum of 20% of the total number of homes are exempt from the requirement to have a single-story
building edge.
9. The remaining total number of homes shall comply with one of the following guidelines:
• The home shall have a single-story building edge with a depth of not less than 8 feet and shall
run the length of the building along one side except for tower elements. The roof covering the
single-story element shall incorporate a separate roof plane and shall be substantially lower than
the roof for the two-story element. Porches and porte-cochere elements shall qualify as a single-
story edge. Houses with courtyards that are a minimum of 15 feet wide located along the side of
the house and setback a minimum of 15 feet from the property line are not required to have a
single-story building edge.
CITY OF CARLSBAD
COUNCIL POLICY STATEMENT
Page 4 of 5
Policy No. 44
Date Issued
Effective Date
Cancellation Date
Supersedes No. 10/10/89. 08/26/97.
12/11/01
General Subject: NEIGHBORHOOD ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
Specific Subject: Establishment of Architectural Design Guidelines for the Development of Livable
Neighborhoods
Copies to: City Council, City Manager, City Attorney, Department Heads and Division Heads,
Employee Bulletin Boards, Press, File
• The home shall have a single-story building edge with a depth of not less than 5 feet and shall
run the length of the building along one side. The roof of the single-story element shall be
substantially lower than the roof for the two-story element of the building.
• The home shall have a single-story building edge with a depth of not less than 3 feet for 40% of
the perimeter of the building.
Multiple Building Planes
10. For at least 66% of the homes in a project, there shall be at least 3 separate building planes on street
side elevations of lots with 45 feet of street frontage or less and 4 separate building planes on street side
elevations of lots with a street frontage greater than 45 feet. Balconies and covered porches qualify as a
building plane.
The minimum offset in planes shall be 18 inches and shall include, but not be limited to, building walls,
windows, porches and roofs. The minimum depth between the faces of the forward-most plane and the
rear plane on the front elevation shall be 10 feet. A plane must be a minimum of 30 sq. ft. to receive
credit under this section.
11. Rear elevations shall adhere to the same criteria outlined in Number 10 above for front elevations except
that the minimum depth between front and back planes on the rear elevation shall be 4 feet. Rear
balconies qualify as a building plane.
12. For at least 66% of the homes in a project, one side elevation shall have sufficient offsets or cutouts so
that the side yard setback averages a minimum of 8.5 feet.
Windows/Doors
13. At least 66% of exterior openings (door/windows) on every home in the project shall be recessed or
projected a minimum of 2 inches and shall be constructed with wood, vinyl or colored aluminum window
frames (no mill finishes).
14. Windows shall reinforce and enhance the architectural form and style of the house through, the use of
signature windows and varied window shapes and sizes.
Front Porches
CITY OF CARLSBAD
COUNCIL POLICY STATEMENT
Page 5 of 5
Policy No. 44
Date Issued
Effective Date
Cancellation Date
Supersedes No. 10/10/89. 08/26/97.
12/11/01
General Subject: NEIGHBORHOOD ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
Specific Subject: Establishment of Architectural Design Guidelines for the Development of Livable
Neighborhoods
Copies to: City Council, City Manager, City Attorney, Department Heads and Division Heads,
Employee Bulletin Boards, Press, File
15. Fifty percent (50%) of the homes shall be designed with a covered front porch, open courtyard, or
balcony (each with a minimum depth of 6 feet and a minimum area of 60 square feet) located at the front
of the dwelling. The minimum depth for a covered front porch shall be measured from the front fagade
of the home to the inside of any supporting porch posts. The front and sides of porches shall be open
except for required and/or ornamental guardrails. A variety of roof elements shall be provided over
porches. Porches may not be converted to living space.
Front Entries
16. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the homes must have a front entry to the home that is clearly visible from
the street. Walkways from the front door to the street are encouraged.
Chimneys
17. Chimneys and chimney caps shall be in scale with the size of the home. No more than 2 chimneys shall
be allowed for homes on lots in planned developments having an area less than 7,500 square feet.
Garage Doors
18.Garage doors for 3 or 4 cars in a row that directly face the street must have a minimum of an 18" plane
change between the garage doors after the 2 car garage door.
Note #1: Fractional units of .5 or greater shall be rounded up to the next whole number and located in a
manner to achieve the best project design as determined by the project planner. When a percentage of
units are described in the guidelines, the intent is to have that percentage spread throughout the entire
project.