Chapter 18.72
SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
Sections:
18.72.020 Single room occupancy (SRO) housing.
18.72.030 Objective design standards for multifamily and mixed-use development.
18.72.010 Emergency shelters.
This section sets forth standards for the establishment and operation of emergency shelter facilities.
A. Permit and Operational Requirements. The approval and operation of an emergency shelter shall be subject to the following requirements:
1. Site Plan Permit Required. Emergency shelters may be established and operated in the commercial zone subject to nondiscretionary approval of a site plan permit in compliance with Chapter 17.22 PVEMC;
2. Management and Operations Plan. An application for a permit to establish and operate an emergency shelter shall be accompanied by a management and operations plan, which shall establish hours of operation, staffing levels, maximum length of stay, size and location of exterior and interior on-site waiting and intake areas, and security procedures.
B. Development Standards. In addition to other standards set forth in commercial zone, emergency shelters shall conform to the following standards:
1. Maximum of fifteen beds.
2. Minimum separation of three hundred feet between emergency shelters.
3. Facility Requirements.
a. Each occupant shall be provided a minimum of fifty square feet of personal living space, not including space for common areas.
b. Bathing facilities shall be provided in quantity and location as required by the California Plumbing Code (Title 24 Part 5), and shall comply with the accessibility requirements of the California Building Code (Title 24 Part 2).
c. Shelters must provide a storage area for refuse and recyclables that is enclosed by a six-foot-high landscape screen, solid wall, or fence, which is accessible to collection vehicles on one side. The storage area must be large enough to accommodate the number of bins that are required to provide the facility with sufficient service so as to avoid the overflow of material outside of the bins provided.
d. The shelter may provide one or more of the following specific facilities and services on site, including but not limited to:
i. Commercial kitchen facilities designed and operated in compliance with the California Retail Food Code;
ii. Dining area;
iii. Laundry room;
iv. Recreation room;
v. Support services (e.g. training, counseling, etc.); and
vi. Child care facilities.
C. On-Site Waiting and Intake Areas. A minimum of five percent of the total square footage of a shelter shall be designated for indoor on-site waiting and intake areas. In addition, an exterior waiting area shall be provided, the minimum size of which is equal to or larger than the minimum interior waiting and intake area.
1. Staging for drop-off, intake and pick-up should take place inside the building, at a rear or side entrance, or inner courtyard.
2. Shelter plans shall show the size and location of any proposed waiting or occupant intake areas, interior and exterior.
D. Off-Street Parking. Off-street parking shall be provided at the rate of one space per four beds, plus one space for each staff person on duty. (Ord. 709 § 10, 2014)
18.72.020 Single room occupancy (SRO) housing.
SRO housing shall conform to the following standards:
A. Occupancy shall be limited to maximum two persons per unit. Minimum unit sizes (not including toilet compartment) shall be:
1. One person: one hundred fifty square feet.
2. Two persons: one hundred seventy-five square feet.
B. Each SRO unit shall be provided with the following minimum amenities:
1. Kitchen sink with garbage disposal.
2. A toilet and sink located in a separate room within the unit that is a minimum twenty square feet.
3. One closet per person.
4. Telephone and cable TV hookups.
C. If full bathrooms are not provided in each unit, shared showers shall be provided on each floor at a ratio of one per seven occupants or fraction thereof on the same floor, with doors lockable from the inside.
D. If full kitchens are not provided in each unit, shared kitchen facilities shall be provided on each floor consisting of a range, sink with garbage disposal, and refrigerator.
E. If laundry facilities are not provided in each unit, common laundry facilities shall be provided, with one washer and one dryer on the premises for every twenty-five units.
F. Elevators shall be required for SROs of two or more stories.
G. On-site management shall be provided at all times.
H. Off-street parking shall be provided at the rate of one-half space per unit, plus one space for each employee on duty. (Ord. 709 § 10, 2014)
18.72.030 Objective design standards for multifamily and mixed-use development.
A. Purpose. The purpose of this section is to provide objective design standards for the review of new multifamily residential and mixed-use developments that qualify for streamlined, ministerial planning review pursuant to state law (Government Code § 65913.4) and/or regulations of the city of Palos Verdes Estates. The intent of the objective standards is for applicants, reviewers, and approval bodies alike to know beforehand what requirements apply to a proposed development and for the applicant to be able to design a project that meets those requirements before submittal.
B. Applicability. The objective design standards apply to qualifying multifamily residential and mixed-use development projects for which the state requires review for compliance using only objective standards. This includes multifamily and mixed-use projects, which upon applicant request and demonstration of eligibility, qualify for streamlined, ministerial processing. All other project types, including single-family homes and commercial-only projects, are not subject to these objective design standards but must satisfy existing development standards in PVEMC Title 17, Zoning Procedures, and this title.
The standards in this section apply in addition to any applicable objective standards in the adopted city documents, including but not limited to the documents referenced in subsection G of this section. Unless expressly prohibited by or in conflict with the standards in this or another applicable regulatory plan or code, additional architectural or design features that enhance the development are allowable.
C. Definitions.
1. “Active frontages” are building frontages with active uses such as shops and cafes where there is a visual engagement between those in the street and those on the ground floor.
2. “Building mass” (massing) refers to the general shape and form as well as size of a building.
3. “Elevation plane” means a face or side of a building or structure.
4. “Footcandle” is a unit of illuminance or light intensity, defined as one lumen per square foot.
5. “Primary building frontage” means the building frontage that abuts the most primary of streets.
6. “Primary street” means the wider of two streets that border a lot.
7. “Fully screened from neighboring properties” means not visible with any direct line of sight from any public right-of-way or any immediate adjacent residential property from a height of five feet four inches.
D. Site Design. Site design refers to the arrangement and relationships between buildings, parking areas, common and private open space, landscaping, pedestrian connections, and other ancillary site development. A project shall also follow the applicable objective requirements of the base zone it is located in, such as setbacks, parking, and building height.
1. Building Orientation. Buildings shall have a strong relationship to the street they front and shall be oriented to positively define and frame adjacent public streets. Building orientation shall meet the following standards:
a. The frontage of any primary building(s) shall be oriented toward the primary street. Where there is a physical site constraint, a clearly identifiable entry to the site shall be provided from the street.
b. Primary entries to buildings or units shall be connected to a public sidewalk or publicly accessible pathway with a pedestrian pathway with a minimum width of four feet.
c. Creation of a safe environment must be considered when planning the orientation of multifamily and mixed-use buildings. Primary entryways must be easily identifiable and accessible to emergency services, and windows, lighting, and landscaping must be designed and properly placed to allow for maximum visibility and natural surveillance of the site.
2. Ground Floor Uses. Ground floor uses shall provide active building frontages with active uses that engage the street. Active uses are uses that generate visits, in particular pedestrian visits. Active uses may be shops, cafes, other social uses, and shared accessory spaces. Higher density residential and office uses also can be active uses for particular periods of the day by providing additional entries to individual units or ground floor office spaces.
a. Active frontage types shall consist of one or more of the following ground floor uses:
(1) Storefront commercial.
(2) Ground floor office.
(3) Ground floor residential units with individual unit entries only when one hundred percent residential projects are allowed.
(4) Ground floor residential accessory spaces (e.g., indoor community spaces).
b. Active frontages are required for a minimum of eighty percent of each building facade facing a public street.
3. Vehicular Access and Parking. Vehicular access and parking shall meet the following standards:
a. Access and Driveways.
(1) A maximum of one vehicular access point from the street is permitted per one hundred fifty lineal feet of street frontage.
(2) Vehicular driveways with access to the public right-of-way shall have a sidewalk or pedestrian pathway alongside the driveway.
b. Parking.
(1) Parking areas shall be placed to the side or rear of buildings. There shall be no vehicular parking between the primary building’s frontage and the primary street.
(2) Parking areas shall be fully screened from neighboring properties. Screening may be accomplished through building placement, landscaping, fencing, or some combination thereof. Landscaping for screening purposes shall be no less than five feet in width from the back of sidewalk or street curb to the parking lot paving (whichever is greater) and shall be no less than forty-two inches in height within twelve months of planting.
(3) Parking spaces shall be separated from buildings by a pedestrian pathway, minimum four feet in width, and a landscape planter area, minimum five feet in width.
4. Pedestrian Access and Circulation.
a. All on-site buildings, entries, facilities, amenities, and parking areas shall be internally connected with a minimum four-foot-wide pedestrian pathway or pathway network. The pedestrian pathway network shall connect to the public sidewalk along each street.
b. Pedestrian pathways that are within the public right-of-way must be a continuous surface with no gaps.
c. Pedestrian pathways shall meet Americans with Disability Act (ADA) accessibility standards.
5. Common and Private Open Space. Common and private open space shall be required for all multifamily and mixed-use projects and shall meet the following standards:
a. Common Open Space.
(1) Common open space areas shall be purposefully designed as active or passive recreational facilities.
(2) Minimum of one hundred fifty square feet of common open space on site per unit. Minimum setback areas shall not be used to satisfy common open space requirements.
(3) Common open space areas shall not be located directly next to arterial streets, service areas, or adjacent commercial development to ensure they are sheltered from the noise and traffic of adjacent streets or other incompatible uses.
b. Private Open Space.
(1) Minimum of one hundred square feet of private open space (e.g., yards, patios) per ground floor residential unit. No horizontal dimension shall be less than ten feet.
(2) Private open space shall be accessible to only one unit by a doorway or doorways to a habitable room or hallway of the unit.
(3) Minimum setback areas shall not be used to satisfy private open space requirements.
6. Site Lighting.
a. All outdoor lighting shall be designed, located, installed, directed downward or toward structures, fully shielded, and maintained to prevent glare, light trespass, and light pollution and away from adjoining properties and public rights-of-way, so that no light fixture directly illuminates an area outside of the project site intended to be illuminated.
b. All light sources shall be designed, constructed, mounted, and maintained such that the maximum intensity of illumination, measured twenty feet beyond the project boundary, does not exceed 0.2 footcandles more than ambient conditions.
c. Areas used by pedestrians shall be illuminated at night to ensure safety.
d. Freestanding outdoor light fixtures shall not exceed sixteen feet in height.
7. Utilities and Building Equipment.
a. Utilities shall be placed in underground or subsurface conduits unless otherwise prohibited by the city of Palos Verdes Estates.
b. Above-ground utilities and equipment (e.g., electric and gas meters, fire sprinkler valves, irrigation backflow prevention devices, etc.) shall be located inside buildings or on facades other than the primary building frontage, along alleys, parking areas, and/or at the rear or side of buildings, and painted to match the building or fully screened from public view.
c. Utility and equipment enclosures shall match the building exterior finish, materials, and color.
d. Rooftop-mounted equipment shall be screened from public view either in an enclosure or behind a pitched roof or parapet wall. “Screened from public view” means not visible from the centerline of the closest public right-of-way, five feet above ground elevation. A line-of-sight detail shall be provided to demonstrate adequate screening of rooftop equipment.
e. Trash enclosures shall be constructed with the same exterior finish, materials, and colors as those of the associated primary building. Climbing vines shall be installed along any trash enclosure side that is directly visible to a public street to further screen the enclosure.
E. Building Design.
1. Massing.
a. Building elevations that are longer than thirty feet wide shall be modulated in one of the following two ways which may consist of elevation plane changes, insets, bays, notches, or protrusions:
(1) Elevation Plane Change. Provide a minimum one horizontal change in plane for every thirty feet of building elevation. The change in plane must be at least four feet deep and six feet wide, and must be open to the sky; or
(2) Inset or Bay With Material Change. Provide a minimum one horizontal change in plane for every thirty feet of building elevation. The change in plane must be at least two feet deep and six feet wide, and be combined with a change in material. Material change shall be a minimum of three-fourths of the building’s height.
b. Building elevations that are less than thirty feet wide are not required to have a change in plane incorporated into their design.
c. Projections from the building face, including balconies, awnings, signs, and decorative elements, are not considered to be changes in plane.
2. Roof Form. Buildings shall be designed with variation in roof form. Rooflines, whether pitched or flat, shall vary at least every thirty feet along the street frontage. A change in roof form can be achieved with a change in height of at least three feet, a horizontal change in plane of at least four feet, or a change in roof pitch. Changes in roof form shall not exceed allowed building heights, as defined by the underlying zoning district.
3. Building Articulation. Primary building facades and all building masses greater than twenty feet in length shall incorporate at least three of the following features, consistent in design style, which provide articulation and design interest:
a. Balconies, minimum depth of five feet.
b. Bay windows, project at least twenty-four inches.
c. Canopies, awnings, or trellises above doors and windows, minimum depth of three feet.
d. Color and/or material change, consistent with architectural style.
e. Roof overhangs, minimum of eighteen inches.
f. Window detail, of either lintels, sills, trims, or wall plane change, a minimum of four inches in depth.
4. Mixed-Use Development.
a. The ground floor shall have a clear floor-ceiling height of at least twelve feet.
b. Ground floor commercial tenant spaces shall have storefront entrances oriented on the facade fronting the primary street.
c. Doors and entryways to commercial tenant spaces shall be recessed a minimum of twenty-four inches to articulate the entrance.
d. All ground floor facades with a commercial or retail use facing onto a primary street shall be a minimum sixty percent transparent or translucent glazing measured from finished floor to finished floor (opaque or reflective glass is not permitted). At least twenty-five percent of the surface area of the upper floor facades shall be occupied by windows.
F. Landscape. Landscape and hardscape shall add to the character of the new buildings, facilitate sustainable water use, and be relatively easy to maintain. The landscape design shall be integrated with the buildings on site and enhance the natural environment of the neighborhood. Landscaping shall meet the following standards:
1. All setback and open areas not used for buildings, parking areas, driveways, pedestrian pathways, and/or utilities shall be landscaped and maintained.
2. Landscaped areas shall include a combination of groundcover, shrubs, and trees.
3. Trees shall be selected following local plans, ordinances, approved planting lists, and other guidance that provides direction on tree selection based on specific issues, e.g., fire resistance and community aesthetics.
4. Permanent automatic irrigation facilities shall be provided for all landscaped areas.
G. Other Applicable Objective Standards. All projects subject to this section shall comply with the objective design, development, and subdivision standards within the city of Palos Verdes Estates’ zoning ordinance, the general plan (or applicable specific plan), and the municipal code, as well as any adopted standards in supplemental documents, including but not limited to:
1. Chapter 15.50 PVEMC, Floodplain Management.
2. Chapter 18.08 PVEMC, R-M Zone.
3. Chapter 18.12 PVEMC, C Zone.
4. Chapter 18.28 PVEMC, Outdoor Lighting.
5. Chapter 18.50 PVEMC, Water Efficient Landscaping.
6. PVEMC Title 16, Subdivisions.
7. PVEMC Title 19, Coastal Regulations. (Ord. 763 § 2, 2024)