HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 1980-9929
RESOLUTION NO. 9929
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA
VISTA APPROVING COMMERCIAL PRINCIPLES ADDENDUM TO
DESIGN MANUAL
The City Council of the City of Chula Vista does hereby
resolve as follows:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of
the City of Chula Vista that the Commercial Principles Addendum
as set forth in Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated
herein by reference be, and the same are hereby adopted as an
addendum to the Design Manual of the City of Chula Vista.
Presented by Approved as to form by
D. ",,-.'W 0 !, ^ ,. ~- .~~~;-
D. J. p~on~1nLrector-of-~rge D. Lindberg, Cit~ Attorney
Planning
ADOPTED AND APPROVED by the CITY COUNCIL of the CITY OF
CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA, this 22nd day of January , 198-2.._-,
by the following vote, to-wit:
AYES: Councilmen Hyde, McCandliss , Scott, Gi llow, Cox
NAYES: Councilmen None
ABSENT: Councilmen None
(,U d.Q ~(~
~. ~~ Mayor of the City of Chula Vista
ATTES ~~ ~
Clt C er
STATE OF CALIFORNIA)
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO) ss.
CITY OF CHULA VISTA)
I, , City Clerk of the
City of Chula Vista, California, DO HEREBY CERTIry that the above is
a full, true and correct copy of Resolution No. , and that the
same has not been amended or repealed. DATED
City Clerk
EXHIBIT A
Commercial Principles Addendum to the Design Manual
of the City of Chula Vista
E. Principles and Standards/Commercial Development
1. Neighborhood and Subneighborhood Shopping Centers.
a. The land use patterns, circulation, forms and spatial relationships
of neighborhood and subneighborhood shopping centers should be harmonious and
consonant with the residential area they serve. The nature, character, and
design of the residential areas should determine the architectural theme,
landscape, building arrangement, and signing of the mercantile centers in
question.
b. Neighborhood and subneighborhood shopping centers should be unobtrusive,
low in profile and building intensity, and probably casual or informal in
theme. Massive buildings, garish color schemes, kitsch art, and extensive
signing are out of place in these centers.
c. Neighborhood and subneighborhood centers, where practicable, should
be reflective of their neighborhood in design. This concept is consistent
with the need to separate vehicular and pedestrian traffic and tends to create
a "village atmosphere." The neighborhood concept, which usually is based upon
a mall, arcade, or patio form, tends to promote effective landscaping, customer
conveni~nce, and a pleasant environment for shopping.
d. Where feasible, customer traffic should not be mixed with truck-service
traffic. Furthermore, customer parking should be both convenient and ample.
Employee parking, which is often long-term parking, should be established on
the periphery of the center in order to make customer parking, which is usually
short-term in nature, more convenient.
e. Neighborhood and subneighborhood shopping facilities have captive
markets, and therefore do not require extensive signing or external outdoor
advertising. The appurtenant signs employed in these centers should be solely
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oriented towards "shop identification." ,A,rtistic graphics, toJood-carved
signs, gold leaf window signs, and symbolic hanging signs are especially
appropriate on the neighborhood and subneighborhood scenes.
f. While large shopping center pylon signs were popular in the 1950's
and 1960's, they are a principle source of visual pollution in suburbia,
and are not appropriate for subneighborhood centers. This principle is
also applicable to most freestanding signs. On the other hand, low profile
monument signs tend to be consistent with the tenets of good urban design,
and can provide adequate shopping center identification.
g. About 15% of the gross area of a neighborhood or subneighborhood
center should be devoted to landscaping. The required landscaping may
take the form of decorative flooring, ~asonry walls, fountains, sculpture,
or clusters of mall furniture, as well as plant material.
h. The extensive use of trees within and along the periphery of the
centers in question is urged. Trees provide beauty and improve environ..
mental quality. They also soften the impact of commercial activity upon
shoppers and local residents. Tree selection requires professional advice.
As a general rule, however, deciduous trees and non-needle evergreens are
best able to resist air pollution and, therefore, are recommended for use
in commercial areas.
i. Since neighborhood and subneighborhood centers are situated in close
proximity to the residential areas they serve, commercial-residential
buffers are essential. Where centers abut directly upon residential lands,
a minimum 20 foot wide landscaped buffer should be established on the real
property of the former. Architectural walls or decorative fences should
be used to protect local residents from the noise and visual impact of
commercial parking lots.
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j. Neighborhood and subneighborhood shopping centers should be designed
in a manner which protects local residents from the commercial noise pro-
duced by air compressors, public address systems, truck deliveries, trash
service, etc.
2. General Commercial Projects and Centers.
Townscape Principles
a. New buildings and structures should be compatible in scale to
adjacent buildings, structures, and land use.
b. The elevations of large buildings should be composed of staggered
planes where such staggering would be consistent with the involved archi-
tectural scheme. Staggered elevations can produce interesting shadow
patterns and preclude the dullness often associated with straight lines.
c. The exterior elevations of buildings should be treated with natural
materials and rendered in white or muted tones. Garish colors and graphics
should be avoided.
d. Buildings should be sited in a manner which exposes their qualitative
features to pedestrian traffic, and which obscures mechanical equipment,
venting, storage area~, trash and garbage compounds and containers, etc.,
therefrom.
e. Signs, posts, railings, and other accessory structures should be
coordinated with onsite and adjacent buildings and land use. Vertical
structures punctuate the horizontal sweep of their sites and should, through
their function or beauty, make an i~portant statement.
Landscape Principles
a. An optimum of 15% of the building site of each new project should be
landscaped. A minimum of 10% of each parking lot or enclave should be devoted
to landscaping.
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b. The landscape of commercial projects should not be confined to plant
material. Textured flooring, masonry, fountains, water features, exterior
works of fine art, and exterior furniture should be used to promote a project's
visual interest, variety and amenity.
c. Plant material should be used for soil, water and energy conservation.
d. Trees should be used to soften the impact of hard surfaces.
e. A large percentage of the trees of a commercial project should be
deciduous. Deciduous trees provide cool relief in the summer and early autumn
and a filtered warmth during the balance of the year. Deciduous trees can
endure urban life and may reduce the level of photochemical smog production
relative thereto.
f. Where feasible, trees with unique structural characteristics should
be planted. These trees should i~prove the aesthetic quality of commercial
areas and complement adjacent urban forms.
g. The use of fountains, water sculpture, and other recycling water
features provide a cooling effect with respect to the urban environment,
and visual relief from the impact of hard surfaces. The use of these
features should be encouraged by the Design Review Committee.
h. Planters and tree wells should be designed to protect the plants
they accommodate and to promote the aesthetic quality of their surroundings.
i. All plant ~aterials should be selected, arranged, and installed in
accordance with sound horticultural and landscape architectural practices.
j. Mall furniture should be carefully coordinated with the landscaping
and works of fine art which share its setting. This coordination requires
that each mall, enclosure, plaza, or open space be planned as a single urban
design composition, and not on an element-by-ele~ent basis.
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Sign Criteria
a. Signs should be designed as supportive elements to land use. They
should be used primarily to identify businesses, professional offices and
public and quasi-public facilities.
b. Signs should be compatible with the nature, character, and design of
the locale and land uses they serve.
c. Good townscape requires that signs manifest artistic order and taste.
Sleazy or obtrusive signing should be avoided.
d. In their selection of signs, property owners and tenants should place
considerable emphasis upon color, harmony, size, shape, texture, materials
and character.
e. Signs should be characterized by restraint. Where practical and
practicable, artistic graphics and fine art displays should be used in lieu
of II commerci a 1" signs.
f. Kitsch graphics, animated signs, or slapdash posters should, in general,
be disapproved.
Parking Design
a. All parking areas (excluding ingress and egress) should be screened
from public rights-of-way and adjoining properties by low fences, walls, build-
ings, plantings, or a combination thereof.
b. Parking areas should be designed for public convenience and, where
feasible, should be directly accessible from two streets, or a street and an
a 11 en.
c. In major commercial centers, pedestrian ways within parking areas
should be protected from vehicular movements by landscaped areas, curbs, or
bollards.
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d. Parking bays should be separated from buildings by landscaped areas
or protected walkways.
e. The mass of large parking areas should be ameliorated through the
employment of landscaping, textural embellishments, or intervening works of
fine art.
f. Directional signs and graphics should be used to promote public
safety anc convenience.
g. Loading, unloading, and delivery service operations should be
preplanned. Parking layouts should clearly indicate that these operations
would not adversely affect customer parking or access.
h. The plans of major commercial centers should be responsive to the
physical requirements of public transportation and should provide the
requisite pedestrian ways, bus stops, benches, and shelter.
i. Secure bicycle parking facilities should be provided.
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