RESOLUTION A

(Staff’s Revised Recommendation)

 

A RESOLUTION REGARDING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DESIGN GUIDELINES RELATING TO THE REGULATION AND CONSTRUCTION OF DUPLEX STRUCTURES (2007-03-05/R-5)

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council hereby amends the Comprehensive Plan Design Guidelines document to incorporate the following revised design guidelines associated with the construction of a duplex, as defined by the Chapel Hill Land Use Management Ordinance:

 

Duplex Design Guidelines

 

The Community Design Commission shall review site plans and building elevations and shall approve plans if the applicant demonstrates substantial compliance.  In situations where substantial compliance has not been demonstrated, the Commission shall approve plans if the applicant demonstrates that reasonable efforts have been made to achieve compliance and that the failure to achieve substantial compliance is due to conditions that cannot be changed with reasonable efforts.

 

The appearance of a new duplex structure shall be consistent, with respect to building materials, roof forms, and lot siting, to the neighborhood in which such structure is to be built. 

 

1.      The size, and height, and form of a new duplex structure shall should not exceed by more than 25 percent any be comparable with other structures in the neighborhood in which such structure is to be built or converted to a duplex.

 

For purposes of evaluating compliance with this standard items 1 and 2 above, the “neighborhood” to be considered shall should include all structures designed or used as dwelling on lots any portion of which is within 300 feet of the subject property. include the following:

 

a         Structures immediately adjacent to  and across  from the subject property;

b        Structures on the same street (both sides) as the subject property;  and

c         Structures within 500 feet of the subject property.

 

2.      At least one duplex front door should be visible from the front of the structure.

 

3.      Garage doors, if facing the street, should not be the dominant feature of the structure shall be limited to a single, standard garage door. Garage doors should not be more that 10 feet closer to the front set back of the lot than any of the front doors of the duplex dwelling units.

 

4.      Entrances should be visible and approaches to the front entrance of each dwelling unit should be clearly delineated by improved walkways and landscaping should clearly identify important access points.

 

Entrances should provide an introductory statement for dwelling units in the duplex structure, and should be landscaped with plants complementary to the building’s architecture and style.

 

5.      Each dwelling should have a front entrance that is defined by an outdoor light attached to the structure and adjacent to the front door, a landing or porch at least 3 feet square (9 square feet)  and a canopy of materials matching the structure and extending at least 3 feet from the wall of the structure.

 

All elevations of a building’s exterior design should be coordinated with regard to color, materials, architectural form and detailing.

 

6.      Lighting shall should be designed to provide illumination from the parking areas to the front entrance of each dwelling unit, at entrances and along walkways to entrances, without creating spillover onto adjacent properties.

 

7.      Parking areas must be clearly designated by covering such areas with a paved or gravel surface and by delineating the edges of such areas through the use of landscape timbers, plantings, or other materials. 

 

Landscape plantings and hardscape materials shall be incorporated to clearly define parking areas and minimize the visual impact of front yard parking.

 

8.      The visual impact from the street or adjacent properties of any front yard parking should be minimized with vegetative screening or the use of low walls/fencing.

 

 

This the 5th day of March, 2007.