D-CPV ZONING SUMMARY - Denver...(Toronto, Vancouver, Portland, etc.) • Eventually intended to serve as a framework for future Downtown DSG • Streamlined, user-friendly, and organized

D-CPV ZONING SUMMARYCentral Platte Valley – Auraria Implementation

Planning Board Information Item #2 – August 15, 2018

Overview

• Plan Guidance and Community Input

• Promoting an Active Urban Neighborhood in Downtown• Human Scale and Street-Level Experience

• Variety and Character (especially residential uses)

• Appropriate Intensity for new D-CPV Zone Districts

• Floor Area Ratio as Zoning Tool

• D-CPV Zoning/DSG Summary

• Next Steps

2007 Downtown Area Plan

• Central Platte Valley – Auraria is included as part of Downtown

• Different character areas within Downtown are described (e.g., Ballpark, Golden Triangle, etc.)

• Lacking specific guidance for CPV-Auraria

“Future opportunities to densify these areas are beginning to emerge as transit use increases and parking demand decreases.”

Plan Amendment Process – What the Public Told Us

• Strengths – “proximity to the high density of office and commercial uses downtown …”

• Weaknesses – “area is not built on a human-scale”

• Opportunities – “create a new downtown neighborhood with active streets and new parks” and “create an extension of the existing downtown”

• Threats – “failing to realize the vision and the potential of the plan area to become a new downtown neighborhood of dense, high-quality, mixed-use development”

Plan Amendment Process – What the Public Told Us

Downtown Area Plan Amendment

• “This significant land resource allows the city to continue to evolve and prosper with new businesses, jobs, and residents in its core.”

• “Enable a deliberate mix of uses to create a prosperous neighborhood that is vibrant throughout the day and night.”

• “Promote new development that creates diverse places and activities through a variety of building densities and intensities within a mixture of building forms that reinforce a comfortable, human-scale pedestrian experience.”

Blueprint Denver (2020 DRAFT)

Denver’s preferred growth strategy • Guide most growth to regional

centers, community centers and corridors, select districts and high intensity residential areas near downtown

• Ensure high growth areas are linked to existing or planned quality, high-frequency transit, specifically the medium- and high-capacity transit corridors from Denver Moves: Transit

Community Open House – July 31

• 32 attendees including Auraria

residents, downtown residents, and

representatives from Auraria campus,

RiverMile, Water Street, and DDP

• “Use design guidelines to encourage

diversity in architecture”

• “Don’t encourage height maximums

on towers”

• “Need a Transition zone along Speer

across from existing buildings”

How can we promote an active urban neighborhood in Downtown?


FLEXIBILITY FORDEVELOPMENT INTENSITY


Flexibility for Development Intensity

ACCESS TO LIGHT AND AIR



Access toLight and Air

DIVERSE AND CONTEXT-SENSITIVE DESIGN


Diverse and Context-Sensitive Design

HUMAN SCALE AND ACTIVE ENGAGING STREETS


Access toLight and Air

Human Scale and Street-Level Experience

• Activate the street with a mix of residential and commercial uses, minimize vehicular impacts, and create richness in architectural massing, detailing, and materials• Incremental Mass Reduction

• Residential entries and setbacks

• Street level and upper story setbacks

• Non-Residential Use standards on Key Streets

• Limit visible parking (wrap with Active Use)

• Design Standards and Guidelines (DSG) and Design Review


• Zoning

• Upper Story Setback

• 15’ for 65% of Zone Lot Width

• DSG and Design Review

• Street Enclosure

• Streetwall Height


• Zoning

• Incremental Mass Reduction

• Stories 1-5 = 15%

• Stories 6-8 = 25%

• Stories 8-12 = 35%

• DSG and Design Review

• Coordinated Massing

• Façade Articulation

• Upper Story Setbacks

Variety and Character of Buildings

GENERAL STANDARD TOWER POINT TOWER


GENERAL

ZONING DSG + DESIGN REVIEW


POINT TOWER



POINT TOWER


BUILDING FORMTRANSITION RIVER CENTER

General

Standard Tower

Point Tower


Appropriate Intensity of New D-CPV Zone Districts

Downtown Area Plan Amendment

Lower overall building intensity is appropriate

near the river and around existing lower-scale

buildings.

• Limits on building mass.

• Significant spacing between towers

and/or a specific limit on building height.


TRANSITION DISTRICT(S)

RIVER DISTRICT(S)

CENTER DISTRICT(S)

Overall Lower Intensity Overall Highest Intensity


112 3


• Downtown Core zoning not

addressed in 2010, but there is

building momentum to address in

the future

• D-CPV districts represent first

iteration that may apply to future

Downtown Core

• Plan guidance recommends

flexibility on height in exchange for

better control over building mass,

scale, and design quality

D-C D-CPV

Greater Height Does Not Equal Greater Intensity

• Bulky buildings can have a greater impact on the public realm, and views than taller slender towers with equivalent floor area

• D-CPV has no height limit in certain building forms, but has much stronger design limitations than Downtown Core (both zoning and DSG)

Floor Area Ratio (FAR) as Zoning Tool

• FAR directs building intensity by calculating allowed building • Like height limit, FAR is a basic intensity tool that does not control architectural

style or design details• Cities use FAR to promote a variety of objectives

• In suburban areas, FAR is often used to limit development (particularly vehicular) impacts• In urban/downtown areas FAR is often used to promote height/design variety while ensuring that

structures are not overly massive• FAR is most effective when combined with other tools that promote more specific design outcomes, such

as an active pedestrian frontage


City Context Includes Parking?

Base and Incentive System?

Packaged w/ Design Tools

Denver Downtown Core No Yes No*

Seattle Core/Lake Union Yes Yes Yes

Portland South Waterfront Yes Yes Yes

San Diego Core/East Village Yes Yes Yes

New York CityManhattan/outer boroughs

Yes Yes


Portland – South Waterfront San Diego – East Village

Seattle – South

Lake Union

NYC

Relationship of FAR and Height Limits

• Zoning and DSG include various

design requirements that affect

location of building mass• Incremental Mass Reduction

• Street-level and upper story

setbacks

• Coordinated Massing

• Façade Articulation

• FAR works with Zoning/DSG to

enable relocation of mass to

better utilize allowed entitlement

• Height limits result in loss of floor

area even if outcome is desired

D-CPV Zone District SummaryTRANSITION DISTRICT(S)

• General

• 12-16 story maximum height

• Water St and Speer/Auraria

RIVER DISTRICT(S)• General and Point Tower

• 5-story maximum streetwall

• 1-1.5 blocks from River

CENTER DISTRICT(S) • General, Standard Tower, and

Point Tower

• 8-12 story maximum streetwall

• 2-3 blocks from CML and

I-25/Speer

Design Standards and Guidelines Structure and Approach

• Currently in progress with goal of

being completed by adoption date

• Based on Arapahoe Square with

revisions/additions from other cities

(Toronto, Vancouver, Portland, etc.)

• Eventually intended to serve as a

framework for future Downtown DSG

• Streamlined, user-friendly, and

organized around the design process

Will Include:

• Site Design

• Building Scale and Massing

• Architecture and Details

• Public Realm/Open Space

• Streetscapes

• Sign Design

D-CPV Regulatory Package Summary

ZONING

Allowed Entitlement

Quantitative Design &

Use Standards

Parking Maximum

Affordable Housing

PRESCRIPTIVE

DSG/DESIGN

REVIEW

Qualitative Design &

Use Standards

Design Review Process

PERFORMANCE

BASED

INFRASTRUCTURE

MASTER PLAN

Roads and Connections

Parks / Open Space

Utilities

River Enhancements

DEVELOPMENT

AGREEMENT(S)

Contractual

Obligations Required

Prior to or Part of

Development

Binds the

Infrastructure

Master Plan

Entire CPV-Auraria District Project by Project

Next Steps

Documents

D-CPV ZONING SUMMARY - Denver...(Toronto, Vancouver, Portland, etc.) • Eventually intended to serve as a framework for future Downtown DSG • Streamlined, user-friendly, and organized