Editor's note—Ordinance 1776, adopted July
21, 2008, repealed § 3-58, which pertained to height limitations
and derived from Ordinance 1750-C, § 2, adopted Jan. 28, 2008.
See subsection 38-87(19) for similar provisions.
Any property within the P District which is used for off-street
parking of motor vehicles shall be subject to the following:
(1) Surface
parking areas shall be developed in accordance with the following:
a. A landscape
area shall be provided along all parking area boundaries with a minimum
width of eight (8) feet. Breaks in the landscaping areas may be allowed
for vehicular, pedestrian, and emergency services access.
b. Parking
is prohibited in landscape areas.
i. Grass
pavers or similar products shall not qualify as a landscape area.
c. One (1),
four (4) inch caliper tree, per eight (8) parking spaces shall be
provided. Parking lot trees shall adhere to the following standards:
i. The
planting area for each tree, whether located at an edge of the parking
areas or designed as an interior island or median between parking
modules, shall be no less than six (6) feet across in any horizontal
direction.
ii. All planting areas shall have permeable surfaces and be planted with locally appropriate species as identified in sections
3-50 and
5-152, which may include shrubs, groundcovers, or grasses. If a planting area is used as part of a biological stormwater treatment system, pursuant to an approved drainage plan, groundcovers shall be selected that are appropriate to that function.
The area shall be paved with asphalt, concrete, or pavers and
such surfaces shall be kept in good repair and be neat and clean at
all times. The area shall be marked so as to designate the placing
of vehicles thereon in a manner and method as shall be approved by
the city council, after a recommendation from the architectural review
board, as part of the final design review process.
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The area shall be suitably screened from frontage on any street
and adjacent residence property by suitable walls, hedges or fences,
which shall be not less than three (3) feet nor more than six (6)
feet in height and which shall prevent headlights of cars from shining
onto said adjacent streets and residences.
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(2) There
shall be no storage of trailers, recreational vehicles, delivery/service
vehicles, boats, all-terrain vehicles or any vehicles which are displayed
as "For Sale", in such areas.
(3) The area
shall not be used after 7:00 p.m., for a commercial parking lot or
combination thereof unless the area shall be properly and adequately
lighted, but the standards to which the lights are affixed shall not
exceed fifteen (15) feet in height, and lighting shall be shielded
and directed downward so as not to affect neighboring properties.
(4) No buildings
or structures shall be permitted within the boundary lines of the
area used for parking, except such as are necessary and customary
to house the attendant of said lot and the records ancillary to the
operation of said parking lot.
(5) The entrance
to and exit from such parking areas from and onto the streets of the
city shall be approved by the city council, after a recommendation
from the architectural review board, as part of the final design review
process.
(6) Prior
to commencing the construction provided herein, a building permit
shall be obtained. Plans and specifications showing that all requirements
of this section will be complied with shall be furnished with the
application for a building permit.
(7) Any commercial
parking lots operated under the authority of this ordinance shall
be subject to such police regulation of the City of Alamo Heights
as deemed proper with respect to the routine patrols for the health,
safety, welfare, and protection generally of the people and property
of the City of Alamo Heights.
(8) Parking
structures shall not be considered accessory structures and shall
be developed in accordance with the following:
a. Setbacks:
i. Front
yard setbacks shall be a minimum of eight (8) feet.
ii. Side
yard setback shall be a minimum of fifteen (15) feet.
iii. Rear yard setback shall be a minimum of fifteen (15) feet.
iv. Corner lots: A landscape area shall be provided along each corner side yard property line bordering a street. The width of the landscape area shall be equal to the setback limits of the proposed structure. Landscaping within a triangular area formed by intersecting street lines shall comply with the requirements of sections
16-71 through
16-77 of the Code of Ordinances.
b. For properties
with frontage along Broadway (South of Albany):
i. Minimum
rear setback of fifteen (15) feet.
ii. Minimum
side setback of zero (0) feet.
1. Maximum side setback of eight (8) feet.
2. Exemptions to the maximum side yard setback may be provided to allow
access to a rear parking facility if no other rear or alley access
is provided and for any interior lot, where access to vehicular parking
is required. In no case shall the maximum side yard setback be greater
than twenty-six (26) feet.
3. For properties adjacent to a SF-A or SF-B Zoning District a looming
ratio of two to one (2:1) height looming applies. The height looming
ratio shall not apply when adjacent to public rights-of-way.
4. Eaves, balconies, roof extensions, and other similar features, above
the ground floor, may encroach into the required corner side yard
setback or rights-of-way for a distance not to exceed five (5) feet
beyond the permitted porch or wall plane.
a) A minimum of fifteen (15) feet clearance from the ground shall be
provided.
5. Canopies and other similar features, on the ground floor, may encroach
into the required corner side yard setback or rights-of-way for a
distance not to exceed five (5) feet beyond the permitted porch or
wall plane.
a) A minimum of ten (10) feet clearance from the ground shall be provided.
iii. Min/Maximum front setback of zero (0) feet.
1. Seventy-five (75) percent of building facade at maximum front setback.
a) The remaining area may be set back further to accommodate courtyards,
sitting areas, or other public uses.
b) Minor adjustments to the "percent of the building facade at the maximum
setback" may be adjusted based on recommendations from the architectural
review board and after approval by city council.
2. Eaves, balconies, roof extensions, and other similar features, above
the ground floor, may encroach into the required front yard setback
or rights-of-way for a distance not to exceed five (5) feet beyond
the permitted porch or wall plane.
a) A minimum of fifteen (15) feet clearance from the ground shall be
provided.
3. Canopies and other similar features, on the ground floor, may encroach
into the required front yard setback or rights-of-way for a distance
not to exceed ten (10) feet beyond the permitted porch or wall plane.
a) A minimum of ten (10) feet clearance from the ground shall be provided.
iv. The first floor adjacent to the public rights-of-way shall only be utilized for "commercial and retail" land uses which are permitted in Business District One (B-1) and Office District (O-1), as permitted in article II, section
3-8.
c. Height:
i. A maximum
of fifty-five (55) feet.
1. For
properties that are not adjacent to Business or Office Zoning Districts
a maximum height of forty-five (45) feet shall be required.
ii. A
looming ratio of two to one (2:1), height looming, applies to any
setback adjacent to SF-A or SF-B Zoning Districts.
2. [sic] The height looming ratio shall not apply to
when adjacent to public rights-of-way.
d. Ground
level parking structures. Ground level parking located under an elevated
building or the ground level of a parking garage shall be screened
from public street rights-of-way and any abutting residentially zoned
property.
i. Screening
shall be required, except at points of ingress and egress. Such screening
may consist of evergreen shrubs, trees, vines, fences, or walls to
form a continuous and solid visual screen. Such screening shall not
be required where a parking structure is wrapped with liner buildings
that accommodate active uses other than parking.
e. Upper
level parking structures. Each level of a parking structure above
the ground level shall be designed to include screening along any
facade that is not visually screened by an intervening building or
structure from public view.
f. Required
screening shall consist of architectural and/or landscape elements
that are at least three (3) feet, six (6) inches in height, as measured
from the floor of the level, to provide a continuous and solid visual
screen that blocks headlight glare from vehicles parked within the
structure.
Editor’s note—Ordinance 2075, exh. A, adopted April 24, 2017, changed the title of §
3-59 from "Required off-street parking" to read as herein set out.
(Ordinance 1750-C, sec. 2, adopted 1/28/2008; Ordinance 2075, exh. A, 4-24/2017)
(1) Any property within the P District is required to conform with section
3-88, landscaping regulations, in addition to the following:
(2) An eight
(8) foot wide landscape area must be provided along the rear property
line. The landscaping must be contiguous with the entire length of
the property line, except where interrupted by a drive to an alley.
(3) Double
frontage lots: The front yards of a double frontage lot shall be landscaped.
For these lots both street frontages shall be considered front yards.
(4) Canopy
street trees shall be planted at regular intervals, within the public
street rights-of-way. There shall be at least one (1) tree planted
for each twenty-five (25) feet of lot frontage, or portion thereof.
a. Minor
variations from the twenty-five (25) feet spacing requirements are
permitted to avoid conflicts with driveway locations and accommodate
other design considerations.
i. Should
insufficient right-of-way be available for the planting of trees,
between the property line and the paved street, the ARB may recommend
the required trees to be located on the applicant's property adjacent
to public rights-of-way.
b. Allowable street trees shall be of the species identified in section
5-152 and must be a minimum size of four (4) inch caliper at planting. For trees located under overhead utilities, property owners may install tree species identified as allowable trees according to CPS Energy. The spacing requirements between trees shall be in accordance with the recommended spacing based on the type of tree planted.
c. Street
trees shall be maintained to provide a clear canopy zone free of limbs,
from ground level to eight (8) feet above ground level, for visibility
and to avoid potential hazards to pedestrians and vehicles. Additional
ground clearance may be required to accommodate emergency response
vehicles.
(5) Planting
strips shall be provided within the public street right-of-way adjacent
to curbs and be a minimum of five (5) feet in width. The minimum width
may be adjusted based on existing conditions and available rights-of-way
widths.
(6) Sidewalks
of no less than five (5) feet in width shall be installed according
to ADA standards, located within the public street right-of-way, along
all street frontages, and adjacent to property lines.
a. Sidewalk
locations may be modified (located on private property) in order to
preserve existing trees, natural terrain, or insufficient right-of-way
between the property line and street pavement.
b. Should
the sidewalk encroach onto private property, a public access easement
shall be provided.
c. For properties
located along Broadway (South of Albany Street) the minimum sidewalk
width shall be ten (10) feet.
(7) Planting
standards. All required landscape areas shall comply with the standards
of this subsection:
a. Native
and adaptive species are preferred in order to promote reduced water
use and increased drought resistance.
i. The
architectural review board may approve other species of plants as
part of their review process.
b. Undesirable
species. No proposed landscape material shall appear on the invasive
and noxious weeds list for the State of Texas promulgated by the United
States Department of Agriculture, nor on the Texas Noxious Weed List
promulgated by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
c. Shrubs
used for screening shall be three (3) feet or taller in height, as
measured from the surrounding soil line, immediately upon planting.
Such shrubs shall be maintained at this minimum height, and shall
at no time exceed forty-two (42) inches in height.
d. Planting
within city rights-of-way shall meet any applicable standards, to
protect underground and overhead utilities, streets and sidewalks,
drainage improvements, street lighting, sight distances, and the visibility
of traffic control devices.
e. Replacement
of required landscaping that is dead or otherwise no longer meets
the standards of this section shall occur within sixty (60) days of
notification by the city. Replacement material shall be of similar
character and quality as the dead or removed landscaping. Failure
to replace in a timely manner in accordance with this subsection shall
constitute a violation of these regulations.
f. All required
landscape areas shall be watered with irrigation systems in order
to ensure continuous healthy plant growth and development while conserving
water. Landscape irrigation systems shall be separately metered from
building water uses.
(8) Property
screening requirements. Where the property line of a P District is
adjacent to a single-family zoned district, an opaque wall or fence
of six (6) to eight (8) feet in height shall be erected separating
the rear and/or side.
a. When
a screening fence is required by this subsection, but where the property
line abuts a single-family residential district and street rights-of-way,
excluding alleys, a screening fence shall not be required, unless
the required screening is for parking areas.
(9) Trash
receptacles screening. All trash receptacles shall be visually screened
from an abutting public street right-of-way and from adjacent property
by means of a fence or wall.
a. All trash
receptacles shall be located at least ten (10) feet from an adjacent
lot.
b. Enclosure
shall extend at least one (1) foot above the container top.
c. Dumpsters
and garbage bins shall be located behind principal buildings relative
to public street frontage whenever practical, and such trash receptacles
shall also be accessible from alleys or vehicular access points where
available and practical.
d. Where
site constraints and access make rear yard locations infeasible, containers
may be placed in unobtrusive locations in side yards with appropriate
screening.
e. Openings
into enclosures shall be positioned so that view of the containers
from the street right-of-way is eliminated.
f. Containers
shall be located in such a manner that they can be serviced by a refuse
hauling vehicle without such vehicle encroaching on or interfering
with the public use of streets or sidewalks, and without such vehicle
backing out of the property onto public right-of-way. Containers shall
be placed on a paved surface of either concrete or asphalt.
Editor’s note—Ordinance 2075, exh. A, adopted April 24, 2017, changed the title of §
3-60 from "Landscaping" to read as herein set out.
(Ordinance 1750-C, sec. 2, adopted 1/28/2008; Ordinance 2075, exh. A, adopted 4/24/2017)