Encinitas Municipal Code § 7.5 General Design Guidelines

A. Building entries for housing, commercial, and office developments, should be designed to be easily visible from surrounding streets, accessways, and public areas, in order to maximize safety.

B. In residential areas, driveways, and non-circulation element streets shall not be permitted to directly access Leucadia Boulevard.

This subsection within the Encinitas Ranch Design Guidelines contains general architectural guidelines that apply to the entire Specific Plan Area, unless an exception for a specific Planning Area is called out below. These Guidelines discuss appropriate elements for architecture including building massing, colors, materials, and roof lines.

A. Building Massing

The following guidelines pertain to all buildings in Encinitas Ranch except those buildings located within the Green Valley Planning Area. The following guidelines are not intended as requirements, although buildings should seek to incorporate some or all of these objectives to mitigate the impact of building massing and to create variety, visual interest and community compatibility. Specific guidelines for architectural massing for the Green Valley uses are contained in Section 7.6.2 of this Specific Plan document.

1. Vary the planes of the exterior building walls in depth and/or direction.

2. Use landscaping at the ground level to lessen the impact of large buildings.

3. Incorporate architectural detailing on building facades to create a sense of interest and diversity provided that such detailing reflects the form and function of the building and does not create the appearance of a false facade.

4. Avoid new buildings with long expanses of blank walls at the ground floor level where pedestrians will pass on the sidewalk. Utilize windows, wall insets, change in materials, and canopies to create variety. Where blank walls are unavoidable due to storage space or other interior requirements, these walls should provide opportunities for landscape backdrops, and architectural decoration.

5. Provide visual relief for long, linear buildings by using architectural projections or recessed areas that create the appearance of smaller adjoining buildings. Break-up large expanses of walls and building facades by creating building recesses and projections; using unique roof shapes; incorporating pilasters, columns, stairs, or towers; adding architectural detailing; and installing windows or doorways, where feasible.

6. Add vertical articulation in buildings by incorporating architectural features such as towers, parapets, flag poles, etc., especially on buildings located at corner street intersections.

7. Break-up large building masses into several smaller ones to visually diminish the scale of a building. Building massings can be varied in form or divided to express various interior building functions.

8. Avoid large expanses of similar rooflines by varying roof heights. This may be accomplished through the use of dormer windows, changes in eave types, and roofline projections.

9. Reinforce the pedestrian scale of the street by distinguishing the upper floors from the ground floor through the uses of material changes, window variations, overhanging building elements, and other devices which focus attention on the pedestrian level.

10. Enhance building entrances with special architectural treatments to add visual interest to a facade. These may include the use of recessed entries, small windows over doorways, overhangs, and similar features.

B. Roofs

The following guidelines pertain to all buildings in Encinitas Ranch except as modified by any of the guidelines set forth in Section 7.6.2 of this Specific Plan document.

1. Rooflines and roofing styles should be varied on all types of main buildings.

2. In general, pitched roofs are preferred over flat roofs. However, flat roofs with decorative parapets are acceptable for commercial, office, mixed-use, agricultural-related, and civic structures.

3. Flat roofs are prohibited on multi family residential structures, unless residential uses are intermingled in the same structure(s) as commercial/office uses.

4. Only pitched roofs or flat roofs with architectural interest integrated into the structure shall be permitted on single-family dwelling units.

5. For commercial, office, community-serving, and mixed-use buildings, mansard roofs are discouraged in favor of flat roofs with decorative parapets. Parapets and variations in rooflines should be incorporated into large buildings occasionally to avoid long expanses of unarticulated building plane.

6. Accessory structures and buildings for all types of uses may have either flat or pitched roofs.

7. No building signage shall be permitted to be mounted on any roof within the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area.

8. All rooftop mechanical equipment must be screened from ground level view by the use of parapets or other architectural element(s).

9. All visible rooftop equipment should be painted to match the color of the roof as closely as possible.

10. Roof drains should be designed as an integral part of the structure and shall not be exposed on the exterior walls for nonresidential structures.

11. Roofing materials shall conform to all City and County building code and fire code standards and requirements.

C. Windows and Doors

1. Windows should be designed with clear or lightly tinted glass. Limited use of heavily tinted windows in office buildings may be appropriate. Highly reflective glass is inappropriate.

2. Metal awnings are not appropriate for residential uses in any area within the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area, although fabric awnings are permitted on residential structures. Metal and fabric awnings are permitted on commercial, office, mixed-use, agricultural, and community serving buildings.

D. Building Colors and Materials

1. Neon paint colors on buildings shall be avoided.

2. The color palette chosen for a building should be compatible with the colors of adjacent buildings.

3. Awnings, when utilized, shall be designed to be compatible in color to the primary exterior building color(s).

4. Colored roof tiles should be limited to subtle colors such as earth tones, soft pastels, and typical clay colors. Intense hues such as bright reds, greens, or blues are not permitted.

5. Natural building materials such as brick, stucco, terra cotta, stone, tile, and wood-appearing cladding are appropriate materials for use throughout the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area.

6. Materials such as simulated brick or stone, pecky cedar, corrugated metal (except in agricultural areas), plywood, or natural (clear or unpainted) wood siding are generally discouraged, except as accent or relief elements. Concrete and similar materials may be appropriate with accents, texture, and design.

7. Continuity of building materials and colors on all building elevations is an important aspect of establishing a strong community image.

E. Passive Solar Design

Passive solar heating techniques will be employed wherever possible within the project. Passive solar systems do not utilize sophisticated hardware. Passive systems involve orienting buildings properly, planting trees to take advantage of the sun, seeing that roof overhangs are adequate, making sure that walls are properly insulated, and installing simple heat storage systems.

A. Master Landscape Plans

The Encinitas Ranch project includes a Master Landscape Plan. The Master Landscape Plan as shown in Figure 26 is intended to ensure that the Encinitas Ranch project minimizes impacts between adjacent land uses, while creating dynamic street scenes and landscaping which tie the entire project together. The landscape development concept is intended to provide a continuous and harmonious setting for the entire community. The conceptual landscape plan has been designed to accomplish the following goals:

B. Landscape Development Zone and Streetscape Plantings

1. Street trees shall be required to be planted along all public streets within Encinitas Ranch. Street trees planted in parkways and medians of Circulation Element Roads and in commercial/office/mixed-use areas of Encinitas Ranch should be planted at an average spacing of 50 feet on center. Street trees in residential neighborhoods should be planted at an average spacing of 60 feet on center.

2. Landscape Development Zones (LDZs) are planned along the portions of Quail Gardens Drive and Leucadia Boulevard that pass through the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area (see Figures 19A, 19B, and 19C, on pages 4-3 to 4-5). The LDZ on Quail Gardens Drive shall extend 13 feet beyond the face of the street curb. On Leucadia Boulevard, the LDZ shall extend 30 to 35 feet beyond the face of the street curb. The LDZ along the portions of Leucadia Boulevard through the bluffs will include the steep slopes on either side of the road. In areas of steep slopes, the LDZ width shall be measured horizontally, not vertically.

3. Plant materials in parkways and LDZs along Circulation Element Roads, except in the Green Valley Planning Area, shall be planted in informal patterns to complement the quasi-rural atmosphere of existing surrounding developments. Plantings in medians may either be formal or informal, depending upon the desired affect.

4. Plant materials in parkways and LDZs along Circulation Element Roads in the Green Valley Planning Area may be planted in either formal or informal patterns, depending upon the ultimate theme(s) selected for development in this area.

C. Golf Course and Recreational Area Landscaping

A variety of recreation opportunities are afforded within the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area including the 18-hole golf course, a community-oriented recreation area adjacent to El Camino Real, and the elementary school site which will supplement the community recreation facilities during non-school hours. These three primary recreation areas which exist within the project site will be landscaped to serve their particular recreational functions.

The largest recreational area within the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area is the golf course. Landscaping will take on the appearance of a highly manicured park along the fairways and greens. In general, plant materials within the golf course should be arranged in informal patterns to resemble a naturalized environment and incorporation of native and drought-tolerant plant materials encouraged. Toward the edges of the course, and especially in areas where the golf course abuts natural open space areas or agricultural uses, the use of high maintenance plant materials with high water requirements shall be minimized and the use of indigenous or drought tolerant plant materials, developed in consultation with the California Department of Fish and Game, shall be required. Pest-resistant and disease-resistant plant materials shall be utilized on the golf course adjacent to all agricultural uses. In addition, fencing shall be used as appropriate to prevent intrusion of golfers into designated agricultural areas.

Cultivated/ornamental plant materials and species with high water requirements should be concentrated near the club house facility and along the club house entry drive and may be arranged in either formal or informal patterns, depending upon the landscape themes ultimately selected for the golf course. Plant selection and a landscape theme will be determined at the time that the golf course is submitted to the City of Encinitas for Design Review.

The community-oriented recreational area will include athletic playing fields, restroom facilities, and recreation trails. Landscaping in these areas will be designed to require minimal maintenance, while being suitable for heavy use. The playing fields shall be turf and trees and shrubs shall be located around the periphery of the recreation area and adjacent to the restroom structure. Shrubs may be limited to a few key areas in order to provide for easy surveillance by police personnel.

D. Edge Conditions

A variety of edge conditions and landscape treatments between different land uses within Encinitas Ranch and between on-site and off-site land uses at project site boundaries require special attention. At edges, landscape buffering is required to soften visual impacts and to create compatible transitional zones between land uses while delineating them as distinct localities. Illustrations depicting edge conditions are provided in Section 3.2.

E. Circulation/Streetscenes

All Circulation Element Roads within Encinitas Ranch shall be landscaped to promote community character and, as appropriate, reflect existing plant materials used in adjacent off-site areas and the City of Encinitas as a whole. Plants should be carefully selected to reinforce the quasi-rural and agricultural heritage of the site, although more formalized landscaping is appropriate within the Green Valley Area. Continuity will be achieved through the use of a limited plant palette which shall be determined at the Design Review stage.

1. Major Streetscene with Landscape Development Zone (Leucadia Boulevard)

Perhaps the most visible streetscene within the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area will be the Leucadia Boulevard streetscene. Leucadia Boulevard will include a landscaped median from the western project boundary to the eastern edge of the golf course. No landscape median is planned through the natural open space in order to minimize the right-of-way necessary for the road, minimize grading through the bluffs on-site, and preserve existing sensitive plant species. The median will commence again from Garden View Road, east to El Camino Real.

The Leucadia Boulevard streetscape will consist of a Landscape Development Zone (LDZ) which will include a meandering pedestrian/bicycle path. On-street bicycle lanes will be provided on both sides of Leucadia Boulevard. The LDZ along Leucadia Boulevard will vary from 30 feet in width between Sidonia Street, east to the Garden View Road extension, to a 35 foot width between the Garden View Road extension and El Camino Real.

The LDZ will be landscaped with a variety of ornamental, drought tolerant, and native plant species to create a park-like setting along Leucadia Boulevard in keeping with its designation as a "scenic roadway." The landscaping will be designed to blend in with the golf course landscaping and allow views across portions of the golf course. The streetscape planting concept will consist of informally spaced evergreen and deciduous street trees. The major community streetscene LDZs along Leucadia Boulevard are depicted in Figures 19A and 19B on pages 4-4 and 4-5. The LDZ will include slopes on either side of Leucadia Boulevard; therefore, the LDZ will be measured horizontally, not vertically.

2. Enhanced Collector with LDZ (Quail Gardens Drive)

Enhanced collector landscaping will occur only along portions of Quail Gardens Drive. Landscaping on this enhanced collector will consist of a 13 foot wide LDZ. Plantings within the Quail Gardens Drive LDZ shall be informal. A minimum eight foot wide recreation trail shall meander through the LDZ on the eastern side of the street (see Figure 19C, Roadway Cross-Sections, on page 4-6, Illustration D-D').

3. Enhanced Collector Landscape Buffers - Project Entrances

Through the establishment of sensitively designed landscaped buffers at entrances into Encinitas Ranch, it will be possible to create a gentle transition between the project and the surrounding communities without resulting in an abrupt and definitive edge condition. These landscape buffers will consist of a mixture of existing off-site vegetation and plant varieties which are proposed for Encinitas Ranch. Thus, there will not be an abrupt edge formed by a sudden change in vegetation at the project boundary, but rather a smooth, gradual transition which will welcome visitors and residents to the property.

Landscape buffers will exist on all entrances to the project along northern and southern Quail Gardens Drive, Via Cantebria, Saxony Road, and Garden View Road. On northern Quail Gardens Drive and at the intersection of Garden View Road and Via Cantebria, the landscape buffers will end at an enhanced internal entry where the project-wide landscape theme will be established.

4. Enhanced Collector Landscape Buffers - Golf Course & Natural Open Space

Landscape buffers will occur in places where the roadway is not bisecting a land use, but where it is serving as a boundary between dissimilar uses. It is intended that the landscaping will act as an efficient transitional area to blend different land use intensities. This landscape type will exist along the Garden View Road extension where the street separates commercial development from natural open space and along the portions of Quail Gardens Drive which borders the golf course. These landscape buffers will consist of informal groupings of street trees.

F. Specific Landscape Treatments and Zones

1. Greenbelt Mitigation Zone

Within the linear greenbelt proposed along El Camino Real in the Green Valley Planning Area, a series of swales and detention/sedimentation basins will be designed and landscaped to resemble a naturally occurring riparian corridor. The vegetation in this area will provide valuable wildlife habitat and serve as a scenic amenity along El Camino Real, as well as a cleansing agent for urban runoff. Landscaping in the riparian area should be unique but not interfere with the primary drainage function of the greenbelt. The locations of the riparian/mitigation zone in the greenbelt are depicted in Figure 17C, Greenbelt Mitigation Plan.

2. Special Treatment Zone

Several high intensity land use types within the project site will require a more intense landscape treatment. These areas include commercial, mixed use and multi-family areas. Additionally, the golf course clubhouse and a possible hotel site in the portion of the North Mesa Planning Area zoned "ER-SFR5, will also require intensive landscaping. Plant materials and design (masses and forms) in these zones should be used to create an identity for specific facilities and to help visually integrate these areas into their larger environmental context. Special treatment zones shall consist of large specimen trees, flowering shrubbery, ground cover, annual color and turf which will punctuate these areas. Each special treatment zone should incorporate the project wide landscape theme but also develop their own distinctive landscape characteristics.

G. Entries

Landscaped entry features within the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area should be designed to serve as accent points, provide view corridors into the project, and introduce the theme and character of the Encinitas Ranch community through the judicious use of trees and accent plantings. Enhanced entries into the project site should also establish the project-wide landscape theme.

1. Enhanced Community Entry - Major

At the southwest corner of Leucadia Boulevard and El Camino Real, a monument and associated landscaping acting as an entry for the City of Encinitas shall be provided. Four crosswalk delineations at the intersection of Quail Gardens Drive and Leucadia Boulevard shall be provided; two across Leucadia Boulevard and two across Quail Gardens Drive. The crosswalk delineations shall be provided through an enhanced paving section of not less than 8 feet in width, using colored concrete and a heavily exposed aggregate. A design substantially filling the intersection bounded by the crosswalk delineations using "streetcrete" or a similar treated asphalt, or an enhanced concrete element shall be provided. Corner monumentation will be provided at the intersection of either Sidonia Street and Leucadia Boulevard or Quail Gardens Drive and Leucadia Boulevard, which shall be similar in character (e.g., size, graphics, plant materials) to the City of Encinitas entrance monumentation at Leucadia Boulevard and El Camino Real, subject to Design Review.

2. Enhanced Community Entry—Minor

Two minor community entries will be provided in the Encinitas Ranch. One located at Town Center Drive at the entrance into the Regional Commercial Center, and a second in the North Mesa Planning Area on Quail Gardens Drive, at its intersection with Quail Hollow Drive and Swallowtail. The minor community entry landscaping treatment will duplicate the major entry features but at a smaller scale, and the pedestrian delineation will only cross between those corners wholly within the Specific Plan area (i.e. Town Center Drive and Quail Gardens Drive). Corner landscape features will be required as a part of the landscape plan included for development of associated residential and commercial areas. Project signage/identification may exist at the minor entries.

3. Enhanced Entries

Two enhanced entries are planned within the Encinitas Ranch project. One enhanced entry will be located at the entrance into the club house/golf course facilities on Quail Gardens Drive, and the other enhanced entry occurs at the entrance into the Regional Commercial Center from Leucadia Boulevard (Town Center Place). Although these entries will reflect the design and landscaping of the Enhanced Community Minor Entry features, the enhanced entries will be simpler.

H. Slope Plantings/Fuel Modification Guidelines

The fire control guidelines outlined in the Landscape Standards of the Encinitas Fire Department shall be implemented for planting and maintenance programs.

I. Landscape Planting Palette

It is the intent of these Landscape Design Guidelines to provide flexibility and diversity in plant materials, while encouraging the use of a limited palette of primary plant materials in order to give greater unity and thematic identity to the Encinitas Ranch community. Therefore, rather than limit permitted plant materials to a narrow list of plant species, the aim of these guidelines is to encourage the use of a variety of plants carefully selected for their appropriateness to the community identity, climatic conditions, soil conditions, and ease of maintenance. Therefore, all plant materials contained on the City of Encinitas Master Plant List, as permitted in the City's Community Design Guidelines, shall be permitted within the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan Area. When finalizing a plant palette for a specific area within Encinitas Ranch, special consideration should be given to incorporating drought tolerant and native plant materials from indigenous plant communities (e.g., chaparral, coastal sage scrub, etc.) into the palette as much as feasible and appropriate.

In addition to all of the plants contained on the City's Master Plant List, the plant materials below are also permitted and recommended for incorporation into the planting palette for specific development projects within Encinitas Ranch. The list of acceptable plant materials is not limited exclusively to these plants. Additional plant materials should also be considered as appropriate.

1. Trees

2. Shrubs

3. Ground Covers

Paragraph amended 8/23/95 (Reso. 95-91), 3/18/98 (Reso. 98-17)