Fontana Municipal Code Div. 7 Design Guidelines

These guidelines are established to promote good design and to ensure residential development conforms to the community design goals set forth in the general plan. The guidelines are to be used in concert with the development policies and standards contained in this article to create integrated neighborhoods that are visually and functionally compatible with surrounding uses.

These guidelines apply to all new residential development, as well as to additions, remodeling, and relocation of existing structures. These guidelines supplement the plotting and design criteria.

(a) General. All new development shall consider and be sensitive to natural features and existing development surrounding the development site. With regard to natural features, significant view sheds shall be preserved and not obscured by buildings or landscaping. With regard to the built environment, new development shall be consistent in scale and massing of buildings on adjacent properties; scale extremes shall be avoided.

(b) Grading.

(1) Graded slopes shall meet the latest Universal Building Code and the City Engineer's standards.

(2) Grading for new residential projects shall result in a harmonious transition from the man-made grade to the natural terrain. Finished grades shall not adversely affect adjacent lands, shall avoid high retaining walls on property lines, shall provide for the disposal of water, and shall ensure the privacy of existing adjacent homes.

(3) Where cut-and-fill slopes are unavoidable, such slopes shall be sculpted to blend with the adjacent terrain. Rounding the tops and toes of all slopes shall be required.

(4) Grading shall not occur within the drip line of a tree (with a caliper size greater than ten inches at chest height) that merits preservation or within ten feet of the bank of a riparian corridor unless such grading is approved by a landscape architect and the City of Fontana.

(5) Development on slopes equal to or greater than two to one (2:1) is not allowed unless specifically approved by the Planning Commission. The application for approval shall be accompanied by an erosion control management plan. The plan shall address soil contamination, erosion control, drainage, irrigation system design and plant materials and the maintenance thereof.

(6) The minimum building pad establishes the minimum, nominally flat land area on which a building and associated useable setback areas can be placed. The minimum building area equals minimum building pad less setbacks.

(c) Drainage.

(1) Natural drainage ways shall be preserved whenever possible. Grading activity shall minimize alterations to natural drainage ways and shall prevent soil erosion. Developed drainage ways, if lined, are encouraged to use rock from the site or native to the area.

(2) All proposed on-site drainage shall comply with the drainage standards administered by the City of Fontana.

(d) Building orientation.

(1) Buildings shall be designed and cited to minimize the impact of built forms on the natural landscape. Roof lines shall keep a low profile so as to not dominate the horizon line and shall not pitch or step in opposite directions to the slope of the land.

(2) The orientation of a building and its parts shall be related to the nature and the elements: sun, wind and rain. The design and placements of windows and doors shall be considered with exposure to natural elements in mind.

(3) A majority of the primary living spaces within a residential building should receive direct sunlight for the daylight hours. In new projects, buildings shall be positioned to minimize the impact of shadows on adjacent properties. Landscaping and building architecture shall be design to provide shade in the summer and sunlight in the winter.

(e) Staggered setbacks. In single-family residential subdivisions, the front setback of individual units shall be varied from lot to lot to create a varied streetscape.

(f) View protection.

(1) Specific selected views to be maintained should be identified prior to a detailed landscaping plan being approved for any project. General landscaping guidelines which incorporate tree types and views shall be part of planned development approvals in residential areas where views are an important consideration.

(2) Subdivision design shall protect and enhance an open, spacious, north-south view corridor through the City. Emphasis should be placed on distant views of the mountains to the north and the inland valley to the south.

(3) Residences shall be cited to take advantage of views. For example, split-level dwellings may be used to facilitate views from one house over another.

(g) Access/circulation.

(1) Pedestrian.

a. Guest parking areas shall be provided with a walkway system to the main entrances of dwelling units. Walk widths will vary depending on the anticipated use and location.

b. Walkways between dwellings in a multifamily project shall be expanded in select locations to provide for occasional sitting areas.

c. On-site pedestrian circulation systems shall be provided to meet the movement needs of on-site users. Such systems shall provide safe, all-weather surfaces and aesthetically pleasing means of on-site foot travel. Pedestrian walkways shall be an integrated part of the overall architecture and site design concept.

d. Pedestrian and bicycle access shall be conveniently provided to connect neighborhoods to schools, parks, and commercial uses.

e. A concrete paved sidewalk leading from the garage man-door to the driveway or sidewalk shall be provided for all two car garages.

(2) Vehicular.

a. Streets, as opposed to parking drives, shall be the preferred means of vehicular access to dwelling units and parking areas.

b. New project streets shall connect with adjacent public streets to form a continuous community network of streets.

c. Access drives on collector and local roads shall be coordinated with median openings, and where median openings are not available, designed for efficient "right-turn only" ingress and egress.

d. Frontage roads at the perimeter of a project shall be separated from adjacent public streets by a landscaped island or median.

e. Private streets shall be used infrequently and will only be approved with planned development zonings. Private streets shall be distinguishable visually from public streets, but shall include all of the elements of a public street under comparable circumstances. These elements include sufficient roadway for vehicular travel lanes and may also include on-street parking, sidewalks, and planting strips or other provisions for street trees.

f. Driveways are intended to be used primarily for vehicular circulation and access and should be visually distinct from the streets.

g. At least part of the common open space within a project shall be accessible and visible from a driveway and entry drive.

h. Townhouses and cluster housing projects are required to have entry drives. These shall be long enough to provide a definite sense of arrival at the entry of the residential community. Sidewalks shall be provided on at least one side of the entry drive.

(3) Open space areas.

a. Residents shall have access to useable open space, whether public or private, for recreation and social activities. The design and orientation of these areas shall take advantage of available sunlight and shall be sheltered from the noise and traffic of adjacent streets or other incompatible uses.

b. In projects where common open space is required, the space shall be located conveniently for the majority of units.

c. Private open space areas shall be contiguous to the units they serve, screened from public view and be of a useable size (for example, big enough to accommodate a patio table and four chairs or a patio and gardening area).

d. Children's play areas shall be visible from dwelling units.

e. Scenic open space adjacent to a project or to a street shall be integrated into the landscape concept.

(4) Landscaping.

a. Landscaping of planted areas shall be used to frame, soften and enhance the quality of the environment, to buffer units from noise or undesirable views and to break up large expanses of parking. Active uses such as tot-lots, picnic areas or other uses which would attract activity are not allowed in required landscape setbacks for any district. Trees and shrubs as well as turf and groundcovers shall be utilized in all planting areas.

b. Landscaping shall be provided by the developer in all required front setbacks, on corner lots including street parkway areas, as required by the landscape development section.

c. All parking areas in multi-family residential projects shall be designed and landscaped so as to break up the monotony of a large single paved area.

(5) Lighting.

a. All exterior lighting shall be adequately controlled and shielded to prevent glare and undesirable illumination to adjacent properties or streets.

b. The use of energy-conserving fixtures or lighting systems shall be given primary consideration.

c. Security lighting shall be utilized in all parking areas and pedestrian walkways within all multi-family residential projects.

d. Decorative lights utilized on the front elevations of homes shall be a minimum of 18 inches in height.

(6) Utilities.

a. Temporary overhead power and telephone facilities are permitted only during construction.

b. Placement, location and screening of utilities of any kind which cannot be installed underground and must be placed above ground for function and safety reasons require written approval by the Director of Planning.

c. All utilities including, but not limited to, drainage systems, sewers, gas lines, water lines, and electrical up to 35 KV, telephone, underground cable television, and communications wires and equipment shall be installed and maintained underground. Placement, location and screening of utilities of any kind which cannot be installed underground and must be placed above ground for function and safety reasons require written approval by the Director of Community Development prior to any administrative or discretionary approval.

d. All utility easements shall be landscaped and shall be maintained as provided in the easement document.

(7) Public safety.

a. Entrances to buildings shall be well lighted and void of any large shrubbery or obstructions.

b. Adequate emergency access routes shall be required for all projects. Where space for a separate vehicle access road is difficult, a segment of a greenbelt or open space area shall be line with "turf block" to allow heavy equipment to access structures.

c. A fuel modification zone shall be required in areas threatened by fire hazard.

d. "Defensible space" design shall be incorporated into all projects to minimize any crime threats. Examples may include:

1. Interior stairwells in multi-family project shall access several units. The physical configuration of the stairs and lobby areas provides an opportunity for inhabitants to develop a territorial concern for these spaces while creating a small network of social groups.

2. The positioning of dwelling unit front entrances along a street provides an opportunity for continuous supervision by passers-by.

e. Mailboxes (gang boxes) shall be constructed of a solid metal material with a decorative cover and located within 10 feet of a streetlight. The mailboxes shall be centrally located next to a street or drive aisle out of the line-of-site.

(Ord. No. 1970, § 4(Exh. A), 6-10-25)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 1970, § 4(Exh. A), adopted June 10, 2025, set out provisions intended to amend § 30-477(6). For purposes of clarity, and at the editor's discretion, these provisions were used to amend § 30-476(g)(6).

In addition to the City's plotting and design criteria, the following shall apply to all projects:

(1) Design theme. In order to establish and reinforce a neighborhood identity, new residential projects are encouraged to develop a central design theme around which the following architectural elements can be designed: building form, signage, light fixtures, walls and fences, landscaping and other site furnishings.

(2) Scale.

a. Building heights shall be varied by a combination of single-level and two-story units where proposed.

b. The design of residential development shall be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.

(3) Architecture.

a. Residential building construction shall not be required to follow a specific theme or style; innovative architectural concepts are encouraged.

b. When parking is not attached to or part of the building, structures that enclose parking shall incorporate simple jogs so that long plain roofs and long wall elevations can be avoided.

c. Architectural variety along residential streets shall be fostered by differing setbacks and combinations of different prototypes.

d. Side entry garages shall be provided to promote varying design in auto courts and driveways to garages.

e. In higher density housing developments of attached dwelling units, individual residences shall be turned and oriented in a variety of ways to avoid the monotony of long corridors of garage doors.

f. Building elevations visible from public view shall be broken with reveals, recesses, plant-ons, trim elements, and other architectural features designed to provide variety and visual interest to the streetscape.

g. Developments of five lots or more shall have a minimum of 15 percent of single-story homes. When corner lots are developed, a single-story home shall be built encouraged on this lot.

(4) Materials and colors.

a. The total building and its related parts shall be visually unified to display order and coherence, not only with the project, but also with the surrounding environment.

b. Generally acceptable materials shall include stucco, vinyl and wood siding, native rock and stone, split face, concrete and brick.

c. The following materials are prohibited: aluminum or plastic siding; or corrugated fiberglass.

d. Generally acceptable colors shall include muted natural colors, earth tones, pastel colors, natural stains and accent colors to contrast eaves, trims, moldings and doors.

e. Prohibited colors shall include bright or assertive colors as primary wall colors.

f. Any foam treatment used for architecture treatments and/or projections located on the first floor shall be covered with concrete or similar durable material a minimum of one-half-inch thick, or as determined by the Director of Community Development.

(5) Screening of exterior equipment.

a. All mechanical equipment, ground mounted equipment, utilities, storage, shall be screened from adjoining properties and public streets by a visual barrier such as a wall, a fence, or landscape material. Where landscaping only is used for screening, it shall be planted with five-gallon (minimum size) shrubs spaced to provide a dense screen.

b. All transformer equipment shall be screened from the street by a decretive screen wall not less than the height of the equipment being screened in conjunction with landscaping. The decretive screen shall be located between the street and the mechanical equipment not less than six-foot and not more than ten-foot away from the equipment. The decretive screen wall shall be well incorporated into the design of the building. The side of the equipment, perpendicular to the screen wall, shall be screened with landscaping not less than ten-gallon shrub or approved landscaping. No transformer equipment shall be located within any street setback.

c. Roof mounted mechanical equipment shall be hidden from view by building parapets of equal height. If building parapets do not provide adequate screening when observed from adjacent buildings, mechanical equipment shall be screened by designing the parapet so that it appears as an integrated part of the roof and overall architectural design.

d. No exterior components of plumbing, processing, heating, cooling, and ventilating systems shall be mounted on any building wall unless they are an integrated architectural design feature.

(6) Signs. Refer to Chapter 3 of the Municipal Code.

(7) Central air conditioning or cooling system required.

a. All new residential structures shall be equipped with a central air conditioning or cooling system.

b. For the purposes of this section, a "central air conditioning or cooling system" shall be defined as all that equipment, including associated refrigeration, intended or installed for the purpose of cooling air by mechanical means and discharging such air into a residential structure used for living purposes. A central air conditioning or cooling system shall not include portable cooling units, absorption units or evaporative coolers.

(8) [Gas line equipped.] All new residential structures shall be equipped with a gas line stub-out for a barbeque located at the rear of the structure.