Chapter 17.54 — HILLSIDE AND RIDGELINE DEVELOPMENT

The provisions of this chapter are intended to:

A.

Preserve the city's environmental and scenic resources by encouraging the retention of natural topographic features and vegetation;

B.

Recognize that as the slope of a development site increases so does the potential for environmental degradation including slope failure, and increased storm water runoff that will also increase the potential for erosion, and waterway sedimentation;

C.

Encourage grading practices that are appropriate in hillside areas; and

D.

Encourage structures on hillside parcels to be designed with scale, massing, architectural design and detailing appropriate to maintain the visual character of hillsides as natural and open.

A.

Applicability of Chapter. The requirements and guidelines in this chapter apply to subdivisions, and all other proposed development or a new land use on a building site with a slope of twenty percent or greater in an area identified on the city's protected ridgelines map. Proposed hillside development shall also comply with the city's stormwater management program and the city improvement standards as they relate to temporary and permanent erosion control for hillside development.

B.

Limitation on Hillside Development. No new grading or other construction shall occur on a slope of more than thirty percent, except where the review authority determines that there is no alternative building site available on an existing parcel with a slope of thirty percent or less. In granting an exception in compliance with this section, the review authority shall ensure that the proposed project complies with all other standards of this chapter to the maximum extent feasible.

==> picture [360 x 84] intentionally omitted <==

C.

Permit Requirements. A proposed project that is subject to this chapter shall require approval through the permit process otherwise required by this development code for the project.

D.

Adjustments to Standards. The review authority may grant an adjustment to the standards of this chapter as part of development review where it first finds that:

1.

The adjustment is either necessary to allow a house with reasonable floor area on a site with excessive slope or other environmental constraints; or

2.

The adjustment will result in less visual impact than would development in compliance with the standard being adjusted.

A proposed subdivision shall comply with the following standards:

A.

Parcel and Building Site Slope. No parcel other than an open space parcel shall be created:

1.

With an overall average slope of thirty percent or more; or

2.

Without at least one building site of at least five thousand square feet that has no slope of twenty percent or more, and that will allow a house to be constructed in compliance with all other applicable provisions of this chapter.

B.

Roads. Each new road shall follow natural terrain contours to the maximum extent feasible to minimize grading. Proposed driveways shall comply with the requirements of Section 17.54.040 (site planning and development standards).

Each structure shall be located in the most accessible, least visually prominent, most geologically stable, portion or portions of the site, and at the lowest feasible elevation. Structures shall also be aligned with the natural contours of the site. Siting structures in the least prominent locations is especially important on open hillsides where the high visibility of construction should be minimized by placing structures so that they will be screened by existing vegetation, depressions in topography, or other natural features.

A.

Site Access. Each driveway shall follow natural terrain contours to minimize grading, and also shall comply with the following standards.

1.

Common driveways that serve more than one parcel are encouraged, and may be required, to reduce the total amount of grading and pavement.

2.

Drainage from a driveway shall be directed in a controlled manner to the drainage facilities of the nearest road, subject to the approval of the city engineer.

3.

A driveway shall not have a grade steeper than five percent within ten feet of a garage or carport entry. Driveway finished grade shall not exceed an average of twenty percent slope for residential uses; a fivepercent deviation for special construction techniques may be approved by the city engineer.

B.

Setbacks. A new structure or addition is prohibited within fifty vertical feet of a ridgeline unless this restriction completely precludes development of the property. An exception may be granted if the review authority first finds that:

1.

There are no feasible building sites on the parcel that avoid ridgeline development;

2.

In the case of a subdivision, the density has been reduced to the minimum standards consistent with the general plan density range;

3.

No new subdivision of parcels is created that will result in ridgeline development; and

The development will avoid significant adverse visual impacts due to modifications in structural design including height, bulk, size, foundation, siting, and landscaping.

C.

Side and Rear Setback from Slope. Where a building site abuts a parcel with an elevation that is three feet or more above or below that of the site, the side and/or rear setback required by the applicable zone shall be measured from the nearest toe or top of slope to the structure, whichever is closer. See Figure 5-3.

==> picture [240 x 179] intentionally omitted <==

E.

Height Limits. Each proposed structure shall comply with the following height limits, in addition to the height limit of the applicable zone.

1.

Total Height Limit. No structure shall exceed a height of twenty-four feet, measured in compliance with Section 17.30.050 (height limits and exceptions), and shall not exceed a total height of thirty-five feet, measured from the lowest elevation on the site where the structure touches the grade, to the highest point of the roof. See Figure 5-4.

==> picture [240 x 201] intentionally omitted <==

2.

Placement of Structures. Proposed structures shall comply with the following standards, to maintain the natural appearance of hillsides and ridgelines.

a.

Each structure shall be located as follows; provided that the review authority may modify or waive these standards where it determines that a structure on the only feasible building site of an existing parcel cannot comply.

(1)

No part of a proposed structure shall appear silhouetted against the sky above the nearest ridge or knoll when viewed from a public street. See Figure 5-5.

(2)

The topmost point of a proposed structure and all site grading shall be at least thirty feet below the top of the nearest ridge or knoll. See Figure 5-6.

b.

Each structure shall be located to take advantage of existing vegetation for screening, and should include the installation of additional native plant materials to augment existing vegetation, where appropriate.

==> picture [422 x 324] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [377 x 132] intentionally omitted <==

3.

Height Limit Above Ridgeline. Where the review authority determines that a legal lot existing prior to the effective date of this section contains no feasible building site other than where a structure will extend above the ridgeline, proposed structures shall not exceed a height of sixteen feet above the highest point on the ridgeline or hilltop within one hundred feet of the proposed structure. See Figure 5-7.

==> picture [231 x 132] intentionally omitted <==

4.

Height of Lowest Floor Level. The vertical distance between the lowest point where the foundation meets grade and the lowest floor line of the structure shall not exceed six feet (see Figure 5-8).

5.

Downhill Building Walls. No single building wall on the downhill side of a house shall exceed fifteen feet in height above grade. Additional building height on a downhill side may be allowed in fifteen-foot increments, where each increment is stepped-back from the lower wall a minimum of ten feet (see Figure 5-9).

==> picture [420 x 185] intentionally omitted <==

6.

Decks. No portion of the walking surface of a deck with visible underpinnings shall exceed a height of six feet above grade. Decks shall be integrated into the architecture of the house, not appearing as an "addon" to the primary building mass (see Figure 5-8).

F.

View Protection Guidelines. A proposed structure should be designed and located so that it avoids blocking views from other properties to the maximum extent feasible, as follows. See Figure 5-10.

1.

New structures and tall landscaping should not be placed directly in the view of the primary living areas on a neighboring parcel (for the purposes of this section, "primary living area" means a living room, family

room, dining room, master bedroom, or outdoor patio with seating).

2.

Mechanical equipment may be placed on rooftops or below a deck only if the equipment is not visible from off the site, except for unobtrusive solar collectors that are compatible with the roof line and architecturally integrated with the structure. This equipment shall also comply with the height limits in Subsection E.2.

==> picture [357 x 181] intentionally omitted <==

G.

Exterior lighting. See Section 17.30.060 (outdoor lighting).

H.

Retaining Walls. An embankment to be retained that is over six feet in height shall be benched above six feet in height so that no individual retaining wall above six feet in height is taller than thirty-six inches, and each bench is a minimum width of thirty-six inches. See Figure 5-11.

==> picture [284 x 228] intentionally omitted <==

I.

Support Structures. Support structures (for example, columns, pilings, etc.) below the lowest floor on the downhill side of a house, shall be enclosed unless visible structural members are an integral feature of the architectural design. Support structure wall surfaces shall not exceed six feet in height.

Building and site design should generally utilize varying setbacks and structure heights, split-level foundations, and low retaining walls to blend structures into the terrain. See Figure 5-12.

A.

Maximum Floor Area. The gross floor area of all structures on a parcel should not exceed thirty percent of the areas of the parcel with a slope of less than fifteen percent, and zero percent of the areas with slopes in excess of fifteen percent.

B.

Windows. Windows, balconies, and outdoor living areas generally should be located to protect the privacy of adjacent homes and yards. Windows visible from off the site should be glazed with non-glare glass.

C.

Exterior Wall Surfaces. The apparent size of exterior wall surfaces visible from off the site should be minimized through the use of single-story elements, setbacks, overhangs, roof pitches, landscaping, and/or other means of horizontal and vertical articulation to create changing shadow lines and break up massive forms.

D.

Colors and Materials. A mixture of materials and color should be used to blend structures with the natural appearance of the hillside:

1.

Based upon the graphic principle that darker colors are less noticeable than light colors, darker tones, including earth tones should generally be used for building walls and roofs on highly visible sites so that buildings appear to blend in with the natural terrain.

2.

Exterior finish materials should be appropriate to the architectural style of the structure and compatible with the hillside environment.

E.

Roofs. Roof pitches should be placed to follow the angle of the slope; but with variations to avoid a monotonous appearance. See Figure 5-12.

F.

Landscaping. See Chapter 17.34 (landscaping standards).

==> picture [210 x 205] intentionally omitted <==