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Title 17 — Development Code

Chapter 17.123 — MULTI-FAMILY AND RESIDENTIAL MIXED-USE

Rancho Cucamonga Zoning Code · 2026-06 edition · updated 2026-07-25 · Rancho Cucamonga

§ 17.123.010. Purpose and applicability.

The purpose of this chapter is to provide objective design standards for multi-family and residential mixed-use development, as applicable according to section 17.118.020 (Applicability). The design standards contained in this section supplement the standards in chapter 17.120 (General Design Provisions) and article VIII (Form-Based Code). If there is a conflict, the requirements of article VIII supersede this chapter, and this chapter supersedes the requirements in chapter 17.120 .

(Ord. No. 1000 § 4, 2022)

§ 17.123.020. Pedestrian-oriented site design.

  • A. Frontage road design.

    1. Multi-family and residential mixed-use projects along a frontage road must provide the following along the frontage-road facing pedestrian area:

      • a. A pedestrian walkway a minimum of 12 feet in width.

      • b. Street furniture, which may include outdoor dining areas.

      • c. A minimum of two site features such as a planted trellis, a living walls, public art, or a plaza.

    2. Mid-block passageways shall be incorporated into internal paseo systems.

    3. Parking within frontage roads and within private circulation drives may be parallel, head-in angled, or back-in angled.

  • B. Sidewalks abutting ground floor residential units. Where ground floor nonresidential uses are located along private driveways within a residential mixed-use development, the driveway must be designed with a minimum eight-foot wide sidewalk that is visually distinct from the vehicular circulation area.

  • C. Pedestrian open spaces.

    1. Pedestrian-oriented amenities. Pedestrian open spaces must include the following:

      • a. Trellises or arbors with vines or other plantings; and

      • b. Durable street furniture and other pedestrian-oriented features, such as period cast iron or steel street furniture, decorative wine-making artifacts such as manual grape crushers, wine barrels for trash containers, or similar elements.

    2. Pedestrian-oriented lighting design.

      • a. Light fixtures and poles must be consistent in design with the primary building.

      • b. Along pedestrian-oriented building perimeters, light fixtures must be no taller than 12 feet in height.

      • c. Low-level lighting shall be provided to ensure entry paths, entry stairs and driveways, and garage and building entries are illuminated.

  • (Ord. No. 1000 § 4, 2022)

§ 17.123.030. Facade design.

  • A. Facade articulation. Structural elements visible on the building exterior (e.g. rafters, purlins, posts, beams, balconies, brackets, trusses, columns, arches, etc.), even when ornamental, shall be sized and spaced to frame building apertures and modules.

  • B. Porches and balconies. Balconies and porches must be integrated into building recesses or overhangs on at least one side of the porch or balcony.

  • C. Porches. Porches must be engaged with the building facade on at least one side.

FIGURE 17.123.030-1 INTEGRATION OF BALCONIES

==> picture [351 x 311] intentionally omitted <==

  • D. Townhouses/rowhouses. In townhouse and rowhouse development types, all primary facade planes of adjacent attached units must be offset a minimum of 18 inches to avoid monotony in facade plane.

  • E. Garage width. For rowhouses or townhouses, attached garages with doors that face the street may not occupy more than 50 percent of the width of any street-facing building facade.

  • (Ord. No. 1000 § 4, 2022)

§ 17.123.040. Roof design.

  • A. Allowed roof forms. Roof forms shall be limited to:

    1. Hipped

    2. Gable

    3. Dormers

    4. Parapet

  • B. Pitch. The pitch of a sloped roof must be a 3:12 to 6:12 ratio.

  • C. Parapet design.

    1. Parapets longer than 12 feet in length shall exhibit a combination of steps and curves. Patterns of steps and curves must be symmetrical within each segment or establish symmetry across the building facade. If parapets terminate with a coping, the coping must be stone, concrete, tile, or molded stucco.

    2. Parapets segments may not exceed 25 feet in length without interruption in height or form.

  • D. Cornices. Where a cornice is included in roof design, the cornice must include brackets, dentils, or other ornamentation.

  • E. Eaves. Where eaves exceed 18 inches in depth, exterior brackets or beams are required.

  • F. Roof Heights. The eave or roof form of a secondary facade bay shall be no higher than the corresponding elements of the primary facade bay.

  • (Ord. No. 1000 § 4, 2022)

§ 17.123.050. Doors and windows.

  • A. Window and door design. All upper-story windows and doors must be consistent in design, including proportions, trim, material, and color.

  • B. Window recess and trim. All windows must be either:

    1. Designed with trim a minimum of one inch from the outer wall surface and at least one inch in width; or

    2. Recessed a minimum of three inches from the outer wall surface.

FIGURE 17.123.050-1 WINDOW DESIGN

==> picture [441 x 237] intentionally omitted <==

  • C. Window trim material. Foam and vinyl are not permitted window trim materials.

  • D. Upper story windows. Upper story windows must be vertically oriented.

  • E. Ground floor commercial windows. Ground floor windows must be horizontal or square in proportion rather than vertically oriented.

  • F. Glazing. Reflective or opaque tinting or glazing is prohibited. (Ord. No. 1000 § 4, 2022)

§ 17.123.060. Required open space.

  • A. Private open space. All private open space must have a minimum dimension of six feet in any direction.

  • B. Common open space.

    1. Common open space may be at-grade, elevated, or on the roof of a building.

    2. Common outdoor recreation space must be available for passive and active outdoor recreational purposes for the enjoyment of all residents. Outdoor recreation space types include, but are not limited to, open lawn areas, picnic/barbeque areas, tot lots, sports courts, swimming pools, and community gardens.

    3. The slope of the common outdoor recreational space must not exceed a slope of ten percent and must be easily accessible for all residents.

    4. Common outdoor recreation space must not include driveways, public or private streets, or utility easements where the ground surface may not be appropriate for recreational space.

  • (Ord. No. 1000 § 4, 2022)

§ 17.123.070. Residential unit design.

  • A. Residential signifiers. Residential facades shall incorporate at least one element that signals habitation, such as windows bays or balconies.

  • B. Unique floor plans. All multi-family and residential mixed-use projects over 50 units must include a minimum of six unique floor plans. A mirror-image of one floor plan does not count as a unique floor plan.

  • C. Private open space. Private open space may be at-grade or elevated. Space types include but are not limited to dooryards, decks, porches, patio, verandas, and balconies.

  • D. Affordable unit design. Affordable units and market rate units in the same development shall be constructed of the same exterior materials and details such that the units are not distinguishable.

  • E. Universal design. For projects with at least ten dwelling units, a minimum ten percent of units must adhere to the following principles of Universal Design.

    1. At least one entrance without steps and a flat threshold.

    2. Living space on one floor or stair landings big enough to accept lifts.

    3. Wide interior doors (32-inch clear, typically provided with 36-inch door), hallways, and alcoves with 60 by 60-inch turning space at doors, in kitchens, and dead ends.

    4. A 30 by 48-inch clear space at appliances and fixtures in bathrooms and kitchens.

  • F. Required storage. Lockable storage spaces for multiple-family units must be provided as required by the CalGreen Building Code.

  • (Ord. No. 1000 § 4, 2022)

§ 17.123.080. Additions and remodels.

Notwithstanding the design standards of this chapter, additions to and remodels of existing buildings, including porches, balconies, decks, and new or replacement windows or doors in an existing wall must match the architectural design and detail of the existing building.

(Ord. No. 1000 § 4, 2022)

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Contents — Rancho Cucamonga Zoning Code
Rancho Cucamonga Zoning Code
  1. Title 17 — Development Code
    Overview
    1. Chapter 17.02 — PURPOSE AND APPLICABILITY
    2. Chapter 17.04 — ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITY
    3. Chapter 17.06 — RULES AND INTERPRETATION
    4. Chapter 17.08 — ENFORCEMENT
    5. Chapter 17.12 — LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
    6. Chapter 17.14 — GENERAL APPLICATION PROCESSING PROCEDURES
    7. Chapter 17.16 — PLANNING DIRECTOR DECISIONS
    8. Chapter 17.18 — HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION DECISIONS
    9. Chapter 17.20 — PLANNING COMMISSION DECISIONS
    10. Chapter 17.22 — CITY COUNCIL DECISIONS
    11. Chapter 17.26 — ESTABLISHMENT OF ZONES
    12. Chapter 17.28 — ADOPTION OF ZONING MAP
    13. Chapter 17.30 — ALLOWED LAND USE BY BASE ZONE
    14. Chapter 17.32 — ALLOWED USE DESCRIPTIONS
    15. Chapter 17.34 — GENERAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
    16. Chapter 17.36 — DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS BY BASE ZONE
    17. Chapter 17.38 — OVERLAY ZONES AND OTHER SPECIAL PLANNING AREAS
    18. Chapter 17.42 — ACCESSORY STRUCTURES
    19. Chapter 17.44 — CONDOMINIUM CONVERSIONS
    20. Chapter 17.46 — DENSITY BONUSES, INCENTIVES, AND CONCESSIONS
    21. Chapter 17.48 — FENCES, WALLS, AND SCREENING
    22. Chapter 17.50 — IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN BUILDING CODE
    23. Chapter 17.52 — HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENT
    24. Chapter 17.54 — USES IN HISTORIC STRUCTURES
    25. Chapter 17.56 — LANDSCAPING STANDARDS
    26. Chapter 17.58 — OUTDOOR LIGHTING STANDARDS
    27. Chapter 17.60 — OUTDOOR SALES, STORAGE, DISPLAY, AND SEATING S…
    28. Chapter 17.62 — NONCONFORMING USES AND STRUCTURES
    29. Chapter 17.64 — PARKING AND LOADING STANDARDS
    30. Chapter 17.66 — PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
    31. Chapter 17.68 — PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
    32. Chapter 17.70 — SIDEWALKS AND TRAILS
    33. Chapter 17.72 — SIGN REGULATIONS FOR PUBLIC PROPERTY
    34. Chapter 17.74 — SIGN REGULATIONS FOR PRIVATE PROPERTY
    35. Chapter 17.76 — ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SYSTEMS AND FACILITIES
    36. Chapter 17.77 — TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS
    37. Chapter 17.78 — TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT
    38. Chapter 17.80 — TREE PRESERVATION
    39. Chapter 17.82 — WATER EFFICIENT LANDSCAPING
    40. Chapter 17.84 — UNDERGROUND UTILITIES
    41. Chapter 17.86 — ADULT BUSINESS USES
    42. Chapter 17.88 — ANIMAL REGULATIONS
    43. Chapter 17.89 — AUTOMOBILE SERVICE STATION
    44. Chapter 17.90 — CAR WASHING AND DETAILING
    45. Chapter 17.91 — DRIVE-IN AND DRIVE-THROUGH USES
    46. Chapter 17.92 — HOME OCCUPATIONS
    47. Chapter 17.93 — HOTELS
    48. Chapter 17.94 — COMMERCIAL CANNABIS USES AND CULTIVATION
    49. Chapter 17.96 — MOBILEHOMES
    50. Chapter 17.97 — LIVE/WORK UNITS
    51. Chapter 17.98 — PUBLIC UTILITIES AND USES
    52. Chapter 17.100 — ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS AND JUNIOR ACCESSORY…
    53. Chapter 17.102 — SPECIAL REGULATED USES
    54. Chapter 17.104 — TEMPORARY USES
    55. Chapter 17.106 — WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION FACILITIES
    56. Chapter 17.108 — TELEVISION SATELLITE DISH AND ANTENNA REGULAT…
    57. Chapter 17.109 — BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE FACILITIES
    58. Chapter 17.110 — EMERGENCY SHELTERS
    59. Chapter 17.111 — VEHICLE SERVICE USES
    60. Chapter 17.112 — PURPOSE AND APPLICABILITY
    61. Chapter 17.114 — SPECIAL PLANNING AREA MAP AND DESCRIPTIONS
    62. Chapter 17.118 — PURPOSE AND APPLICABILITY
    63. Chapter 17.120 — GENERAL DESIGN PROVISIONS
    64. Chapter 17.122 — DESIGN PROVISIONS BY DEVELOPMENT TYPE
    65. Chapter 17.123 — MULTI-FAMILY AND RESIDENTIAL MIXED-USE
    66. Chapter 17.124 — DESIGN PROVISIONS FOR PUBLIC ART
    67. Chapter 17.126 — INTRODUCTION
    68. Chapter 17.130 — ZONE AND BUILDING STANDARDS
    69. Chapter 17.132 — BUILDING ENTRANCES AND FACADES
    70. Chapter 17.134 — PUBLIC OPEN SPACE
    71. Chapter 17.136 — LAND USE STANDARDS
    72. Chapter 17.138 — LARGE SITE DEVELOPMENT
    73. Chapter 17.140 — UNIVERSAL DEFINITIONS
    74. Chapter 17.142 — ADULT BUSINESS DEFINITIONS
    75. Chapter 17.144 — DENSITY BONUS DEFINITIONS
    76. Chapter 17.146 — HISTORIC RESOURCES DEFINITIONS
    77. Chapter 17.148 — CANNABIS DEFINITIONS
    78. Chapter 17.150 — SIGN DEFINITIONS
    79. Chapter 17.152 — WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEFINITIONS
    80. Chapter 17.154 — FORM-BASED CODE DEFINITIONS

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