Part V — San Francisco County Zoning Code

BUILDING FORM

SEC. 940. HEIGHT, BULK AND ARTICULATION OF BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES.

(a) MB-R and MB-NC Districts. In MB-R and MB-NC Districts the height (within the permitted maximum) and bulk of buildings and structures shall be consistent with Residential Design Guidelines Section 2.2 in the Mission Bay Plan. The fronts of buildings shall be articulated and varied and wide buildings shall be visually divided into narrower segments in the manner provided in Residential Design Guidelines Section 2.6 and Neighborhood Commercial Design Guidelines in the Mission Bay Plan.

(b) MB-O and MC-CI Districts. In MB-O and MB-CI Districts, the height (within the permitted maximum) and bulk of buildings and structures shall be consistent with, and buildings and structures shall be articulated in the manner provided in, Commerce and Industry Design Guideline Sections 2.4 and 2.7 in the Mission Bay Plan.

(c) MB-H District. In the MB-H District, the height (within the permitted maximum) and bulk of buildings and structures shall be consistent with, and the buildings and structures shall be articulated in the manner provided in, the Hotel Design Guidelines (Commerce and Industry Design) Section 5 of the Mission Bay Plan.

(d) MB-CF Districts. In MB-CF Districts, the height (within the permitted maximum), bulk and articulation of buildings and structures in MB-CF shall be consistent with the Community Facilities Design Guidelines in the Mission Bay Plan and with the policies of the Urban Design and other elements of the Master Plan.

(e) MB-OS Districts. In MB-OS Districts, the height and bulk of buildings and structures shall be consistent with the Recreation and Open Space Design Guidelines in the Mission Bay Plan and with the policies of the Urban Design, Recreation and Open Space and other elements of the Master Plan. The commercial uses permitted by Section 916 are limited in height to a single story.

(Added by Ord. 63-91, App. 2/27/91)

SEC. 941. SETBACKS AT BUILDING BASES IN MB-R DISTRICTS.

In order to facilitate the articulation and architectural embellishment of the building base, all buildings in MB-R Districts, up to the height of 10 feet, shall be set back 3 feet from the line of the public sidewalk on frontages adjacent to streets and parks without an intervening street, and 1½ feet from the public sidewalk on frontages adjacent to a midblock lane or a park pathway. In this setback area horizontal projections such as stairs, stoops, porticos, porches and other entry treatments, columns, planter boxes, bay windows, sills, window frames, belt courses and rusticated materials are permitted provided that at least one-third of the setback zone to the full height of the zone is free of all horizontal projections except for (1) minor architectural projections projecting to six inches and (2) low landscaping projecting horizontally up to two feet on street frontages and one foot on midblock lane frontages. Bay windows in the setback area shall conform to the dimensions of bay windows permitted by Section 942.

(Added by Ord. 63-91, App. 2/27/91)

SEC. 942. PROJECTIONS OVER STREETS, MIDBLOCK LANES AND USABLE OPEN SPACE.

(a) Permitted Obstructions. In all Mission Bay Use Districts, the obstructions permitted over streets and alleys and usable open space by Section 136 are permitted over streets and midblock lanes (defined in Section 996(b)(4) to be the same as an alley as used in Section 136) and usable open space in Mission Bay Use Districts, except that, in MB-R districts, obstructions are not permitted over streets and obstructions over midblock lanes and park pathways (as defined in Section 996(b)(7)) are limited to one and one-half feet.

(b) Modifications and Limitations on Bay Windows. In order to allow more variety in the design of bay windows in Mission Bay Use Districts the restrictions on the dimension of bay windows contained in Section 136 are modified as follows:

(1) In addition to other bay windows permitted by Section 136, the Zoning Administrator may allow a bay window of any shape which is determined to enhance the visual appearance of the structure provided that:

(A) The total area of the horizontal projection of whatever height does not exceed 45 square feet for each increment of 25 feet of lot width;

(B) The projection into the required open area does not exceed three feet in depth and is no closer than eight feet to the centerline of any midblock lane, and

(2) In addition to other permitted corner bay windows permitted by Section 136, the Zoning Administrator may allow a corner bay window of any shape which is determined to enhance the visual appearance of the structure provided that:

(A) The bay at each line establishing the required open area is no greater than 15 feet in width;
(B) The total area of the horizontal projection of whatever height does not exceed 90 square feet;
(C) There is a horizontal separation between the corner bay and other bays of at least four feet; and
(D) The projection into the required open area does not exceed three feet span and is no closer than eight feet to the center line of any midblock lane.
(3) Cornices at the top of bays, projecting no more than the permitted projection of the bays, which link two rows of bay windows to establish a + 25 foot building articulation are permitted.

(c) Obstructions by Minor Architectural Features. Within the area of minimum vertical clearance required by Section 136 for obstructions over usable open space, horizontal projections, not to exceed six inches, of a purely architectural or decorative character, such as sills, room and window moldings, belt courses, columns, piers and rusticated materials, are permitted.

(Added by Ord. 63-91, App. 2/27/91)

SEC. 943. ROOFTOP FEATURES.

In all Mission Bay Use Districts, mechanical equipment and appurtenances necessary to the operation or maintenance of the building or structure itself (including chimneys, ventilators, plumbing vent stacks, cooling towers, water tanks, panels or devices for the collection of solar or wind energy and window washing equipment), elevator, stair and mechanical penthouses, and skylights, Wireless Telecommunications Services Facilities, and antennae for transmission, reception, or relay of radio, television, or other electronic signals when a permitted use in the district shall be enclosed and screened: (i) in such a manner that the enclosure is designed as a logical extension of the building form and an integral part of the overall building design; and its cladding and detailing is comparable to that of the rest of the building; or (ii) by a rooftop form which is appropriate to the nature and proportions of the building, and is designed to obscure the rooftop equipment and appurtenances and to provide a more balanced and graceful silhouette for the top of the building. Minor features, not exceeding one foot in height, shall be exempted from this regulation.

(Added by Ord. 63-91, App. 2/27/91; amended by Ord. 166-16 , File No. 160477, App. 8/11/2016, Eff. 9/10/2016) AMENDMENT HISTORY

Section amended; Ord. 166-16 , Eff. 9/10/2016.

SEC. 944. AWNINGS, CANOPIES AND MARQUEES.

The provisions of Section 136.1 pertaining to awnings, canopies and marquees in NC-2 districts shall also apply in MBNC-2, MB-NC-3, MB-O, MB-CI, and MB-H and MB-CF Districts. (Added by Ord. 63-91, App. 2/27/91)