SEC. 132.4. SETBACKS, STREETWALL ARTICULATION, AND TOWER SEPARATION IN THE CENTRAL SOMA…

(a) Purpose. The controls in this Section 132.4 are intended to ensure that new buildings in the Central SoMa Special Use District contribute to the activation, safety, and dynamism of the neighborhood, help create a strong urban room, and facilitate a substantial amount of light and air to the neighborhood’s major streets.

• (b) Definitions. The definitions of Section 102 shall apply, as well as the following additional definitions.

“Mid-Rise Building.” A building above 85 feet and up to 160 feet in Height.

“Mid-Rise Portion.” The portion of a Mid-Rise Building above 85 feet in Height.

“Separation.” The distance, measured horizontally, between the outside surfaces of the exterior walls of the subject buildings.

“Tower.” Any building taller than 160 feet in Height.

“Tower Portion.” The portion of a Tower above 85 feet in Height.

(c) Applicability. The controls in this Section 132.4 apply within the Central SoMa Special Use District, established in Section 249.78.

• (d) Controls.

• (1) Streetwall.

(A) Requirements. Buildings shall be built up to the street- or alley-facing property line up to 65 feet in Height, subject to the controls of Section 261.1 as applicable, except as provided in subsection (B) below.

(B) Permitted Streetwall Setbacks. Notwithstanding the requirements of subsection (A), any building may be recessed from the property line as follows:

(i) To the extent necessary to accommodate any setback required by this Code;

(ii) For portions of residential buildings with walk-up dwelling units that have setbacks in accordance with the Ground Floor Residential Guidelines;

(iii) For publicly-accessible open space built pursuant to the requirements of Section 138; or

(iv) For building facade architectural articulation and modulation up to a maximum depth of 8 feet.

• (2) Setbacks.

(A) For Mid-Rise Buildings in the CS Bulk District, as defined in Section 270(h), the following requirements apply:

(i) Along all street- and alley-facing property lines, a 15-foot setback is required for the Mid-Rise Portion for at least 60 percent of the frontage length. This setback may be reduced for obstructions permitted by Section 136;

(ii) Along all interior property lines, a 15-foot setback is required for the Mid-Rise Portion for the entire frontage. This setback may be reduced for obstructions permitted according to Section 136.

(B) For Towers in the CS Bulk District, along all property lines, a 15-foot setback is required for the Tower Portion for the entire frontage. This setback may be reduced for obstructions permitted according to Section 136.

(C) Along 4th Street between Bryant Street and Townsend Street, building facades on new development shall be set back from the street-facing property line by a minimum depth of five feet to a minimum height of 25 feet above sidewalk grade. This setback shall be designed as an extension of the sidewalk, free of columns or other obstructions, except as allowed according to Section 136, and shall generally be available to the public at all times for pedestrian circulation.

(3) Building Separation.

(A) The Tower Portion of a project shall have a horizontal separation of at least 115 feet from the Tower Portion of any other Tower.

(B) Through the procedures of Section 329, the Planning Commission may reduce the separation required under subsection (A) if it finds that a Tower project meets all of the following criteria:

(i) The Tower Portion of the project has, at a minimum, a horizontal separation of at least 85 feet from the Tower Portion of any other Tower;

(ii) The maximum floor area of any floor of the Tower Portion of the project is no more than 10,000 gross square feet;

(iii) The maximum height of the uppermost building element or mass, occupied or unoccupied, of the Tower has a difference of at least 50 feet in Height from the maximum height of the uppermost element of any other Tower within 115 feet of horizontal distance; and

• (iv) The Tower Portion of the project is designed so as to maximize apparent distance and architectural differentiation from any other nearby Tower.

(C) The Tower Portion of a project shall have a horizontal separation of at least 30 feet from any Mid-Rise Portion on the same development lot, except that a bridge between the Tower Portion and the Mid-Rise Portion may be permissible up to a height of 130 feet if the bridge is no more than one story in height, is set back a minimum of 15 feet from any property line, and is visually subordinate to the buildings it connects.

(D) Any development containing both a Tower Portion and Mid-Rise Portion shall be designed to emphasize a visual distinction between the Tower and Mid-Rise Portions as separate structures. (Added by Ord. 296-18, File No. 180184, App. 12/12/2018, Eff. 1/12/2019)