6.3 Standards (continued)

• H. Building Base Height. The building base (shown below) shall be measured from the sidewalk grade to the (lower) cornice, string course, or horizontal plane break In absence of any of these elements, the mid-point between the topmost point of the first-floor openings and the lowermost point of the second-floor openings shall serve as an upper reference point The Building Base lines the public realm and visually supports the upper floors The Building Base may span multiple floors, rather than simply the ground floor Per Table 6-2 , buildings of 5 stories or more must have bases which span at least 2 floors—or the visual equivalent of 2 floors

• I. Upper Floor Setback Area. The upper floor setback area may be covered by an open structure—such as a trellis or upper floor loggia , shown to the right—with a front facade that is no more than 10% solid, excluding any parapet wall height

J. Elements Above the Maximum Building Height

1. For buildings of 3 stories or fewer: Pitched roofs may exceed the maximum building height by up to 8 feet Buildings with pitched roofs exceeding the stated height limit, if fronting Benton St or Homestead Rd, shall be oriented with eaves (not gables) to the street Pitched roofs should be symmetrical and sloped no less than 4:12, except that roofs for porches and other attached shed roofs which should be no less than 2:12 Gables facing the public realm should not exceed 30 feet in width

2. Upper-floor terraces and rooftop decks are allowed, provided that they are not enclosed with walls or roofs Upper floor terraces and rooftop decks may have umbrellas and shade structures, provided that their walls are no more than 10% solid, excluding any parapet wall height Such elements shall not exceed the maximum building height by more than 10 feet

• a. Publicly-accessible decks and terraces (such as those for restaurants) are encouraged to extend to the building edge to be visible from the street

3. Enclosed roof access is allowed within structures that measure no more than 20 by 20 feet in plan Such structures shall not exceed 12 feet in height above the floor and shall be set back from the primary facade by 15 feet minimum

4. Certain decorative, uninhabitable architectural elements, such as roof signs (see Section 11.3.I ), may exceed the height limit Such elements which exceed the height limit by less than 5 feet shall be subject to Director approval Elements which exceed the height limit by 5 feet or more shall be subject to the Planning Commission

==> picture [355 x 154] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
BUILDING
BASE
----- End of picture text -----

BUILDING BASE HEIGHT —The Building Base lines the public realm and visually supports the upper floors.

==> picture [245 x 155] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [104 x 155] intentionally omitted <==

OPEN STRUCTURES IN UPPER-FLOOR SETBACKS —The upper floor setback area may be covered a trellis (right) or upper floor loggia (left), outlined in yellow above.

5. Wireless facilities shall be designed into the building and/or mounted on the roof Roof-mounted facilities shall not exceed 6 feet in height from the finished roof, shall be set back from the primary facade by 15 feet minimum, and shall not be visible from the public right-of-way or existing single family residences

6. Solar panels may exceed the maximum building height if located on the top level of a parking structure In such a case, they shall not exceed 60 percent of roof area, shall not exceed 20 feet above top garage floor level, and shall be set back 40 feet from the edge of the building to reduce visibility from below

18 Attachment 1:117

Publication, Apr 2026

SANTA CLARA CODE

27 | Chapter 6: Building Height

K. Architecturally Significant Historical

Sites. Per Precise Plan Policy 5.2C : "Where it will be adjacent to a historic building or within areas of historic sensitivity, new development should be designed to be compatible with historic resources, consistent with the Secretary of the Interior standards and City regulations, such as by using similar proportion, scale, facade modulation, and stepdowns For new buildings on the same parcel as a historic building or within a buffer area defined by Figure 5-6: Historic Resources and Areas of Historic Sensitivity (2022), the height of new development should not distract from the historic building Accordingly, height limits have been set in the western area of the Downtown Plan in response to adjacencies of sensitive buildings and historic resources "

1. See also Standards 1.2.C–E

Figures from Precise Plan Goal 5.2

Figure 5-6 HISTORIC RESOURCES AND AREAS OF HISTORIC SENSITIVITY (2022)

==> picture [281 x 198] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
POST OFFICE
----- End of picture text -----

==> picture [115 x 40] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Architecturally Significant & Historic Sites
100ft buffer around Historic Sites
Historic Combining District (HT)
Further study needed
----- End of picture text -----

==> picture [427 x 161] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Figure 5-7
POST BUILDING HEIGHTS
OFFICE ADJACENT TO HISTORIC
BUILDINGS AND AREAS OF
HISTORIC SENSITIVITY
Architecturally Significant & Historic Sites
Historic Combining District (HT)
Further study needed
----- End of picture text -----

18 Attachment 1:118

Publication, Apr 2026

ZONING

28 | City of Santa Clara Downtown Form-Base Code

7 Building Massing