What is a Design Overlay?
A design overlay on Santa Fe Drive would support future development in integrating with the existing community by ensuring that it complements the existing built environment and character of place. An overlay applies extra rules on top of the existing zoning of an area. This overlay proposal has six elements. These were created after analyzing the historic patterns of streetcar commercial corridors:
How is it applied?
The Design Overlay will not apply to existing buildings or uses. The Design Overlay will apply to new development along Main Street zone districts only. See map.
- Excludes dwelling units and accessory residential uses (lobbies, private gyms, etc.) from the first 15 feet of depth along most of the ground floor. (Applies to lots 37.5 feet or wider in zone districts over two stories).
- When a dwelling unit is on the ground floor, requires a setback of 7 ft and a patio, porch, deck or other type of usable outdoor space. (This setback doesn’t apply to a lobby or entryway for upper-story residences.)
- Ensures a high number of windows on the ground floor.
- Gives flexibility for buildings to be set back further from the sidewalk in order to create courtyards and outdoor seating (rather than taking up space in the sidewalk for seating).
- Requires a 2 ft setback to create wider sidewalk areas.
- Requires a minimum ground floor height of 14 ft to support the creation of flexible ground level spaces that are conducive to commercial activity.
How is it applied?
The Design Overlay will not apply to existing buildings or uses. The Design Overlay will apply to new development along Main Street zone districts only. See map.
Where is it applied?
When will this be implemented?
- July 2021: Pre-Application Submitted
- August 2022: Formal Application to be Submitted
Who supports this?
This effort is led by the La Alma Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association Planning Committee to recommend design objectives and tools that could be implemented through future application of a Design Overlay District per Denver Zoning Code Section 9.4.5. on areas zoned as Main Street along Santa Fe. The LPNA Planning Committee has worked with the Art District on Santa Fe, Santa Fe BID, Baker Historic Neighborhood Association, Councilwoman Jamie Torres, Councilman Jolon Clark and City of Denver Planning and Development staff to gather feedback and draft potential future zoning amendments.
Why is the Design Overlay considered for Santa Fe?
The La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood is concerned about losing the pedestrian-oriented mixed-use character of Santa Fe Drive and other small commercial nodes after witnessing a wave of residential-only redevelopment projects. The City and County of Denver has received over 70 conceptual development proposals in two years along Santa Fe. Zoning currently allows uses that tend not to encourage pedestrian interest and activity at the street level. This overlay initially started with Councilman Paul Lopez and the La Alma Lincoln Park Registered Neighborhood Association in 2017.
Councilwoman Jamie Torres directed City staff to work closely with the community to draft the overlay which is anticipated to be adopted by the early of 2023. |
What is being proposed?
This overlay proposal has six main elements.
Proposal 1 : Provide nonresidential active uses for a portion of Primary Street frontage on larger sized lots.
Current standard:
Residential uses ("Dwelling Units") are allowed on 100% of the ground floor.
Proposal:
In any zone district higher than 2 stories, dwelling units are not allowed in the portion of building frontage that fulfills the build-to requirement. For MS Shopfront, that would be 75% of the building frontage.
This requirement is reduced to 50% for lots that are 37.5 wide up to 50 feet wide, and waived for lots less than 37.5 wide.
Reasoning:
The change will ensure that the majority of the ground floor of a building has commercial or retail uses. At the same time, it allows a bit of flexibility for a single dwelling unit, a lobby, stairwell, other entryway, etc to access upstairs units on the ground floor. This will mimic the pattern seen in many historical mixed-use buildings. It also allows reasonable flexibility for narrower lots, recognizing that development on these lots can be more complex.
Residential uses ("Dwelling Units") are allowed on 100% of the ground floor.
Proposal:
In any zone district higher than 2 stories, dwelling units are not allowed in the portion of building frontage that fulfills the build-to requirement. For MS Shopfront, that would be 75% of the building frontage.
This requirement is reduced to 50% for lots that are 37.5 wide up to 50 feet wide, and waived for lots less than 37.5 wide.
- No parking, storage/warehousing, or primary or accessory residential uses
- Minimum 15 ft depth
- Applies to 3-story districts and taller (no requirement in 2-story districts)
- Lots ≤ 37.5 feet wide = no requirement
- Lots 37.5-50 feet wide = 50% of street level
- Lots > 50 feet wide = 75% of street level
Reasoning:
The change will ensure that the majority of the ground floor of a building has commercial or retail uses. At the same time, it allows a bit of flexibility for a single dwelling unit, a lobby, stairwell, other entryway, etc to access upstairs units on the ground floor. This will mimic the pattern seen in many historical mixed-use buildings. It also allows reasonable flexibility for narrower lots, recognizing that development on these lots can be more complex.
Proposal 2 : Limit Building Forms to Shopfront and Townhouse (No General or Drive-Thru)
Current Standard:
Between U-MS and U-MX zones, there are four allowed building forms:
Proposal:
Shopfront and Townhouse are both allowed. Townhouse is allowed to provide a pathway for residential units in a separate structure in the rear of a lot. Shopfront would still need to be the building form used for anything along the street.
Reasoning:
Drive-thru forms are not appropriate in a traditional main street area. The General building form has minimal design standards and has recently resulted in the least-pedestrian friendly development.
Between U-MS and U-MX zones, there are four allowed building forms:
- Shopfront
- Town House
- General
- Drive-Thru Services (only in select spots)
- Drive-Thru Restaurant
Proposal:
Shopfront and Townhouse are both allowed. Townhouse is allowed to provide a pathway for residential units in a separate structure in the rear of a lot. Shopfront would still need to be the building form used for anything along the street.
Reasoning:
Drive-thru forms are not appropriate in a traditional main street area. The General building form has minimal design standards and has recently resulted in the least-pedestrian friendly development.
Proposal 3 : Increase Build-to Range from 5 feet to 10 feet to allow more flexibility for outdoor dining and pedestrian area
Current MS standard:
For a shopfront building in U-MS zoning, 75% of building frontage must be within 0-5 feet of the property line along the primary street.
Proposal:
Change this range to 0-10 feet.
Reasoning:
Moderately expanding the build-to would give developers the option to create flexible courtyard space. It might help curb the problem of properties “privatizing the right of way” with requests to put patio seating, etc. in the sidewalk.
For a shopfront building in U-MS zoning, 75% of building frontage must be within 0-5 feet of the property line along the primary street.
Proposal:
Change this range to 0-10 feet.
Reasoning:
Moderately expanding the build-to would give developers the option to create flexible courtyard space. It might help curb the problem of properties “privatizing the right of way” with requests to put patio seating, etc. in the sidewalk.
Proposal 4 : Require a minimum 2-foot setback to increase pedestrian area
Proposal 5 : Require a minimum 7-foot setback for any street level residential units
Current MS standard:
There is no residential setback in the Shopfront form.
Proposal:
Any dwelling unit at the street level must be set back from the sidewalk property line by at least 7 feet. Any such residential unit must also have a usable outdoor space in the setback, i.e. patio, porch, or deck with a minimum depth of 5 feet.
The 7-foot setback would not apply to a lobby, entryway, etc. to access upstairs units.
Reasoning:
This creates a better transition between the public and private realm, benefiting both the public and residents. Residents will be less likely to just keep blinds/curtains shut if they have a buffer between their window and the sidewalk. The setback would provide space for landscaping and encourage more visual interest at the street level.
There is no residential setback in the Shopfront form.
Proposal:
Any dwelling unit at the street level must be set back from the sidewalk property line by at least 7 feet. Any such residential unit must also have a usable outdoor space in the setback, i.e. patio, porch, or deck with a minimum depth of 5 feet.
The 7-foot setback would not apply to a lobby, entryway, etc. to access upstairs units.
Reasoning:
This creates a better transition between the public and private realm, benefiting both the public and residents. Residents will be less likely to just keep blinds/curtains shut if they have a buffer between their window and the sidewalk. The setback would provide space for landscaping and encourage more visual interest at the street level.
Proposal 6: Ensure buildings have plentiful windows at the street level
Current MS standard:
The Zoning Code requires buildings to have certain amount of windows facing the street on the ground floor. This is called "transparency." The existing Shopfront standard in MS is 60% transparency towards the primary street and 25% towards the side street.
For example:
A building is 100 feet long on the Primary Street side. Sixty percent of that length must have windows.
100 X .6 = 60 feet of windows
At the same time, certain elements are allowed to substitute for the required window area. These are "transparency alternatives." This section allows building elements like display cases or ATMs, “art”, wall design elements like changes in material/color, or outdoor eating/serving areas, to count toward the transparency requirement. Currently, they can count for a lot of window space: maxing out allowed "Transparency Alternatives" for a Shopfront form in MS can reduce actual window space down to only 30%.
Proposal:
Remove all alternatives except for "Permanent Art" that can substitute for actual windows on the ground floor.
Reasoning:
Windows are incredibly important to an historic main street. They create "eyes on the street" a friendly sidewalk experience. In addition, many of the alternatives that have been used are not high quality. "Permanent Art" is retained because it is an exceptional category with high-quality standards that must be approved by Denver Arts and Venues.
The Zoning Code requires buildings to have certain amount of windows facing the street on the ground floor. This is called "transparency." The existing Shopfront standard in MS is 60% transparency towards the primary street and 25% towards the side street.
For example:
A building is 100 feet long on the Primary Street side. Sixty percent of that length must have windows.
100 X .6 = 60 feet of windows
At the same time, certain elements are allowed to substitute for the required window area. These are "transparency alternatives." This section allows building elements like display cases or ATMs, “art”, wall design elements like changes in material/color, or outdoor eating/serving areas, to count toward the transparency requirement. Currently, they can count for a lot of window space: maxing out allowed "Transparency Alternatives" for a Shopfront form in MS can reduce actual window space down to only 30%.
Proposal:
Remove all alternatives except for "Permanent Art" that can substitute for actual windows on the ground floor.
Reasoning:
Windows are incredibly important to an historic main street. They create "eyes on the street" a friendly sidewalk experience. In addition, many of the alternatives that have been used are not high quality. "Permanent Art" is retained because it is an exceptional category with high-quality standards that must be approved by Denver Arts and Venues.
Measuring Transparency (below)
Examples of Transparency Alternatives (below)
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Councilwoman Torres and Councilman Clark are hosting public meetings to help property owners understand how the design overlay would impact their property.
April 6th/ 2022 Virtual Meeting @ 6pm-7pm April 20th/ 2022
Virtual Meeting @ 6pm-7pm |
April 13th/ 2022
Office Hours @ 5pm -6pm
April 21st/ 2022
Office Hours @ 5pm -6pm
Office Hours @ 5pm -6pm
April 21st/ 2022
Office Hours @ 5pm -6pm