golden triangle zoning and design guidelines update€¦ · utilize new tools to gather your...

GOLDEN TRIANGLE ZONING & DSG UPDATEGOLDEN TRIANGLE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN – REGULATORY IMPLEMENTATION

PRELIMINARY PROPOSAL: Subject to change based on further comments and testing

Golden Triangle Zoning and Design Guidelines Update GOLDEN TRIANGLE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN – REGULATORY IMPLEMENTATION

VIRTUAL Community Open House Meeting #3

Welcome to our first Virtual community open house for the Golden Triangle Zoning and Design Guidelines Update project.

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GOLDEN TRIANGLE ZONING & DSG UPDATE GOLDEN TRIANGLE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN – REGULATORY IMPLEMENTATION


Goals for the Presentation

1. Project Overview

2. Preliminary Preferred Zoning Framework

3. Instructions for Online Survey

4. Next Steps

This presentation will start with a brief overview of the zoning update project to remind everyone of the scope, schedule, and where to find more information about our progress since the last public meeting. Next and most importantly, we will share information with you about the preliminary preferred zoning framework and give you some instructions on how to provide your feedback via the online survey.

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Thank You!

Thank you for taking the time to review this presentation and learn more about the Golden Triangle zoning update!

We sincerely appreciate your flexibility and patience as we utilize new tools to gather your feedback and comments.

Before we begin, we wanted to extend a sincere thank you for taking the time to learn more about the proposed changes to the Golden Triangle zoning. We appreciate your participation in using these online options while everyone takes extraordinary measures to ensure the safety of our families and communities. Thank you.

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Project Overview

OK, let’s get started with the Project Overview

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Project Purpose

Update the Golden Triangle Zoning and Design Guidelines to:

1. Implement the recommendations of the Neighborhood Plan

2. Apply more current zoning/design approaches and procedures

As a reminder, the purpose of this project is to update both the zoning and design guidelines that apply to the Golden Triangle in order to implement the recommendations of the Golden Triangle Neighborhood plan adopted in 2014, and to apply approaches and procedures that are more up‐to‐date with other citywide policies.

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Area of Applicability • Update the Downtown – Golden

Triangle (D-GT) zone district that is based on zoning from 1994

• Update the B-8-G Design Guidelines that were adopted in 2002 and apply to the D-GT zone district

The Downtown‐Golden Triangle zone district, or D‐GT, applies to most of the neighborhood as you can see as the yellow area in the map. The last time it was substantially updated was in 1994. Similarly, the Design Guidelines that apply to the D‐GT zone district were last updated in 2002.

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Project Schedule

• 3 months – Existing Context and Problem Identification • 6 months – Regulatory Tools and Alternatives • 3-4 months – Preferred Zoning/DSG Strategy • 3-4 months – Drafting and Public Review • 2-3 months – Adoption Process • Approximately 18 months total

Existing Context and Problem ID

Zoning/Design Tools and Alternatives

Preferred Zoning/ Design Strategy

Drafting and Public Review

Adoption Process

Mtg #3 WE ARE HERE

Review of Draft Public Hearings Mtg #1

Mar 2019 2019 | 2020 Sep/Oct 2020

Mtg #2

We initiated this project back in March of 2019 and have made consistent progress since then. We are nearing the end of the Preferred Strategy phase and are looking for confirmation from the community that we are on the right path based on earlier feedback. After receiving this round of input, we will finalize the preferred zoning approach and begin drafting new text for the Denver Zoning Code. The new text will be available for public review prior to beginning the formal adoption process with Planning Board and City Council, which is currently targeted for Fall 2020.

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Golden Triangle Neighborhood Plan (2014) 1. Encourage a range of uses and development types 2. Highlight certain streets/areas with different uses 3. Promote a broad range of housing opportunities 4. Evaluate minimum parking requirements

5. Allow a diverse range of building forms/shapes 6. Continue to allow current building height 7. Ensure building mass is compatible with adjacent buildings 8. Encourage protection/reuse of existing buildings

9. Promote a high-quality pedestrian experience 10. Ensure building design considers pedestrian scale and comfort 11. Encourage provision of privately-owned public gathering spaces 12. Improve activity and visual characteristics of parking

C Street Level Experience

B Building

Form/Type

A Land Use

The Golden Triangle Neighborhood Plan, completed and adopted in 2014, established a bold vision for the neighborhood. These 12 objectives summarized from the Plan, and broken down into three topic categories of Land Use, Building Form, and Street Level Experience, have served as our foundation from the beginning and continue to guide our decisions.

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Interim Report 2 – Zoning Framework and Alternatives

• Released to the public in January • Summary of existing zoning tools that

can be used to address Neighborhood Plan objectives

• Outcomes from recent outreach, activities, surveys, etc.

• Evaluation of alternative zoning tools and approaches

• All project documents and meeting materials are available for review at: www.denvergov.org/goldentriangle

Interim Report #2 (Zoning Framework and Alternatives) was posted to the project website for review in mid‐January. This report is useful in understanding what existing tools we have in the Denver Zoning Code to address the objectives from the Golden Triangle Neighborhood Plan. It also summarizes the outcomes from recent outreach and documents the results of our evaluation of different zoning tools against key criteria. You can find this report, and all project‐related materials, at the website … www.denvergov.org/goldentriangle

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www.denvergov.org/goldentriangle



Preliminary Preferred Zoning Framework

Now its time to introduce the preliminary preferred zoning framework.

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Enabling a Range of Building Types – Current Zoning

Narrow lot size

Standard lot size

Wide lot size

“One Size Fits All” • Same height limit • Same mass and scale rules • Same design and street level

activity standards

The current D‐GT zoning utilizes a “One Size Fits All” approach where the same standards apply to all projects regardless of their overall scale and lot size.

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Enabling a Range of Building Types – Proposed Changes

Narrow lot size

The proposed change is for zoning standards to be stronger as the size and scale of the project gets larger because of the increasing influence it has on the street and neighborhood.

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Narrow lot size

Standard lot size


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Narrow lot size

Standard lot size

Wide lot size

Wide lot size


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Narrow lot size

Standard lot size

Wide lot size

Wide lot size

Projects on all sizes of lots would need to meet minimum street level design and activity requirements. But, projects on larger lots would be required to meet much stronger minimum standards because of the oversized impact they represent.

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Narrow lot size

Standard lot size

Wide lot size

Wide lot size

Also, as projects get larger, new limitations on the overall mass and scale of the building would apply. The strongest limitations would apply to the Point Tower form, shown on the right, to compensate for a taller height allowance.

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Enabling a Range of Building Types – Summary

Existing GENERAL POINT TOWER

Lot Size na NARROW (75 ft or less)

STANDARD (75-150 ft)

WIDE (more than 150 ft)


Allowed Height 175 feet* 200 feet 300 feet

Mass/Scale Standards na Low Medium High Highest

Design and Active Use Medium High High Highest Highest * As measured from elevation of Broadway (results in ~200 feet limit near Speer)

The result is a system where zoning tools apply in an increasing manner related to the overall size and scale of the project. Lot sizes are categorized by their width facing the street as Narrow (75 feet or less), Standard (75‐150 feet), and Wide (greater than 150 feet). The Point Tower form would only be available on Wide lots to ensure there is an opportunity for appropriate separation between taller buildings.

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Supporting Neighborhood Priorities

• Utilize similar system as currently exists

• Build up to a Base Maximum (by-right), without any special conditions

Base Maximum

As we have seen, larger projects providing support for neighborhood priorities is an important concept to address in the new zoning. Thankfully, this type of system already exists in D‐GT where a certain amount of building floor area (or Base Maximum) is allowed by‐right without any special conditions.

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Supporting Neighborhood Priorities

• Can qualify for additional building area, or incentives, by supporting various neighborhood priorities up to an Overall Maximum

Overall Maximum

Support for Neighborhood Priorities

Base Maximum

Then, a property owner or developer may qualify for additional building floor area, or incentives, by supporting various neighborhood priorities, up to an Overall Maximum.

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Proposed Incentive Options Goal is to focus on most important neighborhood and citywide priorities based on current plans and policies

• Housing Affordability

• Promoting Neighborhood Character • Landmark Designated • Character Buildings

• Public Art

Although this system currently exists, it is outdated and needs to be recalibrated to focus on the most important priorities of 2020 and beyond based on current plans and policies … not those from 1994. These have been identified as Housing Affordability, Promoting Neighborhood Character, and Public Art. Many other priorities that were discussed earlier in the process are being addressed more directly by other tools.

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Conceptual Incentive System

Floor Area up to Base Max

* Note, existing citywide affordable housing linkage fee system still applies to projects below the Base Max

The Conceptual Incentive System establishes a Base Maximum (approximately 5 stories) that enables someone to develop a small to medium sized project by‐right. Note, projects below the Base Maximum must still meet minimum citywide requirements, but would not need to meet any special conditions under the revised D‐GT zoning.

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Incentives

Projects are allowed to exceed the Base Maximum, up to the Overall Maximum, if they address specific D‐GT incentive standards.

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Incentive Floor Area up to Overall Max

Housing Affordability Commitment

First, by making a commitment to meet the Housing Affordability incentive, a project would automatically qualify for incentive floor area up to the Overall Max.

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OR






Housing Affordability Commitment

Other Incentives including Protecting Existing Buildings or Public Art

Projects may also adjust their Housing Affordability commitment if they support other neighborhood priorities like protecting an existing building or installing Public Art. Note that a minimum amount of Housing Affordability will still apply to all projects that exceed the Base Maximum.

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Base and Overall Maximums – Summary

Existing GENERAL POINT TOWER

Lot Size na NARROW (75 ft or less)

STANDARD (75-150 ft)



Overall FAR Maximum 7.0* 11.0 10.0 9.0 12.0

Base FAR Maximum 4.0* 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 * Does not include floor area dedicated to parking

This table summarizes the proposed Base Maximum and Overall Maximum limits for each lot size and building form. The maximums are based on Floor Area Ratio, or FAR. This number represents the total allowed building floor area divided by the area of the lot. You may notice the Overall Maximum numbers are higher than currently allowed. This is partly because parking is not currently included in the calculation of total building area. We are proposing to change that and include parking in the calculation since it equally adds to the overall bulk and scale of the building.

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Shaping Larger Buildings for Pedestrian Comfort

Upper Story Setback

Mass Reduction

Point Tower Limitations

The proposed zoning includes several tools to better shape larger buildings as they get taller including upper story setbacks, mass reduction, and limitations on the size and separation of Point Towers.

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Upper Story Setback

Upper Story Setback applies across entire

street-facing side

Upper Story Setback applies only across part of the street-facing side

Upper Story Setbacks can make a building feel only 3‐5 stories tall from the pedestrian’s experience, while it may in fact be much taller. This tool can be especially useful with the taller Point Tower form. In this example, the street‐facing side on the left incorporates an Upper Story Setback across the entire frontage, whereas the side on the right only has a setback across a portion of the frontage.

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Activating the Street Level

Residential Setbacks

Street Level Non-Residential

Active Uses

Street Level Open Space

Enhancing street level activity has been consistently identified as a top priority to be addressed in the new zoning. We are proposing a number of tools including requiring a setback in locations where residential units are at the ground floor. This provides space for patios, stoops, porches, and landscaping to create a more appropriate transition between the public sidewalk and private home. In addition, larger projects are also proposed to be required to provide non‐residential uses at the ground floor such as retail, commercial, or office space and to create publicly‐accessible open spaces.

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Promoting Neighborhood Character • Preliminary criteria for defining a

Character Building • No age restriction • Exhibit distinctive architectural details

and materials • Exhibit distinctive massing and/or roof form • Relationship with the streetscape context • Minimum level of quality/integrity

• Voluntarily designated Character Buildings receive a bonus in exchange for review of future modifications

The eclectic nature of the neighborhood … mixing old with new and large with small … is partly what makes this area so vibrant and exciting. The proposed zoning promotes the protection of existing buildings that add to the character of the Golden Triangle through the incentive system. A new, voluntary classification of “Character Building” that is more flexible than Landmark designation will support the reuse of these buildings and discourage their demolition.

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Instructions for Online Survey

OK, now that you have reviewed all the presentation slides, it’s time to get ready for the online survey.

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1. Review the presentation slides for an overview of the preliminary preferred alternative

Congratulations! You have just completed Step 1 in preparation for the online survey.

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2. Review the topic boards for more details on the proposed zoning tools

Step 2 is to review the five topic boards to see more details on the proposed zoning tools.

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3. Provide your feedback via the online survey! Go to www.denvergov.org/goldentriangle to find the link.

Step 3 is to provide your feedback via the online survey. Go to the project website at www.denvergov.org/goldentriangle to find the link.

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www.denvergov.org/goldentriangle






3. Provide your feedback via the online survey! Go to www.denvergov.org/goldentriangle to find the link.

4. Tell your friends!

Finally, tell your friends to visit the project website, learn more about the proposed zoning, and take the survey!

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Next Steps

Here are a few important next steps to keep in mind as we move forward.

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Next Steps

• Preferred Strategy Interim Report #3 (end of April)

• Internal Drafting of Zoning Code Language (April-June)

• Public Review of New D-GT Zoning (anticipated July)

We will summarize the preferred strategy for the new zoning in a third Interim Report and make it available towards the end of April. Then, we will tackle the writing of the new zoning code text and expect to release a draft for public review in the summer, hopefully July. Stay tuned to the website for updates!

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Thank you!

Thank you again for your time and interest in the Golden Triangle zoning update project!

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