18.29.060 Development standards

A. Minimum lot area: none.

B. Minimum lot width: none.

C. Minimum lot depth: none.

D. Floor Area Ratio. Floor area ratio is the cumulative amount of floor area within a building as a multiple of the lot area.

Floor Area Ratio (FAR)¹
Basic Allowable “As of Right”	Maximum Allowable with Bonuses
Nonresidential²	Residential²	Nonresidential	Residential³	Combined⁴
3.0	2.0	4.0	3.5	5.0

E. Bonus Features Allowing Increased Floor Area Ratio.

Feature	Additional Gross Floor Area for Each Feature
Street level retail	100 sf of floor area for each linear foot of retail frontage
Restaurant	100 sf of floor area for each linear foot of restaurant frontage
Public plaza	5 sf of floor area for each sf of plaza
Widening public sidewalk	4 sf of floor area for each sf of sidewalk made available for public use
Canopy	4 sf of floor area for each sf of canopy
Daycare	4 sf of floor area for each sf of daycare
Health club	2 sf of floor area for each sf of health club
Performing space	2 sf of floor area for each sf of performing space
Public meeting room	5 sf of floor area for each sf of meeting room
Public art (arts commission approval required)	10 sf of floor area for each $100 of valuation
Water feature	10 sf of floor area for each $100 of valuation
Structured parking	0.5 sf of floor area for each sf of required parking above grade
Below grade parking	1 sf of floor area for each sf of required parking below grade (including half-level plate below grade)
Green roof	2 sf of floor area for each sf of green roof
Public restrooms	10 sf of floor area for each sf of public restroom
Contribution to a public park or cultural facility such as a library, museum or theater within 0.5 miles of the DUC zone; also, any project including a performance or entertainment venue is eligible for these bonuses, based upon the value of construction	10 sf of floor area for each $100 of contribution towards acquisition or development. This can be used to exceed both maximum FAR and maximum building height by up to 25%
Development of open space such as open roof decks, balconies, lanais or parts of the building and improved for outdoor living; including rooftop daycare play areas, dog walking areas, etc.	5 sf of floor area for each sf of open space

An applicant may be required to provide a legally binding agreement or easement to ensure any of the above features is maintained over the life of the project.

F. Maximum Building Height. Maximum building height within the DUC zone shall be 75 feet, unless bonus height is permitted per subsection E of this section.

1. If retail uses occupy the ground floor, the minimum height for that floor shall be 14 feet.

2. Mechanical penthouses, stair/elevator overruns, and antennas may be excluded from building height calculation provided they extend no more than 20 feet above the roof deck.

3. Maximum building height may be increased by up to 20 percent if the top is designed as a nonhabitable, architectural element. This element may extend above the increased height limit.

G. Minimum Building Height. The minimum height for any new structure within the DUC zone shall be two stories for the full extent of the building footprint.

H. Parking Ratios. The following parking standards shall apply within the DUC zone in lieu of any standard noted in ACC 18.52.020 or provision of ACC 18.52.030:

Use Type	Minimum Required	Maximum Allowed for Surface Parking Lots
Retail	2 stalls/1,000 nsf	4 stalls/1,000 nsf¹
Office	2 stalls/1,000 nsf	4 stalls/1,000 nsf
Residential	1 stall per dwelling unit	2 per dwelling unit
Restaurant	0.5 stall per 4 seats	1 stall per 4 seats

1 nsf = net square feet

1. Parking requirements for uses not listed shall be determined by a study of parking demand for that use, as prepared by a qualified professional and as accepted by the director.

2. Retail and restaurant uses less than 3,000 nsf in area shall be exempt from parking requirements.

3. Uses sharing a common parking facility may reduce the required number of stalls by 25 percent.

4. Required parking may be located off site, so long as it is: (a) located within the DUC zone, (b) within 1,000 feet of the property, (c) connected to the property by streets improved with sidewalks or walkways, and (d) tied to the site by a contractual agreement reviewed and approved by the city attorney that is filed with the city and deed of record at the county.

5. On-street parking that is located directly adjacent to a development site may be used to satisfy minimum parking requirements and shall not be included in determining maximum surface parking allowances.

6. Dedicated off-site parking provided within a parking structure may be used to provide FAR bonuses for a project on a separate site, provided the parking structure is located consistent with this chapter.

7. The maximum standards noted in the table above may be exceeded if all stalls above the maximum limit are provided within a parking structure.

8. Compliance with these standards is not required for a change of use within an existing building or whenever there is an expansion of an existing building or a new building replaces an existing building that does not increase the floor area by more than 25 percent.

9. In lieu of providing the minimum parking required by this section, an applicant may request to pay for each required parking stall into a special fund that will be used to provide and upgrade municipal parking to serve the DUC zone. The per-stall fee shall be as specified in the city’s fee schedule.

I. Signs. The design of all signs shall be in conformance with the design standards referenced in ACC 18.29.070. Allowable types, numbers and sizes of signs shall be as follows:

1. Freestanding: not allowed, except for monument signs as described within the “Downtown Auburn Design Standards”; no more than one per street frontage; maximum size: 64 square feet, calculated at a rate of one square foot of sign area per lineal foot of site frontage; minimum entitlement shall be 32 square feet; maximum height: five feet.

2. Wall signs: maximum area of 150 square feet per building facade, calculated at a rate of one square foot of sign area for every lineal foot of facade; minimum entitlement shall be 16 square feet.

3. Suspended signs attached under a marquee or canopy: one double-faced sign, no greater than three square feet per face allowed for each building entrance; minimum clearance above grade: eight feet.

4. Portable Signs. Portable signs may be allowed for each business entrance, subject to the following:

a. Signs may be placed within the public right-of-way, within 12 feet of a business entrance, subject to the guidelines provided by the director in consultation with the city engineer such that sign placement does not interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic, does not create a sight hazard, and conforms to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Additional portable signage may be authorized in order to support downtown events that are permitted or sanctioned by the city.

b. The sign shall be in accordance with the provisions of ACC 18.56.030(L).

c. The sign area cannot exceed 42 inches in height, 32 inches in width, and be limited to two faces.

d. Portable signs are not permitted to be affixed to city infrastructure located within the right-of-way (e.g., street lights, fire hydrants, public art). This includes a prohibition of chaining or otherwise securing portable signs to such infrastructure.

e. Signs may be displayed during business hours and shall not be displayed when the business is closed.

f. No landscaping may be covered, cut, damaged, or modified to accommodate a portable sign. The city may require replacement of any damaged landscaping pursuant to Chapter 18.50 ACC.

g. All portable signs shall have the permit number affixed to the back of the sign.

J. Landscaping. Landscaping shall be provided as defined in the Downtown Auburn Design Standards. (Ord. 6828 § 1 (Exh. A), 2021; Ord. 6534 § 1, 2014; Ord. 6419 § 1, 2012; Ord. 6071 § 6 (Exh. A), 2007.)