Commission reviews proposed commercial standards for Downtown Design Overlay — awnings, marquees, colonnades

Planning staff presented the first draft of commercial design standards for the Downtown Design Overlay at the Nov. 13 HDC meeting, focusing on awnings, marquees, colonnades and arcades.

Kylie (planning staff) explained the draft would keep residential, commercial and mixed‑use standards separate and listed dimensional rules for first‑floor awnings and marquees: depth measured to the back of the curb and a minimum 7‑foot clear height. She said there are no minimum standards for awnings above the first floor. Staff recommended prohibiting high‑gloss or plasticized fabrics for awnings and marquees.

On colonnades and arcades, staff read code definitions (colonnade: roofed structure over the sidewalk with supporting columns; arcade: similar but composed of counter‑thrusting arches) and recommended retaining the requirement that colonnades be built only where minimum depth can be achieved to allow safe pedestrian navigation. Staff proposed removing a separate right‑of‑way encroachment note because that detail is addressed in a standards section that applies to all building types.

Commissioners discussed the difficulty of hosting illustrations in the city’s Municode system and explored alternatives: a separate illustrated manual, an illustrated, hyperlinked code package, or keeping simplified line drawings rather than photographs for clarity. Staff said an illustrated or hyperlinked format would be preferable for public comprehension and that a unified format across the city’s development code would be ideal, though it may require more time and funding to implement.

No formal vote on design standards occurred; staff said they would continue processing the draft in smaller segments at future meetings.