Chapter 26 - City of Punta Gorda

ARTICLE 7
ARCHITECTURAL PROVISIONS
The architectural elements of building type, definition, style, and character serve
as essential elements of City design. Setbacks, height, and use are components of a
building’s frontage and type. This Article shall serve as the framework for the
architectural and building design requirements noted throughout this ordinance. The
provisions of this Article shall not apply to any single family or duplex structure within
the “Trabue Woods Historic Overlay District”.
{Ord. No. 1470-07, 2, 3-7-07}
Section 7.1. Lot Types
The categories of buildings permitted reflect the residential, retail, and urban
type structures common to Punta Gorda. Some buildings cannot be subjected to
typological categorization such as manufacturing, industrial, and large campus type
structures. Civic buildings, which must express the aspirations of the institutions they
embody, are exempt from the discipline of type since they shall meet or exceed type
requirements.
(a) All-yard. This type of building occupies the center of the lot with setbacks on
all sides. It is the least urban of the types so it is usually assigned to areas away
from Neighborhood Centers and the City Center. This building type is usually
residential, but when parking is constrained to the rear yard it lends itself to
limited office and retail uses. The front yard is intended to be semi-public green
space and visually continuous with the yards of neighbors. The rear yard can be
secured for privacy by fences well-placed outbuildings and/or landscaping.
(b) Side-yard. This type of building occupies one side of the lot with the primary
open space to the other side. The visual manifestation of the side yard on the
street front causes this building type to appear freestanding, so that it may be
interspersed with all-yard-type buildings in less urban locations. If the adjacent
building is also a side-yard type with a blank party wall, the open space can be
quite private. This type permits orientation with the long side-yard elevation
facing the sun or the breeze.
(c) Rear-yard. This type of building occupies the front of its lot, full width,
eliminating most side yards and leaving the rear portion as a private space. This
is a relatively urban type appropriate for Neighborhood Centers and the City
Center. The building facade defines the edge of the public space while the rear
elevation may be articulated for functional purposes. In its residential form, this
type is represented by row houses with a rear garden and outbuilding creating
privacy. In its commercial form, the depth of the rear yard can contain
substantial parking for retail and office uses.
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