Cherry Creek North Design Guidelines - City and County of Denver

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Buildings Retail Continuity at the Street Level 8 Scale INTENT ◗ CHERRY CREEK NORTH To encourage Cherry Creek North to become a place of concentrated pedestrian activity and interaction. One thing that makes the area interesting is the amount of activity on the street. If the streets are to have life, buildings must be oriented to the street. Ground floor uses and activities in new developments should be integrated with existing retail uses and activities along the street front. To create buildings and spaces that are pedestrian in scale and that impart feelings of adequacy and comfort rather than intimidation; to encourage designs for buildings and spaces that contain an abundance of visual clues as to size. Definition Scale is the term used to describe the perception of a building’s (or space’s) size in relation to a human. As we look at a building, we tend to want to know how big it is relative to ourselves. So we look for clues that might tell us. The most obvious clues are doors and windows. Other clues may be the size of a brick, a handrail, a step, a pattern of texture. Facades than contain a hierarchy of subdivisions, patterns, objects and textures tend to give us the feeling that we can grasp the building’s size and thus establish a relationship between the building and ourselves. At one end of the range of scales is monumental, which deprives the observer of the ability to gauge size (by oversizing even familiar objects), with the intention of imparting feelings of inadequacy and intimidation in the observer. Near the other end is pedestrian, which gives the observer an abundance of clues as to size, with the intention of giving the observer the sense that he/she can grasp the building’s size, and is able to judge how he/she relates to it in terms of size. We tend to feel more comfortable when we feel as though we know how we fit into our surroundings. Scale is one of the elements or aspects that contributes to our perception of a place’s character. In Cherry Creek North the scales of existing buildings vary, but the area along 3rd Avenue, which is most closely identified with Cherry Creek North’s image, is small, human and pedestrian in scale. It is the area that seems to feel most comfortable.
URBAN DESIGN STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES GUIDELINES ◗ Though lacking in handicaped access, a good This plaza, mid-block between Filmore Plaza and ◗ When planning new buildings or redevelopment projects, develop the ground level with as much street oriented retail and service space as possible. At least 75% of new building fronts shall be occupied by retail use (including restaurants). Offices, clubs, and banks, among other uses, are permitted only within the remaining building front. ◗ Develop the ground level of buildings to provide visual interest to pedestrians. This means either outdoor dining areas or retail display windows or service-oriented activities that can be viewed through storefront glazing. If the building face at the sidewalk edge cannot be glazed, then the blank wall should be treated in an interesting way with decorative architectural finishes, screens, display cases, sculpture, murals, or plant materials. ◗ Design buildings to be small-scale, and pedestrian-oriented at the street level. ◗ Use structural bays, expressed columns, window mullions, etc to give the ground floor level human scale. ◗ Design small-scale buildings that add to the variety of architectural styles found in the District. ◗ A wide variety of architectural styles and treatments are encouraged in the area as it adds to the enjoyment of the district. This does not mean, however, to encourage designs that are outlandish or incongruent with the character of the district. ◗ Design large buildings so that they appear small in scale. Avoid massive, monolithic facades. ◗ In general, all retail shops at street level should have direct access to and from the sidewalk. Avoid designs that call for shoppers to enter internal malls or lobbies before entering shops, unless to serve upper level shops. ◗ Avoid split-level entrance schemes where shops are entered via steps or stairs to a below grade or above grade retail level. Split-level entrances tend to reduce pedestrian activity on the street and create barriers between shoppers on the sidewalk and the display windows. Split level entrance schemes create a character very different from that which is created by having shop entrances that open directly onto the sidewalk. ◗ Limit the height of building facades at the sidewalk edge to two stories. Floors above the second floor should be set back so that they cannot be seen from the sidewalk in front of the building. ◗ The length of a north or south façade shall not exceed 125 feet without interruption. Thus, if a project extends from a north-south street and has frontage on an east-west street, its mass will be broken at the usual street to alley dimension and will reflect the historic development pattern. ◗ If a project’s site is larger than one block, interrupt the building’s facades where streets would have been had they been extended through the site on the street grid. storefront example: clear visibility and signage Milwaukee on the south side of 2nd Avenue, breaks the well integrated into the storefront design. building’s mass at ground level, preventing the block’s scale from becoming too large. 9
Page 1: D ESIGN GUIDELINES for C H E R R Y
Page 4 and 5: ii CHERRY CREEK NORTH Signs . . . .
Page 6 and 7: 2 Cherry Creek North is unique. It
Page 8 and 9: 4 ■ Process when Exterior Improve
Page 10 and 11: 6 The guidelines generally address
Page 14 and 15: Buildings 10 Storefront Design Arca
Page 16 and 17: Buildings 12 Sidewalk Cafes Handica
Page 18 and 19: Buildings Street Wall Amelioration
Page 20 and 21: Parking 16 Parking INTENT ◗ CHERR
Page 22 and 23: Plazas Plazas Landscaping Paving Tr
Page 24 and 25: Plazas 20 Seating Pedestrian Lighti
Page 26 and 27: Plazas 22 Telephone Booths Litter R
Page 28 and 29: Signs 24 Business Signs INTENT ◗
Page 30 and 31: Streetscape 26 Street Trees Pedestr
Page 32 and 33: Streetscape 28 Intersection Markers
Page 34 and 35: Streetscape 30 Newspaper Dispensers

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