tell me about WANP

The Wells Avenue Neighborhood Planning Area (WANP) Overlay District establishes specialized development standards intended to preserve and enhance the unique urban character of the Wells Avenue corridor. These regulations are superimposed over underlying base zoning districts to ensure that new development and major renovations complement the neighborhood's established streetscape, block patterns, and architectural framework [Section 18.02.603(g)(1), p. 110].

General Standards

The overlay applies to all development within the WANP boundaries, with the exception of parcels designated as Urban Residential/Commercial or Public Facility [Section 18.02.603(g)(2), p. 110].

• Building Orientation: Primary buildings must be oriented toward and accessed from the front yard and street, with the main entrance located on the front facade [Section 18.02.603(g)(3)c, p. 110].
• Prohibited Materials: The use of sheet metal siding, tilt-up concrete panels, and smooth-faced gray concrete block is prohibited as a primary exterior building material [Section 18.02.603(g)(3)d, p. 110-111].
• Parking: Up to 50 percent of required off-street parking may be substituted with on-street parking [Section 18.02.603(g)(3)b, p. 110]. Specific parking rates are defined for nonresidential/mixed-use (Table 2-41) and residential uses (Table 2-42) [Section 18.02.603(g)(3)a, p. 110].

Residential Standards

These standards apply to the Mixed-Residential (MR-14, MR-30) and Mixed-Use Residential (MUR) designations [Section 18.02.603(g)(4)a, p. 111].

• Massing and Form: Multi-family buildings must either articulate front facades to appear as separate homes (stepping back the facade a minimum of 10 feet at the side yard setback) or, for buildings of four units or less, be designed to resemble a large single-family home [Section 18.02.603(g)(4)c, p. 112].
• Transitions: Infill projects that exceed the height of adjacent homes by one or more stories must provide a transition using at least two specific techniques, such as graduating building height with 10-foot deep step-backs, utilizing similar roof pitches/overhangs, or installing canopy trees 20 feet on center within the side yard [Section 18.02.603(g)(4)d, p. 112-113].
• Building Length and Variety: The maximum allowable length for a multi-family building is 80 feet [Section 18.02.603(g)(4)e, p. 114]. Additionally, no single housing type (e.g., duplex, townhouse, apartment) may occupy more than 40 percent of a block face [Section 18.02.603(g)(4)g, p. 115].
• Garages: Off-street parking is prohibited within the front yard setback. Garages must be oriented toward and accessed from an alley or detached and located in the rear yard [Section 18.02.603(g)(4)f, p. 114].

Specific Land Use Designations

• Single-Family (SF): Maximum height is two stories or 30 feet. Building coverage cannot exceed 20 percent above the existing lot coverage or 30 percent total, whichever is less. Garages must be recessed at least 10 feet behind the front facade or two feet beneath a second-floor bay [Section 18.02.603(g)(5), p. 117].
• Multi-Family (MF-14): Maximum building coverage is 45 percent, which may increase to 65 percent if the height is limited to 1.5 stories or 30 feet [Section 18.02.603(g)(6), p. 119].
• Multi-Family (MF-30): Maximum building coverage is 50 percent, which may increase to 70 percent if the height is limited to 35 feet and the side yard setback is increased to 12 feet [Section 18.02.603(g)(7), p. 120-121].
• Wells Avenue Mixed-Use (WA-MU): This is the "main street" area. Maximum height is three stories or 45 feet. The maximum footprint for a single-use commercial building is 30,000 square feet. Ground floor transparency must be at least 40 percent for nonresidential uses and 25 percent for residential uses [Section 18.02.603(g)(8), p. 121-123].
• Mixed-Residential (MUR): Maximum building coverage is 40 percent, which may increase to 60 percent if the height is limited to 35 feet. Maximum height is three stories or 45 feet [Section 18.02.603(g)(9), p. 126-127].

Public Realm and Streetscape

• Sidewalks and Zones: A continuous street tree/furniture zone (min. 8 feet wide) and a continuous sidewalk (min. 8 feet wide) are required [Section 18.02.603(g)(8)g-h, p. 124].
• Pedestrian Amenities: At least 25 percent of the required landscaped area must be devoted to accessible pedestrian amenities (e.g., benches, public art, shade structures) [Section 18.02.603(g)(8)k, p. 125].
• Signage: Signs must be compatible with building architecture. In the MUR area, freestanding signs are limited to a maximum height of six feet [Section 18.02.603(g)(9)e, p. 128].

Sections Cited

• Section 18.02.603 Neighborhood Planning Area Overlay Districts, p. 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 117, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128