Page 22 - San Marcos, TX Design Manual

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Design Guidelines APPENDIX

D. (Previous Section on Views) Views within CD-5D from the d. Do not locate a mechanical or service area directly
public right of way to the University and Courthouse Square adjacent to a residential neighborhood.
are important and should be retained. The location of the
building on a site, in addition to its scale, height, and massing, 2. Minimize negative impacts of a commercial operation on
can impact views from the adjacent public right of way, an adjacent residential property.
including streets, sidewalks, intersections, and public spaces. a. Locate a commercial activity that generates noise,

1. Minimize the impacts to primary views from the public odor or other similar impacts away from the shared
right of way to the University and Courthouse Square. lot line with a residential property.

Section A.1.4.6 Neighborhood Transitions b. Where a commercial use is adjacent to a residential
use, buffer or screen the commercial activities. This
A. Overview. Sensitive neighborhood transitions are crucial to could include a buffer area with landscaping and
reducing conflicts between adjacent sites with differing uses outdoor amenities such as an exercise area, picnic
as well as between adjacent zoning districts with different area or pedestrian walkway.
uses. Most commonly this is seen as a transition between a
commercial use and an adjacent residential neighborhood, c. Where a fence or physical barrier is needed to
but it can also be occur at an interface with a natural feature minimize negative impacts from the commercial
such as a park or creek. Where a potential conflict occurs, operation, utilize a barrier that retains some
a sensitive transition that limits the potential negative effects transparency.
from the commercial activity on the residential property (such 3. Design a landscape buffer area to include amenities. This
as towering heights or loud noise) should be incorporated into may include:
the development. Site design adjacent to an existing or future
residential neighborhood should provide a compatible transition a. Multi-use paths
that minimizes potential negative impacts while promoting
positive connections. In addition to the sensitive site transition b. Picnic areas
guidelines below and diagrams in Table 1.6, refer to Varied c. Exercise areas
Building Massing guidelines and diagrams in Table 1.2 to show
how a building can be designed to transition the form toward a d. Playgrounds
lower scale use.
e. Water features, including landscaped stormwater
B. Guidelines. The following guidelines should be used when management
considering Neighborhood Transitions:
f. Other landscape features
1. Design a site with a new land use to be compatible with C. Neighborhood Transitions Examples. The following Table
adjacent neighborhoods.
1.7 illustrates a variety of strategies to design a transition to a
a. Place and orient a building to minimize potential sensitive adjacent property. These strategies focus on utilizing
negative impacts on an adjacent residential space for lower-intensity uses between a primary building and
neighborhood. a sensitive edge to ease the transition. The intent of each of
these strategies is to minimize potential negative impacts on a
b. Avoid orienting the rear of a building toward an sensitive site, and to provide a compatible transition in terms
adjacent residential neighborhood. of mass and scale. These strategies should be considered
when designing a new development near a sensitive property
c. Avoid creating an impassable barrier between a newly
developed site and an adjacent neighborhood. as explained in Chapter 4, Article 3, Division 6: “Neighborhood
Transitions” of the Development Code.

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