Page 32 - San Marcos, TX Design Manual

A

Design Guidelines APPENDIX

Section A.1.4.9 Stratagies to Define the Street Wall of a 2. Engage the street (with views to amenities and activities
Forecourt within it)

A. Overview. Forecourts are established when a part of a building 3. Provide interest and activity (such as with outdoor uses,
is stepped back into a site, creating an internal patio or plaza artworks and water features)
that begins at the sidewalk edge. Incorporating a forecourt
in the design of a new building is one way to activate the 4. Be accessible (such as with pathways to the street and to
street frontage and connect the public realm to the private building entrances)
development. C. Forecourt Examples. The following Table 1.10 illustrates three

ways that the edge of a forecourt can be designed to be a
B. Guidelines. The following guidelines should be used when
considering strategies to maintain the street wall of a welcoming environment. The intent is to activate the space
forecourt and activate the forecourt to enhance the pedestrian between the sidewalk and the beginning of a forecourt to draw
experience. It should: in pedestrians. These apply when considering the design of a
forecourt in Section 4.3.5.5, “Forecourt” of the Development
1. Maintain a sense of definition of the street edge (such as Code.
with a change in paving or a line of plantings.)

Table 1.10 strategies To Define A street Edge With A Forecourt
Some strategies that define an active street frontage for forecourts are illustrated below. These are intended to maintain the line of storefronts at the
street edge.

Colonnade/Arcade site Wall Planters

Extending a colonnade or arcade across a A low wall with plantings can help bridge a A series of planters can help define the street
forecourt can help define the street edge. forecourt to maintain an active, pedestrian- edge along a forecourt.
oriented street frontage.

San Marcos Design Manual A:33