ACC DESIGN GUIDELINE FOR LIMITING BUILDING HEIGHT
Revised
Purpose:
This guideline is established to ensure that buildings blend with their
surroundings, including both the natural landscape and adjacent structures, and
do not unduly interfere with the view from nearby residences. The guidelines codify limitations on height
and how it is measured.
1.
HEIGHT:
a.
No
building shall exceed twenty-six feet in height.
b.
Specific
unit covenants which restrict height to a lesser height shall be enforced.
2. MEASUREMENT OF HEIGHT – LEVEL SITE:
a.
Building
height shall be measured from the lowest point of the natural contours of the
land lying anywhere within the footprint of the building.
b.
Pre-construction
topological surveys, if available, shall be used to determine the low point
whenever cutting or filling of the building site has occurred as the result of
previous grading activities.
c.
The
3. MEASUREMENT OF HEIGHT – STEEP GRADES:
a.
Where
the building-site is on a steep slope, buildings that step up and down the
natural grade and rise minimally above it are preferred. The ACC may apply the measurement standards
of this paragraph to fit that condition.
b.
For
such designs, it is strongly recommended that a preliminary design application
be submitted to and approved by the ACC, prior to the start of detail
design. This can reduce the potential
for disapproval of the final application and the need for costly redesigns.
c.
Whenever
the ACC determines that site conditions and a proposed stepped design better
meet the purpose of these guidelines, the ACC may choose to characterize the
building as two or more distinct steps for purposes of measuring building
height. Each step shall include all
portions of the building whose ground floor is located at the same elevation.
All of the provisions of paragraph 2 shall be applied to the measurement of the
building height for each such step.
d.
No
step in such a building shall contain more stories than are specified in the
applicable unit covenant. Where unit
covenants prohibit more than one story or limit the area of a second story,
these restrictions shall be enforced for each step.
e.
The
height of each step shall be measured from the lowest point of the natural
contours of the land lying anywhere within the footprint of that particular
step.
f.
The
high point of the building shall be the highest part of the structure lying
anywhere within the footprint of the step projected upward, except for chimneys
and other permitted roof mounted devises.
The point of measurement shall be the same as specified in paragraph 2.
g.
As
a maximum, no step shall have a maximum height greater than as stated in
paragraph 1.
4. DEFINITIONS:
a.
Footprint: The total heated and unheated area of the
ground floor of a building, or portion of a building, not including roof
overhangs or cantilevered spaces.
b.
Stepped
design: A building design wherein two or
more parts of the building are placed with the ground floor at different
elevations.
c.
Story: A living space located within a building.
d.
Ground
floor: The lowest story of a building or
step portion of a building.
e.
Two
Stories: The condition wherein two
living spaces are located one above the other.