Sec. 1.5.12. National Register Historic District Residential Garage Parking Options

Intent
1. The intent of the residential garage options is to minimize the visual impact of street-facing garage doors.
2. Where garage doors can be seen from the street, measures should be taken to reduce the visual impact of the doors.
3. Measures include garage doors set back from the front wall plane, architectural treatments, translucent garage doors, single doors, projecting elements over the garage doors (such as bay windows) and limits on the total number of doors that face the street.
4. Where garage doors are located perpendicular to the street, measures should be taken to reduce the visual impact of the side wall that faces the street. Measures include architectural treatments, changes in material, landscaping, vegetation or the installation of windows.
Applicability
1. Any private residential garage located in a National Register Historic District, but not in a General Historic Overlay District, Streetside Historic Overlay District or a City of Raleigh designated Historic Landmark, constructed after September 1, 2013, must meet the standards of this section.
2. In addition to the standards provided in this section, attached and detached garages must meet all applicable requirements for either principal buildings or accessory structures as set forth in this UDO.
3. Any garage constructed prior to September 1, 2013 that does not comply with these private residential garage parking options is not considered non-conforming. If a pre-existing garage is voluntarily demolished, any new garage must be constructed in compliance with these regulations. If a preexisting garage that does not meet these regulations is destroyed following a casualty, the garage may be reconstructed to its previous state.
Design Alternate Findings
The Planning Commission or Design Review Commission performing the quasi-judicial duties of the Planning Commission (as designated by the City Council), after conducting a duly noticed quasi-judicial evidentiary hearing in accordance with Sec. 10.2.17., shall approve an alternate garage option, if all of the following findings are satisfied:
1. The approved alternate is consistent with the intent of the garage option regulations;
2. Measures are taken to mitigate the visual impact of the garage design; and
3. The required garage setbacks are met
Detached House and Attached House
On lots of less than 1 acre, garage placement must match one of the following standards.
1. Front-facing, Attached to House
  1. Garage doors are oriented towards the front wall plane.
  2. For garage doors positioned 6 feet or less behind the front wall plane of habitable space, garage doors may not comprise more than 50% of the overall width of the front-facing wall planes of the house.
  3. For garage doors positioned more than 6 feet behind the front wall plane of habitable space, garage doors may not comprise more than 66% of the overall width of the front-facing wall planes of the house.
2. Side-facing, Attached to House
  1. Garage doors are oriented perpendicular to the front wall plane.
  2. The garage may not comprise more than 66% of the overall width of all front-facing wall planes of the house.
3. Detached
  Garage is placed no closer to the primary street or the side street than the principal structure's closest wall plane to the street.
4. Alley-Loaded
  1. Garage is placed entirely to the rear of the house and is alley-accessed.
  2. Garage doors must face the alley.
  3. The garage must either be located 4 feet from the alley right-of-way or be a minimum of 20 feet from the alley right-of-way.
  4. Where parking spaces are located between the garage and the alley, the garage must be located at least 20 feet from the alley right-of-way.
Townhouse
1. Rear-Loaded
  1. Garage is placed entirely to the rear of the townhouse and is rearaccessed. Garage can be attached or detached.
  2. The garage must either be located 4 feet from the alley right-of-way or easement or rear access drive or be a minimum of 20 feet from the alley right-of-way or easement or rear access drive.
  3. Where parking spaces are located between the garage and the alley or rear access drive, the garage must be located at least 20 feet from the alley or rear access drive.
2. Front-Loaded
  1. Garage doors may constitute no more than 50% of the width of the individual townhouse unit.
  2. Combined parking and driveway area shall not constitute more than 50% of the area between the front building facade and the front property line.
  3. Any parking in the front setback must have sufficient depth so that parked cars do not encroach on the adjacent sidewalk. To provide sufficient depth, the garage doors must be set back at least 20 feet from the sidewalk.
  4. Garage doors must be recessed at least 1 foot behind the front wall plane or a second-story element over the garage doors must be provided that extends at least 1 foot beyond the front wall plane.