Attachment 30m to Al reas
3"5 Floor Area Ratio
• • -• • e 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ o ~ • • • e • ~ • • e @ • • • e • • • • s 9 e e • • • • • • o • ~ e • • • ~ • • •
A Base floor area ratio (FAR) and Maximum FAR ane allowed in each character area, with the highest intensities in the
Gateway Area and the lowest intensities in the Edge Area. Additional Bonus FAR, up to the Maximum FAR, may be
granted to projects that 1) meet the requirements for higher building"'.level environmental performance, 2) contribute
to public benefits or district-level improvements, and/or 3) transfer development rights ~rom the Edge Area to the
Core Area. Below is additional information on the Precise Plan's approach to FAR.
Standards
1. FAR Bonus Review. Proposed net new development over 0.45 FAR requesting FAR Bonuses shall be subject to
FAR Bonus Review Guidelines, as adopted by the City Council. The City Council shall determine if the proposed
development meets this Council adopted FAR Bonus evaluation policy.
These requirements apply to the amount of square footage analyzed in the General Plan EIR and Precise Plan
EIR. Any proposed development above what was studied in the General Plan EIR and Precise Plan EIR requires
additional CEQA review authorized by the City Council.
2. LEED Platinum or alternative green building standard. Projects that meet the intent of Leadership in Energy
& Environmental Design (LEED) Building Design and Construction (BD+C) Platinum (80+ points) or an alternative
green building standard may receive Bonus FAR as regulated by the character area Bonus FAR tiers.
3. Higher-performing green building: Higher performing green building projects in the Core and General Character
Areas meeting the intent of LEED BD+C Platinum and the performance standards specified in Appendix B shall
receive an additional bonus of 0.25 FAR.48
4. Zero net green building. Projects in the Cone and General Character Areas that meet the State's definition for
zero net energy4 9 or net zero water 50 shall receive an FAR bonus in gross floor area of 0.25 FAR.
48 The performance standards focus on energy use and generation, water use, and materials management.
49 California set an aggressive goal for all new commercial building construction to be zero net energy or equivalent to zero net energy by 2030 . Zero net energy is a general term
applied to a building with a net energy consumption of zero over a typical year. To cope with fluctuations in demand, zero energy buildings are typically envisioned as connected to
the grid, exporting electricity to the grid when there is a surplus, and drawing electricity when not enough electricity is being produced.
so Zero water buildings are envisi .oned using captured rainfall or reused / recycled water .
chapter 3
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ATTACHMENT t J
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5. Public benefit or district-improvement projects. Projects may earn an FAR bonus if they provide public benefits
or contribute to a district improvement project.
a. Amount of FAR bonus. The amount of the FAR bonus for a given project depends on the contribution
to the public benefit or district-improvement project. At the discretion of the Mountain View City Council,
a project that meets the intent of public benefit or district-improvement project may receive Bonus FAR as
regulated by the character area Bonus FAR tiers.
b. Types of projects. These on-or off-site improvement projects may include habitat expansion or enhancement,
district sustainability systems, new open space, construction or contribution to district parking structures,
district transportation improvements, expansion of existing TDM programs to other properties, or other
projects proposed by applicants. Specific public benefit or district-improvement projects shall be determined
during review of the proposed project.
6. Transfer of Development Rights. The Precise Plan allows the transfer of development from the Edge Character
Area to the Core Character Area. For more information on the Transfer of Development Rights (TOR) section on
see page 53.
a. Eligibility. Parcels in the Core CharacterArea are "receiving" sites and may receive additional floor area
from "sending" sites in the Edge Character Area. Sites in the Gateway and General Character Areas are
not eligible to participate in the TDR.
b. Amount of transfer. Parcels in the Core Character Area may receive up to 0.50 FAR in gross floor area.
The transfer of FAR shall occur after a project meets the requirements for up to 1.0 FAR.
c. Habitat enh .ancement. Habitat restoration or enhancement shall be completed on the sending site in the
Edge Character Area or on another predetermined site within or adjacent to North Bayshore at the discretion
of the City Council. The final building certificate of occupancy associated with the TDR shall not be released
until the habitat enhancement plan has been implemented to the satisfaction of the Zoning Administrator .
3.1 ~2 Floor Area Ratio
Standards
1. Minimum FAR. For new construction 1 and additions 2 , the Minimum FAR
in the Gateway Character Area is 1.0.
2. Maximum FAR. For new construction and additions, the Maximum FAR 3
in the Gateway Character Area is 2.35.
3. Exemptions from FAR calculation~ Building spaces for small companies,
or building spaces for educational, cultural, or public service uses may be
excluded from gross floor area when calculating FAR at the discretion of
the Zoning Administrator if they are provided as a communi t y benefit. The
maximum FAR exemption shall not exceed 10% of the maximum allowed
FAR or 10,000 square feet, whichever is less. If an existing building is being
preserved for use by a small company as part of a development proposal,
the maximum FAR exemption shall not apply.
4. Transportation dedications and easements. Any new dedication or
easement for a road, path, or other transportation purpose shall not be
deducted from a site's gross lot area for the purposes of calculating FAR.
A ll other site requirements, such as required open space, will be based
on a project's net site area.
1 New construction is defined as a newly constructed building and does not include additions, alterations , or repairs .
2 An addition i s defined as new construction square footage added to an existi n g structure .
3 Maximum FAR is the maximum floor area includ i ng FAR bonuses and I or transfer of development rights.
chapter J
3m 1 ~3 Bonus FAR
Standards
1. Gateway FAR. To receive a minimum 1 .0 FAR and up to the maximum 2.35
Bonus FAR,4 all projects in the Gateway Character Area shall be regulated
by the Bonus FAR tiers as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4: Bonus FAR Combinations-Gateway Character Area
Maximum FAR 2.35
Earn one of the following FAR bonuses (up to 0 .35 FAR):
• Higher-performing green building* • Public benefit or district-
• Zero net green building* improveme n t project
Earn one additional FAR bonus (up to 0.50 FAR):
• Higher-performing green building* • Public benefit or district-
• Zero net green building* improvement project
Earn the public benefit or district-improvement project FAR
bonus, focusing on transportation (up to 0.50 FAR).
All projects shall:
• Meet the applicable standards in the Land Use and Design Chapter;
• Meet the green building standards described in the· Green Building and
Site Design Chapter;
• Earn the LEED Platinum or alternative green building standard FAR bonus;
• Earn the public benefit or district-improvement pro j ect FAR Bonus,
focusing on transportation; ·
• Create a Master Plan for the area; and
• Provide transportation-related dedications, easements, and improvements
through the Gateway Area .
* Applicants cari only request one green building-related Bonus FAR above 1.5 FAR.
4 Bonus FAR is the additional FAR earned by meeting requirements defined in t he FAR section on page 51 . The Base
FAR plus the Bonus FAR may not exceed the Maximum FAR for a Character Area.
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