Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas
The allowable height along the river, I believe, is 90 feet. After that, they must setback before being able to go up another 90+ feet. This is why the CSC/Silicon Labs buildings stop abruptly at 90 feet fronting Cesar Chavez.
As for the crown, it needs work. People can say that street/ground interaction is most important, and it is to an extent, of course, but there will be a lot of eyes on this thing and from afar. Materials, textures, colors, and designs are important not just at ground level, but all the way up. With every new building and every new design, our architectural style takes a step in a new direction.
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The height and stepback requirements of the Waterfront Overlay District vary by sub-district. The most common one is maximum 45' vertical from the property line, and 70 degrees above that. Both NorthShore and Block 185 meet it with different strategies. NorthShore meets the stepback by stepping back in three large blocks. Block 185 is almost a literal diagram of the height and stepback requirements. The reason Block 185 can go higher than 45 feet on the creek side is that the original property line / Rio Grande ROW is within the creek, so the bottom of the stepback slope at 45 feet is some distance from the building located on the top of the bank. When Silicon Labs and City Hall were planned, they amended the North Shore Central subdistrict of the WOD to create a new three block City Hall subdistrict. In the new subdistrict, the height and stepback requirements can be met the standard way (45'/70 degrees) or if the maximum height is 90 feet. So the Silicon Labs buildings cannot be any taller unless they redevelop with a maximum 45' height on Cesar Chavez, or amend the WOD again.