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guidelines, all use the same parking ratios, and although they will be slightly different in character, they all have generally similar massing and handle parking in different ways. He noted that a vocabulary of building types is used to allow for a variety of buildings to be placed within any of the sites to achieve the required average densities. Mr. Williams indicated that there are a series of architectural features in the design guidelines, with a real emphasis on building entries and front doors that face the street where the activity occurs and where visitors come. He noted that the project is oriented to the outside and to the public, with private amenities within the site plan. Mr. Williams stated that the retail store fronts as well as the Live/Work and Active Use spaces have a height requirement that allows for the flexibility to be either retail or Live/Work in the future, with a minimum depth of 40 feet and a little deeper at the corners to get reasonable retail. He pointed out that there are residential developers, there are commercial retail developers, and then there are mixed-use developers. He added that it is important to have someone who understands both residential and retail to create a quality mixed use development and make a successful use of spaces. Mr. Williams noted that the gateway corners are important corners which are visible on the site and need to be treated in a special way. He added that there are different ways to articulate these corners as part of the architectural features, such as prominent buildings, open spaces, or little plazas. Mr. Williams stated that the regulations and guidelines were put to the test by setting up a series of different parameters with an average of 30 dwelling units per acre as required and a series of different retail and Live/Work options, such as a tuck-under garage theme, podiums with garden apartments that include surface parking and carports, a stand-alone retail portion to the project, and a higher density residential wrap with a parking structure that has three and four stories of residential around it. He indicated that each of the alternatives meet the objectives and goals of the design guidelines in terms of density, parking ratios, and open space requirements. Mr. Williams indicated that all four various scenarios have similar characteristics and similar massings, with the higher density schemes having a bit more open space. With respect to the parking and open space diagrams, he stated that 30 dwelling units per acre can mean different things in site planning: a lot of surface parking and garages in one scheme and a bit more open space and more hidden parking with the higher density podium scheme. He noted that as part of a higher density strategy, the use of a parking structure creates more open space. Mr. Williams noted that the key is the future of eventual buildings that are developed, with quality streetscapes, quality landscaping, quality building design, and open space for the residents and the community. He indicated that the goal for the regulations, standards, and guidelines is to create a quality development that the community can be proud of in the future. EXCERPT: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, January 26, 2011 Page 4 of 40