1. Overview
These guidelines are offered as a baseline for any physical improvement activity along El Cajon Boulevard between Park Boulevard and 54th Street, including new construction, major rehabilitation, and cosmetic upgrades. While various City codes and ordinances govern improvement activity this information is complementary to those regulations governing property development and improvement, and are supported by the community based organizations having interest and oversight in land use matters.

The purpose of these guidelines is to set out design principles that reflect existing public policy as it relates to the development of property along El Cajon Boulevard. They are intended to be a generic guidelines, for use by anyone interested in the Boulevard and its appearance, yet specific enough that any potential project can be objectively assessed for conformance to current policy.

2. Process
It is in the best interest of anyone involved in physical development activity along the Boulevard to review and work within the recommendations of the adopted community plan and these guidelines. This document has been developed, reviewed, and adopted by the Boulevard's business association. While there is no assurance that simply following these suggestions will avoid any objection to development activity, there can be a reasonable expectation that their use will insure community support for any significant development activity.

To insure proper communications all parties in the land development process should disclose their full intent and planned approach to the particular development issue at the earliest possible time. In general, the parties include some combination of the applicant, their professional staff, the property owner, the City, and the community and business groups having jurisdiction or interest.

3. Land Use
Any land use proposed along the Boulevard should be consistent with the adopted North Park Mid-City Communities Plans and, wherever feasible, is determined in negotiation with all interested parties as described above. Mixed use is encouraged, with the understanding that a variety of uses can fit the description of "mixed". It is in the best interest of all parties to select a mix that compliments and serves adjacent neighborhoods and contributes to the Boulevard as a regional destination. Off street parking is desirable, and should be designed with an eye toward shared parking with adjacent uses where appropriate.

4. Architectural Significance
The Boulevard has been defined by a variety of architectural styles over the years, with the more noticeable reflecting streamline modern, art deco, and even a hint of post W.W.II atomic age. The 1995 Greater Mid-City Historic Preservation Strategy identifies a number of properties along the Boulevard that are considered architecturally significant. These properties should be studied in order to better understand the features that contributed to their being deemed significant, and should be complemented by any new development within their immediate vicinity.

5. Architectural Integrity
Existing buildings, where feasible, should be restored to their original architectural character, especially in the case of revealing hidden ornamentation that may have been covered up. Buildings housing multiple merchants should be renovated uniformly. All additions or alterations to existing buildings should look as if they belong. Signs should complement the structure's architecture, not compete with it.

6. Building Scale
Because the Boulevard is a dynamic area with many land uses at various scales it is not always possible to know what is most appropriate by looking only at adjacent property. The community plan suggests that any development project should be most intense at commercial nodes, less so between nodes, and be appropriately buffered form surrounding residential uses ( so as to not put them in shadows, for example).

Height limits permit mid-rise structures, and other development regulations permit substantial coverage of the lot. Buildings situated along the street frontage with parking to the rear are encouraged, and in most circumstances required.

7. Appearance
The look of a project is as important as its scale. The exterior materials should reflect the style, and the accents such as awnings and color should complement the project tan its surroundings. Windows are important to expose the interior uses, especially for retail uses, and to give occupants a connection to the outside. Conversely, blank walls are discouraged in that they can be dull and uninviting. Where necessary, they should be diminished through architectural design solutions. Accents should be done in the context of the total project. In general, parking should be located to the rear of the property, and curb cuts along the Boulevard should be minimized, permitting ingress only.

8. Materials
Red tile roofs, colored foundation tile, and wrought iron are appropriate materials for use with stucco, mission revival buildings. Colored foundation tile and glass, especially glass block, are more appropriate on the modern and art deco buildings. Wood trim is compatible with masonry buildings. Extreme use of rock, wood, or metal and plastic is not compatible with the dominant architectural styles found in the area.

9. Window Treatment
Rehabilitation efforts should strive to meet transparency goals by opening storefront windows to the interior, which should become part of the character of the building through the use of window displays and inviting interior arrangements. Security bars are uninviting and unattractive, particularly when attached to the exterior of a window. Newer designs disguise the security aspects so that it becomes an integral part of the design, such as the use of multi-pane windows. Clear, untinted glass is preferred to permit a view of the interior. Limited tinting can be useful for protection from the sun's rays if the glass appears essentially transparent. Color tinted, frosted, or reflective glass is generally discouraged.

10. Awnings and Canopies
Awnings and canopies can provide protection from the elements, and can also provide interest to structures by their shape, placement, and use of color. Signs and logos can be part of awnings and canopies as well. Size, placement, and signing are regulated by code.

11. Colors
Colors like materials, should be used to accentuate, not overpower. As a general rule, each building should use only one exterior wall color. Adjacent buildings should consider the use of different colors in order to differentiate themselves from each other. Storefronts in the same building, however, should be painted the same color. Architectural trim including doors, window frames, moldings and cornices should be painted to highlight details, and to complement the main color. Bright, clashing colors should be avoided.

12. Lighting
The appropriate use of lighting lends ambience, accents a building's design elements, and leads to a sense of security. Aggregated building lighting along the Boulevard assists in defining the character of the street and its components. A well lighted interior pulls the consumer inside and assists in merchandising the business.

13. Signs
Signs need to be a part of the design of the building and should complement their surroundings rather than compete. A wide variety of signs are encouraged, and a few are either discouraged or prohibited.

Encouraged	Discouraged
Wall	Backlit
Blade/fin	Pole
Projecting	Temporary
Icon	Inflatable
Projecting
Awning
Window
Heritage
Building name/address
Mural
Sandwich board

14. Fencing
Certain situations lend themselves to the use of fencing, such as the need to direct movement, protect inventory, or simply to define a particular space. Fencing, while a barrier, should not necessarily restrict visibility. Fencing materials can be attractive or intimidating. Chan link and razor wire, for example, communicates hostility whereas ornamental solutions can become a part of the overall design.

15. Landscaping
Trees and shrubs soften the hard surfaces and angular forms in an urban setting. They provide shade, color, fragrance, and help clean the air. The type of planting, its location, and the amount should be discussed as an integral part of any development project.

Landscaping should also complement streetscape improvements in the adjacent public right-of -way. Exterior rooms, with landscaping accent, should be integrated into projects where feasible.

16. Streetscape
Project landscaping should be complementary to existing and planned streetscape improvements. To the degree that a development is responsible for public right-of-way improvements, those improvements should continue the appropriate theme.

Street closings are generally discouraged, except where public benefit can be shown. Any street closing should be negotiated early in the development process. Certain locations have been designated gateways in the community plan, and should be understood to require public design elements.

All streetscapes are suggested to be pedestrian friendly, and should also make accommodations for bicycles and public transit. Street furniture is a part of all public improvement activity, and should be understood in the context of the total project.

17. Transit Oriented Development
The adopted community plans speak of a vision of the Boulevard having intense nodes of mixed use development with infill development, principally high density housing, occurring between the nodes. Realizing this concept involves the establishment of minimum development criteria in the nodal areas, in particular, minimums for height, floor area ratio, and residential density. Respecting these criteria may have a bearing on where certain development is located, and may preclude certain development in the nodes, depending on its type and intensity of use.