§ 46-101. Guidelines.

The following design guidelines are established for all development applications for commercial, industrial, institutional and multifamily uses:

(1)

Building design.

a.

Architectural style is not restricted; however, structures shall be consistent or compatible with the surrounding area. Compatibility may be achieved through the use of various visual architectural elements such as similar rooflines, building orientations, forms/shapes, proportions (scale and mass), door and window patterns (fenestration), textures, materials, colors and other architectural detailing. Building lighting, signage and mechanical equipment also shall be presented as an integral part of the building design and shall not detract from the architectural style of the building.

b.

The composition of major building elements such as massing, rooflines, colors and material shall complement and contribute to a desirable community identity.

c.

Colors shall be harmonious and relate to the overall site and to the village as a whole. Bright complementary colors may be used for highlighting purposes (accenting) provided such colors do not overbear the integrity of the building façade.

d.

Rooftop mechanical equipment, trash/dumpster areas, and other utility hardware located on the site shall be screened from public view with building and landscape material or be located in a manner that is unobtrusive.

e.

No rows of garage doors for multifamily uses and no overhead service doors or loading docks shall face a public street. The plan commission may allow such features to face a public street when it finds that there is no feasible alternative orientation for such doors or docks and, insofar as is practicable, such doors and docks facing public streets are to be screened with landscaping and/or softened by architectural detailing.

f.

Accessory buildings and structures shall be compatible with the principal building in terms of building façade character, roof shapes, materials, colors and architectural details.

(2)

Exterior building materials.

a.

Materials shall be consistent or compatible with the architectural character of the village and shall be consistent with the surrounding area. Where the proposed materials are dissimilar to prevailing materials used on existing buildings in the area, other characteristics such as form, proportion, texture, color and detailing shall be utilized to ensure that adequate similarity exists for the building to be compatible, despite the use of different materials.

b.

Materials shall be of durable quality.

c.

The façades of buildings shall be finished with an aesthetically pleasing material(s) such as natural or cultured stone, brick, wood, glass panels, or ornate masonry materials, except where the building style requires a different material. No plain concrete-block or plain concrete-panel buildings or smooth or corrugated metal-faced buildings that are devoid of an architectural merit or character, except those with an attractive finished surface listed above, may be allowed.

Building façades clad with a single exterior surface material shall provide some additional architectural design elements to break up the plane of large faceless and/or nondescript walls. This may be achieved by architectural design treatments consistent with the principal building design.

(3)

Lighting standards. Lighting on individual building sites shall adhere to the provisions of subsection (3) of this section and sections 46-949 and 46-955, as well as the following requirements:

a.

All exterior parking areas must be illuminated.

b.

Illuminating curb cuts and entrances to parking areas is encouraged.

c.

All exterior lighting shall be energy efficient and shall be located, oriented and of an intensity to illuminate only the building site or lot, where located, without detrimentally affecting activity on adjacent sites or lots or traffic on streets and highways.

d.

Lighting shall not be located on the roofs of buildings. Any lights affixed to a building shall be oriented downward at an angle from the vertical so as to light only areas of the site.

e.

Lights may not flash, pulsate, be so bright as to impair or hinder vision on public streets or adjacent building sites, or otherwise constitute a nuisance.

f.

Mixing of lighting types (i.e. sodium vapor, incandescent, mercury vapor and metal halide) shall be avoided.

g.

Integration of similar lighting fixtures is encouraged.

h.

Exterior lighting shall not shine on or adversely impact neighboring properties or streets.

i.

Exterior lighting components such as fixtures, standards and exposed accessories should be consistent with the overall site design.

j.

The height of exterior lighting fixtures shall be compatible with the scale of adjacent buildings.

(4)

Landscaping.

a.

Landscape design shall be integrated with the overall site plan and not be considered merely as an afterthought. Interesting or creative landscape architectural designs that use a diverse variety of plants integrated with other landscaping materials or features should be provided to avoid uncreative and monotonous landscaping.

b.

Landscape plans shall be well-planned and effective in the following areas: along street frontages, within and around paved parking areas and within buffer yards as screening for adjoining properties.

c.

Terrace/street trees shall be planted to provide a street frontage buffer.

d.

Paved parking areas shall be landscaped in order to minimize the impact of large expanses of pavement. Large paved areas shall include well-designed landscape islands. Planter islands shall contain trees and shrubs. Parking areas shall also be screened along the periphery to soften the impact for adjoining properties.

e.

Landscaping shall be used to screen loading areas, dumpsters and mechanical equipment from public view; or they shall be located so as not to be visible from public ways. If landscaping materials are used, they shall form an immediate, solid and continuous screen. Solid fencing with landscaping as an accent may be necessary to totally screen loading areas, trash dumpster areas or mechanical equipment from view.

f.

Trees and shrubs shall not create blind spots along traffic ways for pedestrians or vehicular traffic.

(5)

Signage. Outdoor signs for developments shall adhere to the provisions of subsection (5) of this section and article VII of this chapter, as well as the following requirements:

a.

Signs shall be consistent or compatible with the architectural character of the principal building and/or the surrounding area.

b.

Every sign shall be considered within its setting and designed according to the scale and proportions in which it will be viewed.

c.

The mass of an awning used as a sign shall not dominate the façade of the building to which it is attached.

d.

Freestanding signs shall be appropriately landscaped, whenever possible.