All new nonresidential buildings or additions located within a business district must comply with the following:
(A) Buildings and structures within a single development should have complementary architectural themes.
(B) All roof or ground mounted mechanical equipment must be completely enclosed. Ground-mounted enclosures must be landscaped on all sides not facing the building being served according to § 154.110(H).
(C) Each building facade visible from a street or oriented to an adjoining residential or agricultural district must be:
(1) One hundred percent masonry materials, excluding window, door, roofing, fascia, and soffit materials; or
(2) Incorporate two or more building materials, excluding window, display window, door, and roofing materials, provided 60% of the building facade is masonry materials.
(3) For all other building facades, up to 25% of the facade, exclusive of windows (including faux windows and glazing), doors and loading berths, may be covered with metal, fiber cement siding, polymeric cladding, EIFS, stucco, or vinyl exterior building materials.
(4) The exterior building material selection for all building facades must be further enhanced with: (i) the use of multiple colors, multiple textures (e.g., rough, smooth, striated, etc.); or (ii) the addition of architectural elements (e.g., quoins, pilasters, soldier courses, lintels, friezes, cornices, dentils, architraves, etc.).
(5) Loading spaces, loading docks, or oversized service doors are prohibited on building facades facing public streets. However, if all building facades are determined to be facing public streets, then loading spaces, loading docks, or oversized service doors may be permitted on the facade least visible from a public street if screened according to § 154.110(H).
(D) All building facades visible from an adjacent lot or street must be constructed with the same building material quality and level of architectural detail on all building facades (e.g., 360-degree architecture).
(E) All building facades must have a defined base or foundation, a middle or modulated wall, and a top formed by a pitched roof or articulated, cornice or molding. Building facades 90 feet or greater in length must have offsets at intervals no greater than 60 feet apart. Buildings less than 10,000 square feet in gross floor area must have offsets at no more than 40-foot intervals. Offsets can project or recess. They must extend the entire vertical plane of the building facade. The offset must be at least four feet in depth and at least 20% of the overall building facade length. Architectural elements (e.g., arcades, columns, piers, etc.) meeting the offset requirements may be used to fulfill this requirement.
(F) Gutters and downspouts must be visually integrated with the architectural style of the structure. The color of gutters and downspouts should complement or be consistent with the building materials.
(G) Pitched roof designs must have a main roof with a minimum 5:12 pitch, contain three or more roof slope planes, and be covered with high quality roofing materials such as natural clay tiles, slate, concrete tiles (with natural texture and color), high quality standing seam metal roofing, wood shakes or shingles (with adequate fire protection), three-dimensional asphalt or fiberglass shingles.
(H) Metal roofs must have a low-gloss finish to reduce glare.
(I) Flat roof designs must be edged by a parapet wall with an articulated, three-dimensional cornice or molding. Parapet walls must be fully integrated into the building's architectural design to create seamless transitions between the main building mass and roof-mounted architectural elements. Modulation or variation of the roofs and/or roof lines is required to eliminate the appearance of box-shaped buildings. Flat roofs are prohibited for one-story buildings unless otherwise approved by the Plan Commission after consideration of the building architecture, context, and sensitivity to the character of the area.
(J) All visible vents, attic ventilators, turbines, flues, and other visible roof penetrations must be painted to match the color of the roof or flat black; and oriented to minimize their visibility from adjacent lots and streets.
(K) Building entrances must be clearly defined and articulated by multiple architectural elements such as lintels, pediments, pilasters, columns, awnings, porticos, and other design elements appropriate to the architectural style and details of the building. The location, orientation, proportion, and style of doors must complement the style of the building.
(L) Window designs must be compatible with the style, materials, color, details, and proportion of the building. The number of window panes, the number of window openings, window trim and other design elements to accent the windows must be consistent and complementary to the architectural style of the building.
(M) Window trim and other design elements to accent the windows are required for all windows. Acceptable design elements include shutters, keystones, masonry arches, awnings, decorative stone frames, masonry rowlock frames, or other trim or design elements as approved by the Plan Commission or Administrator.
(N) Fixed or retractable awnings are permitted if they complement the building's architectural style, material, colors, and details. Awnings must be made of a nonreflective material kept in good repair. Awnings used to comply with the architectural design requirements of this chapter cannot be removed unless the building facade otherwise complies with the architectural design requirements without the awnings.
(O) The support structures for gasoline service station canopies must be wrapped in material(s) complementing the principal building and the canopy roof materials must match the color and texture of the principal building. To reduce the visual impact of the canopy, the clearance between the underside of the canopy and ground cannot exceed 16 feet and the canopy facia cannot be more than 30 feet wide.
(P) The Plan Commission may adjust or waive the above requirements to allow a cohesive design consistent with the architectural style of the building and the intent of these regulations.
(Ord. 2022-17, passed 7-19-2022)