Buildings shall be designed to be seen from 360 degrees and have the same caliber of finish on all elevations. Building additions and accessory structures, whether attached or detached, shall be of similar design, materials, and construction to that of the existing or principal structure.
(a) Architectural Features. The purpose of requiring four-sided architecture is to avoid large areas of blank exterior. For every 100 feet of elevation width, each side and rear elevation must contain at least two design elements and each front elevation must contain at least three design elements. For multi-story buildings, each story on a single elevation shall contain at least two design elements. Typical design elements are as follows:
(1) A door of at least 28 square feet in area with an awning, window, faux window or other feature subject to approval by Council.
(2) A window of at least six square feet in area. Windows closer than ten feet shall be considered as one element. A set of adjacent windows, such as double or bay windows, shall be considered as one element.
(3) A chimney.
(4) An articulated gable vent of at least four square feet in area.
(5) Porches, decks or similar structures.
(6) A similar significant permanent architectural feature consistent with the style of the building upon approval by Council.
(b) Articulation. A building frontage that exceeds a width of 50 feet shall incorporate articulation and offset of the wall plane to inhibit a large expanse of blank wall and add interest to the facade.
(c) Materials. All exterior walls shall be comprised of 80% natural material with brick or stone as the predominant material. Other natural materials may also be incorporated into the building's exterior design. Use of "newer" materials is subject to approval by Council. Stucco, drivit and like materials may be used as accents provided the total square footage of accent material does not exceed 20% of the gross exterior building wall square footage.
(d) Glass. Elevations facing the primary street shall be a minimum of 40% glass between the height of two feet and ten feet and have an unobstructed view of the building interior to a depth of four feet. The use of black, gold, green, silver, or any other reflective colored glass on a building is prohibited. The use of spandrel glass is also prohibited. Frosted glass may be permitted in some cases, subject to approval of Council.
(e) Building Orientation. Buildings shall be oriented to face the primary street right-of-way. An entryway shall be located on the front of the building. Corner entrances are acceptable to meet this requirement if one side of the corner entrance faces the primary street right-of-way.
(f) Roofing. All pitched roofs shall be of dimensional shingles, standing seam metal, slate, or simulated slate.
(g) Mechanical Equipment. All external and rooftop mechanical equipment, including satellite antennas, and trash dumpsters shall be screened from view at all property lines on which the building is located. Screening materials shall be complimentary to those used on the majority of the building. For ground mounted equipment, landscaping is the preferred method of screening. If two or more buildings are located on the same property, rooftop equipment shall not be visible at ground level within 50 feet from any building.
(h) Drive Thru Features. A drive thru, if deemed appropriate for the site by Council via a conditional use of the applicable zoning district, shall be designed as an integral part of the structure it serves. Features incorporated with a drive through, including, but not limited to canopies, awnings and support posts, shall match the materials and color scheme of the building they are serving. Drive thru features shall not have any pick-up windows, ordering areas, signage, or other related items located on the front elevation of a building or located between the front of the building and a street right-of-way.
(i) In-Line Retail Exemption. Side or rear elevations of in-line retail developments may be exempt from the building design standards of this section if such elevations are not visible to customer traffic, a public right-of-way or if a future phase of the inline retail development is forthcoming adjacent to the elevation. Such exempt elevations shall use materials complimentary to the primary elevation and be screened by landscaping, mounding, fencing, or a combination thereof, as outlined in division (f) of this section, and as deemed appropriate by Council.
(Ord. 2020-10, passed 6-15-2020)