A. Purpose: Building design review is required to promote orderly and harmonious growth of the city through high quality and compatible development, to improve the design and appearance of existing buildings and properties, to promote design compatibility among buildings and groups of buildings, and to enhance the pedestrian oriented character and overall visual image of the city.
B. Staff Design Review Committee; Authority: The zoning administrator shall appoint a staff design review committee consisting of three (3) staff members of the department of community and economic development. The zoning administrator and the staff design review committee shall be responsible for conducting building design review in accordance with the provisions of this section. The zoning administrator, upon recommendation of the staff design review committee, may approve a design that varies from the strict interpretation of the Building Design Review code through a minor variation in order to avoid a building that would not be in harmony with the surrounding neighborhood or would be difficult to achieve.
C. Applicability: Building design review plans that contain the information set forth in section 12-14-9, "Minimum Submission Requirements For Building Design Review", of this title, and any other information that may be requested by the Zoning Administrator, shall be submitted to the Department of Community and Economic Development with any development review application for the following construction or alteration activities:
1. New construction of a principal structure;
2. Appearance altering renovations to the front or corner facades of a principal structure; and
3. Additions to principal structures resulting in greater than a fifteen percent (15%) change of gross floor area.
D. Standards For Building Design Review: All building design review plans must meet the standards set forth in table 1 of this section. For the purposes of this section and table 1 of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
1. Street Facade Transparency Requirements And Blank Wall Limitations:
a. Transparency:
(1) "Transparency" means the measurement of the percentage of a building facade that has highly transparent, nonreflectance windows.
(2) "Minimum transparency" means the minimum amount of transparency required on building facades with street frontage, measured per building story or per facade, depending on the type of building.
b. Blank Wall Limitations: "Blank wall limitations" means a restriction on the amount of windowless area permitted on a building facade with street frontage. If blank wall limitations are listed as "required" within table 1 of this section for a certain type of building, the following standards shall be met:
(1) No rectangular area greater than thirty percent (30%) of a story's facade, as measured from the floor of one story to the floor of the next story, may be windowless; and
(2) No part of a story's facade may be windowless for a horizontal distance greater than fifteen feet (15').
c. Entrance Locations: "Principal building entrance location" means the building facade where the primary building entrance is or will be located.
2. Materials For All Building Elevations:
a. "Permitted elevation materials" means the primary building materials that are permitted to be used in the construction or alteration of all building exterior elevations of a certain type of building. Additional residential construction requirements are as follows:
(1) Detached one-story, single-family residential shall be constructed with one hundred percent (100%) face brick, natural stone, or anchored or adhered masonry veneer on all exterior elevations.
(2) Detached multi-level or multi-story single-family residential shall be constructed with one hundred percent (100%) face brick on all ground floor and first floor street facing elevations and a minimum of eight feet (8') from the top of foundation on all remaining elevations. Any floors above the first floor shall follow the Building Design Standards Table found in this chapter.
(3) Attached single and multi-family residential shall be constructed with one hundred percent (100%) face brick, natural stone, or anchored or adhered masonry veneer on all street facing and side elevations with at least two (2) complimentary colors or materials and a minimum of eight feet (8') from the top of foundation on all remaining elevations.
b. "Permitted upper story facade materials" means the additional building materials that are permitted to be used in the construction or alteration of upper story facades of a certain type of building.
c. "Materials to avoid" means building materials that are discouraged to be used in the construction or alteration of any building facade.
d. "Prohibited facade materials" means building materials that are not permitted to be used in the construction or alteration of any portion of any building facade that is visible from any street.
TABLE 1
BUILDING DESIGN STANDARDS
BUILDING DESIGN STANDARDS
Type Of Building | Principal Building Entrance Location | Ground Story Windows | Upper Story Windows | Blank Wall Limitations | Permitted Ground Story Materials | Permitted Upper Story Materials | Prohibited Materials |
Attached single-family and multi-family residential | Front, corner, or corner side of building | 20% | 20% | Required | Natural stone, face brick, and anchored or adhered masonry veneer (see subsection D2a(3) of this section for further requirements) | Ground story materials plus: painted or stained wood, stucco, vinyl siding, and fiber cement board | Simulated masonry, stone, face brick more than 35/8" in height, aluminum or metal siding, untreated wood, and exterior insulation and finishing systems (EIFS) |
Commercial | Front, corner, or corner side of building | Minimum of 75% transparency from 2'-9' above sidewalk for retail, restaurant, or service uses; minimum 50% for other commercial uses | 20% | Required | Face brick, stucco, metal, and concrete masonry units | Ground story materials plus: painted or stained wood, exterior insulation and finishing systems (EIFS) | Untreated wood, vinyl and aluminum siding |
Detached single- family residential | Front, corner, or corner side of building | 15% | 15% | Required | Natural stone, face brick, and anchored or adhered masonry veneer (see subsection D2a(1) of this section for further requirements) | Ground story materials plus: painted or stained wood, stucco, vinyl siding, and fiber cement board | Simulated masonry, stone, face brick more than 35/8" in height, aluminum or metal siding, untreated wood, and exterior insulation and finishing systems (EIFS) |
Industrial | Not required | 20% for optional office component | 20% for optional office component | Not required | Face brick, stucco, metal, and concrete masonry units | Ground story materials plus: painted or stained wood, exterior insulation and finishing systems (EIFS) | Untreated wood, vinyl and aluminum siding |
Notes:
1. Finishing systems (EIFS) may be used as a permitted ground story material as an accent material. Such material shall only be used when installed at least eight feet (8') above the finished first floor.
F. Action On Building Design Review: Upon receipt of a properly completed development review application and building design review plans, the Zoning Administrator and Staff Design Review Committee shall review the building design review plans to determine compliance with the standards set forth in table 1 and subsection D, "Standards For Building Design Review", of this section. The Zoning Administrator and Staff Design Review Committee shall forward a written report and recommendations to the applicant. If the zoning administrator determines that the application does not comply with the standards set forth in table 1 and subsection D, “Standards for Building Design Review”, the applicant shall apply for a minor variation to authorize the deviation(s) from the applicable standards. If the minor variation is denied, the applicant may appeal the zoning administrator’s decision to the planning and zoning board pursuant to section 12-3-9, “Appeals”, of this chapter. (Ord. Z-11-14, 4-7-2014; amd. Ord. Z-29-15, 10-5-2015; Ord. Z-35-18, 12-3-2018; Ord. Z-18- 19, 8-5-2019)