(A) Building entrances.
(1) Buildings should feature multiple entrances. Multiple building entrances reduce walking distances from cars, facilitate pedestrian and bicycle access from public sidewalks, and provide convenience where certain entrances offer access to individual stores, or identified departments in a large store. Multiple entrances also mitigate the effect of the unbroken walls and neglected areas that often characterize building facades that face bordering land uses.
(2) Buildings less than 40,000 square feet shall include at least one customer entrance, buildings greater than 40,000 square feet shall include at least one customer entrance facing any abutting street. When a customer entrance is located at the corner of a building facing two abutting streets, this will be construed as meeting the multiple entrances requirement. Where a principal building directly faces more than two abutting streets, this requirement shall apply only to two sides of the building, one of which must be the side of the building facing the primary street. Where additional stores will be located in the principal building, each such store shall have at least one exterior customer entrance, which shall conform to the above requirements.
(B) Site entrances.
(1) Access to the site should be clearly defined to assure that customers can easily identify the proper traffic circulation for the development for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. It should also present a pleasing, aesthetic entrance to the community.
(2) A principal entrance should be defined though the use of curbs, appropriate traffic pavement markings, signage and extensive landscaping so that the entrance to the development is predominant.
(3) Walkways should also be provided along the principal entrance with a connection to the public sidewalk along the street.
(4) Walkway widths for convenience, neighborhood and community shopping centers, restaurants and retail buildings less than 40,000 square feet should be five feet. Walkway widths for regional shopping centers, regional enclosed malls and retail buildings greater than 40,000 square feet should be six feet.
(C) Parking lot orientation.
(1) Parking areas should provide safe, convenient and efficient access for vehicles and pedestrians. They should be distributed around buildings in order to shorten the distance to other buildings and public sidewalks and to reduce the overall scale of the paved surface. If buildings are located closer to streets, the scale of the complex is reduced, pedestrian traffic is encouraged, and architectural details take on added importance.
(2) The amount of off-street parking area for the entire property located between the front facade within the front yard of the principal building(s) and the primary abutting street shall be limited unless the principal building(s) and/or parking lots are screened from view by out parcel development and additional tree plantings and landscaping, which shall be a minimum of 15% above the required vehicular use area (VUA) landscaping and shall be located along the common property line of the principal building(s) and the out parcel development.
(3) Principal front yard off-street parking area shall be limited to no more than 80% of the provided parking area for convenience and neighborhood shopping centers, restaurants and retail buildings up to 15,000 square feet; no more than 70% for community shopping centers and retail buildings 15,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet; and no more than 60% for regional shopping centers, regional enclosed malls and large retail centers.
(D) Pedestrian walkways.
(1) Pedestrian accessibility opens auto-oriented developments to the neighborhood, thereby reducing traffic impacts and enabling the development to project a friendlier, more inviting image. Public sidewalks and internal pedestrian circulation systems can provide user-friendly pedestrian access as well as pedestrian safety, shelter and convenience within the development.
(2) Sidewalks at least five feet in width shall be provided along all sides of the lot that abut a street, excluding interstates and limited access state roads.
(3) Walkways, no less than six feet in width, shall be provided along the full length of the building along any facade featuring a customer entrance, and along any facade abutting off-street parking areas.
(4) All walkways shall be distinguished from driving surfaces through the use of durable, low maintenance surface materials such as pavers, bricks, or scored concrete to enhance pedestrian safety and comfort, as well as the attractiveness of the walkways. Signs may be installed to designate pedestrian walkways. Connections to community features and public spaces should be provided.
(E) Landscaping.
(1) Landscaping is a visible indicator of quality development and must be an integral part of every commercial project and not merely located in remnant portions of the site. Landscaping a site enhances the overall appearance of the development, helps to protect the environment by controlling water runoff and by reducing heat effects caused by parking areas, helps clear the air from the effects of vehicle emissions, and can be used to clearly define the separation between vehicle and pedestrian.
Developments should be generously landscaped to provide a pleasing environment for the customer and the community as a whole.
(2) All developments shall provide a continuous landscape area along all street frontages which shall be a minimum of ten feet in width. The use of a variety of plant materials and elevations is encouraged in these areas through the use of differing materials, seasonal plantings, earth berms, decorative walls/fences and the existing topography. For regional shopping centers, regional enclosed malls and retail buildings greater than 40,000 square feet, at least 25% of the area must be in plant materials with one tree for every 1006 lineal feet of street frontage. For community and neighborhood shopping centers and retail buildings 15,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet, at least 20% of the area must be in plant materials with one tree for every 100 lineal feet of street frontage and restaurants and retail buildings less than 15,000 square feet at least 15% of the area must be in plan materials with one tree for every 100 lineal feet of street frontage.
(3) Vehicular use area (VUA) landscaping shall be provided in conformance with the standards of this section and the standards found in §§ 154.150 through 154.164. VUA landscaping shall be provided in convenience, neighborhood and community shopping centers, restaurants and retail buildings up to 40,000 square feet, at a minimum of 50% of the parking stall aisle end areas. For regional shopping centers, malls and retail centers greater than 40,000 square feet, the end of each parking stall aisle must be provided with VUA landscaping. Exception: landscaping shall not be required when handicap parking spaces are located at the end of an aisle.
(4) All developments shall provide a continuous landscape area along property boundaries, except street frontages, which shall be a minimum of ten feet in width. The use of a variety of plant materials and elevations is encouraged in these areas through the use of differing materials, seasonal plantings, earth berms, decorative walls/fences and the existing topography. For community, convenience and neighborhood shopping centers and retail centers 15,000 square feet or greater, at least 20% of the area must be in plant materials with one tree for every 40 lineal feet of boundary. If the adjoining property is zoned residentially the continuous landscape are shall be a minimum of 20 feet in width and a continuous planting, berm and/or decorative walls/fences shall be provided. The berm shall be installed, no less than six feet in height, containing at a minimum, a double row of evergreen or deciduous trees planted at intervals of 15 feet on center. Materials, colors and designs of screening walls and/or fences shall conform to those used as predominant materials and colors of the building. Exception: boundaries between parcels within the development are not required to provide continuous landscaping but are required to provide any otherwise required VUA landscaping.
(F) Outdoor storage, trash collection, and loading areas.
(1) Loading areas and outdoor storage areas exert visual and noise impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. These areas, when visible from adjoining properties and/or streets, should be screened, recessed or enclosed. While screens and recesses can effectively mitigate these impacts, the selection of inappropriate screening materials can exacerbate the problem. Appropriate locations for loading and outdoor storage areas include areas between buildings, where more than one building is located on a site and such buildings are not more than 40 feet apart, or on those sides of buildings that do not have customer entrances.
(2) Areas for outdoor storage, truck parking, trash collection or compaction, loading or other such uses shall not be visible from a street.
(3) No areas for outdoor storage, trash collection or compaction, loading, or other such uses shall be located within 20 feet of any street, public sidewalk or pedestrian walkway.
(4) Loading docks, truck parking, outdoor storage, utility meters, HVAC equipment, trash dumpsters, trash compaction and other service functions shall be incorporated into the overall design of the building and landscaping so that the visual and noise impacts of these functions are fully contained and out of view from adjacent properties and streets, and no attention is attracted to the functions by the use of screening materials that are different from or inferior to the principal materials of the building and landscape.
(5) Temporary sales/displays, such as Christmas trees, landscape materials and fireworks, shall be permanently defined and may not occupy more than 20% of a site. Screening with walls and/or fences may be required to assure pedestrian and vehicular safety. Materials, colors and designs of screening walls and/or fences shall conform to those used as predominant materials and colors of the building.
(G) Features and community spaces.
(1) Buildings should offer attractive and inviting pedestrian scale features, spaces and amenities. Entrances and parking lots should be configured to be functional and inviting with walkways conveniently tied to logical destinations. Bus stops and drop-off/pick-up points should be considered as integral parts of the configuration. Pedestrian ways should be anchored by special design features such as towers, arcades, porticos, pedestrian light fixtures, bollards, planter walls and other architectural elements that define circulation ways and outdoor spaces. The features and spaces should enhance the building and the center as integral parts of the community fabric.
(2) Community, neighborhood and regional shopping centers, regional enclosed malls and retail buildings greater than 40,000 square feet shall provide at least two of the following: patio/seating area; pedestrian plaza with benches; transportation center; outdoor play area; kiosk area; water feature; clock tower; steeple; or other such deliberately shaped area and/or a focal feature or amenity. Any such areas shall have direct access to the public sidewalk network and such features shall not be constructed of materials that are inferior to the principal materials of the building and landscape. Retail buildings less than 40,000 square feet, convenience centers, shopping center outparcels and restaurants are not required to provide these features and community spaces.
(Ord. 06-2008, passed 6-16-2008, § 4.5; Ord. 05-2011, passed 2-7-2011; Ord. 28-2014, passed 12-15-2014)