(A) Development standards. These design standards are intended to ensure that commercial, office, industrial and multi-family residential development is compatible with the surrounding area and contributes to the character of the village.
(1) Commercial and office development.
(a) Any exterior building facade shall incorporate a predominance of high quality materials that may include, but not be limited to, utility brick, sandstone, other native stone or glass. Utility brick, sandstone or other native stories shall at a minimum extend from ground level to the top of windows with minor accents allowed in place of utility brick, sandstone or other native stones. Building of concrete block, split face block, pre-cast panels and/or primarily of EIFS construction or its equivalent are strongly discouraged.
(b) No uninterrupted length of facade shall exceed 100 horizontal feet. All facades greater than 100 feet in length shall incorporate some horizontal architectural relief that may include wall plane projections, wall plane recesses, pilasters or other architectural elements as approved by staff.
(c) Any roof on a commercial structure shall incorporate at least one of following architectural treatments:
1. Overhanging eaves, extending no less than three feet past the supporting walls;
2. Sloping roofs that do no exceed the average height of the supporting walls, with an average slope greater than or equal to one foot of vertical rise for every three feet of horizontal run and less than or equal to one foot of vertical rise for every one foot of horizontal run;
3. Three or more slope plans; and/or
4. Prominent cornices along the roofline of any facade.
(d) Any commercial structure with a flat roof design shall incorporate a parapet that provides for a 100% screening of HVAC or mechanical equipment from public view. The average height of the parapets shall not exceed 15% of the height of the supporting wall and those parapets shall not exceed one-third of the height of the supporting wall.
(e) Any commercial establishment in excess of 20,000 square feet shall have clearly defined, highly visible customer entrance(s) featuring no less than three of the following:
1. Canopies, metal seam awnings or porticos;
2. Overhangs;
3. Recesses/projections;
4. Arcades;
5. Raised corniced parapets over the door;
6. Peaked roof forms;
7. Arches;
8. Outdoor plaza;
9. Display windows;
10. Architectural details such as tile work, brick soldier courses or molding shall be integrated into the structure; and/or
11. Other design elements as deemed appropriate by staff.
(f) All commercial establishments shall incorporate sidewalks at least five feet in width along all sides of the lot that abut a public street. Any pedestrian sidewalk shall be distinguished from driving surfaces through the use of materials like payers, brick or scored concrete to enhance pedestrian safety and comfort, as well as the attractiveness of the walkway.
(g) Any commercial structure that exceeds 20,000 square feet shall incorporate sidewalks, no less than eight feet in width along the full length of the building along any facade featuring a customer entrance, and along any facade abutting public parking areas. Any such sidewalk shall be located a minimum three feet from any facade, except where features such as arcades, colonnades, porticoes or entryways are part of the facade.
(h) Any facade or roof color incorporated in a commercial structure shall be of low reflective, subtle neutral or earth tones and the use of high-intensity or metallic colors shall be prohibited. Building trim and accent areas may feature brighter colors, including primary colors, but exposed neon tubing shall be prohibited from building trim or accent areas.
(i) Any commercial structure more than 100,000 square feet shall incorporate a public space, such as a plaza, courtyard or landscape garden within the vicinity of the structure’s main pedestrian entrance of the development’s principle structure and shall incorporate a minimum of three of the following provisions:
1. Pedestrian seating in the form of benches or ledges;
2. Water features;
3. Seasonal plantings;
4. Textured paving;
5. Raised brick planters with landscape;
6. Pedestrian scaled lighting;
7. Sculpture or other artwork; and/or
8. Outdoor eating or a café.
(j) Drive-through facilities shall be prohibited from being located on any facade facing a public street. All drive-through facilities shall be located on the side or rear of the structure that is either facing the site’s parking lot or internal drive-aisle.
(2) Industrial development. These standards are intended to ensure that industrial development responds and builds upon the strength and character of the neighborhood area. The design of the first industrial development in an undeveloped area shall establish a desirable character for the area and infill development shall compliment or contribute to the character of the existing area.
(a) Any industrial structure facade facing a public street and which has a facade length that exceeds 100 feet, measured horizontally, shall incorporate recesses, projections, glass wall systems or other ornamental/architectural features along 20% of the length of the facade.
(b) Industrial structures facades shall be constructed with masonry materials, including, but not limited to pre-cast concrete panels. Where pre-cast concrete or split face concrete block is utilized, the use of colors, patterns or other forms of architectural relief within these panels shall be required.
(c) Industrial loading bays shall not be located in front of any industrial structure or in the area abutting a public street.
(d) The placement of mechanical equipment, utility meters, electrical conduit and other services or utilities shall be located or screened in a manner so as not to be visible from the street or ground level of adjacent properties.
(e) In order to provide an appropriate landscape screening between any public right-of-way and any industrial structure, the following landscape standards shall be adhered to by all industrial developments in addition to the landscape requirements incorporated in § 161.108 above: there shall be a continuous landscape connection, with no parking areas or driveways, between any industrial structure and a public street for at least a minimum of 30% of the sites frontage, with a depth equal or greater than 30 feet.
(f) Security fences on industrial sites shall be screened with natural vegetation and the use of barb-wire, razor wire or fencing slats shall be prohibited.
(3) Multi-family residential uses. These standards are intended to minimize the bulk and mass of multi-family units and to create distinctive neighborhoods by avoiding monotonous design and giving mufti-family dwellings a more residential character.
(a) Multi-family units shall contain the following minimum requirements:
1. Town homes or attached units: town homes or attached units shall contain a minimum of 50% of either face brick or stone on all four facades of the first floor; and
2. Apartment buildings: apartment structures shall not contain less than 100% face brick or stone on the front elevation and no less than 75% face brick or stone on the rear or side elevations.
(b) To infuse a denser multi-family development with small-scale features that are similar to low-density development, multi-family dwellings shall incorporate three of the following architectural features in the front entryway facade:
1. Deep roof overhangs;
2. Projecting window bays;
3. Balconies or terraces;
4. Offsets in the facade;
5. Porches; and
6. Materials at the ground level that are distinctively different from the floors above.
(c) No multi-family unit shall incorporate an uninterrupted rear facade of more than 20 horizontal feet. All rear facades greater than 20 feet in length, measured horizontally, shall incorporate wall plane projections, recesses or bay windows having a depth of at least 3% of the length of the rear facade and extending at least 20% of the length of the rear facade.
(d) Multi-family structures should incorporate front elevations that are not dominated by garage doors and wherever possible, garage doorways should be recessed into the multi-family structures or placed in the rear of multi-family structures.
(e) To minimize the number of multi-family units facing residential streets, multi-family structures whenever possible should be aligned along one of the following urban design configurations: motor courts; courtyards; village greens; or a public square.
(f) Multi-family structures should be arranged in such a manner as to enclose and frame common spaces. These common spaces should include gardens, courtyards, recreation and play areas. These common spaces should incorporate at least three of the following features:
1. Seasonal planting areas;
2. Large flowering trees;
3. Pedestrian seating;
4. Pedestrian-scale lighting;
5. Gazebo or other decorative shelters;
6. Play structures for children; and/or
7. Natural environmental areas.
(g) Multi-family structures shall screen all mechanical systems, utility boxes with a 100% screening. Any air conditioning wall unit located in a multi-family unit shall be 100% visually screened through the incorporation of a custom cover or natural vegetation.
(B) Landscape and land use buffers.
(1) General; purpose. The purpose of this section is to require the appropriate buffering between incompatible land uses; protect and preserve the aesthetic appeal and character of the surrounding neighborhood and to provide a level of visual screening around permanent structures and parking facilities:
(a) Each plan required hereunder shall be drawn to scale and shall be fully dimensionalized. All proposed structures and other improvements shall be accurately depicted thereon, including but not by the way of limitation, all buildings, paved areas, berms, lights, retention and all detention areas and landscaping. The plan shall specifically include the number, type, size and location of all required vegetation and other landscape, which the applicant proposes to preserve.
(b) All new site developments, expansion of existing structures or reconstruction of structures shall conform to the following landscape provisions:
1. Buffers. Landscape buffers shall be required for all commercial, industrial and multi-family sites that abut single-family use through the use of landscape berms, plantings and/or fencing to achieve no less than 100% screening year-round. Any berm shall be a physical barrier that blocks or screens the view similar to a hedge, fence or wall. Berms shall be constructed with proper and adequate plant material to prevent erosion; and
2. Landscape standards. The following requirements shall apply to all commercial, institutional, industrial and multi-family development and are cumulative.
(2) Commercial, office and multi-family. The applicant shall provide a minimum of one approved planting for each 500 square feet of gross lot area. No more than 75% of the approved planting can be a combination of shrubs or ground cover.
(3) Industrial. The applicant shall provide a minimum of one approved planting for each 500 square feet of gross lot area.
(a) All required setback areas and areas of a site not proposed to be improved with structures, paved areas, walks or other approved landscaping shall be planted in grass sod or seed unless otherwise approved by the Board.
(b) All parking lot areas shall be screened from view of adjacent properties and streets by
plantings that will attain a minimum height of three feet within three years or provide for a three-foot undulating berm or low wall/fence.
(c) Commercial and office developments shall incorporate required landscape islands that will correspond to an area of one parking space for every seven actual parking spaces exclusive of required buffer yard and foundation planting areas.
(d) Any required landscape islands shall be planted with two and one-half-inch caliper canopy tree equivalents with preferred plantings mix including one canopy tree. Each canopy tree shall be provided with at least 300 square feet of previous ground area for root growth. This dimension shall be measured from the insides of the curbs.
(e) Commercial, office and industrial development shall provide foundation plantings along any facade that exceeds 50 lineal feet. Additionally, commercial, office and industrial developments shall provide a minimum of one three-inch caliper canopy tree equivalent per 50 lineal feet of building facade.
(f) Approved plantings and ground cover: the following shall constitute approved planting and ground covers for inclusion in landscape plan required hereunder.
1. Shade trees. Shade trees shall be permitted and shall not be less than two and one-half-inch caliper measured one foot from the ground nor less than six feet in height. The following trees are prohibited: soft maple, poplar, box elder, catalpa, tree of heaven and mountain ash, as consistent with the village subdivision regulations. Willow and mulberry trees may be used as decorative plantings located so as to avoid shedding materials onto walks, drives and parking areas.
2. Conifers. Conifers shall be permitted and shall not be any less than six feet in height.
3. Ornamental trees. Ornamental trees shall be permitted and shall not be less than two-inch in caliper measured one foot from the ground nor less than six feet in height.
4. Living ground coverage. Living ground coverage shall be provided at a density sufficient to guarantee total coverage within two years of the date of the initial plantings.
(g) Minimum size of plantings: the minimum size of material at the time of plantings shall be as follows:
1. Canopy tree at two and one-half-inch caliper: caliper shall be measured 12 inches from the base of the tree;
2. Evergreen trees shall be minimum height of six feet; and
3. Deciduous or evergreen shrubs at 18 inches in height.
(h) Planting material variety: in order to allow flexibility while maintaining minimum planting levels, provisions have been incorporated for “canopy equivalents”, instead of canopy trees. A canopy equivalent is one canopy tree, or three evergreen/understory/multi-stemmed trees, or 20 shrubs. These equivalent amounts are allowed to substitute for a canopy tree since the approximate coverage area at maturity of each of the equivalent amounts is comparable to the approximate coverage area at maturity of one canopy tree.
(i) Replacements: subsequent to the review of the landscape plan, and issuance of the building permit, the village may allow through a staff review of the plan, minor deviations which do not substantially alter the plan, and which do not substantially diminish the intended benefits of the plan.
(C) Trash enclosures and storage area screening.
(1) Enclosures surrounding trash receptacles shall be required to provide a 100% visual screen. The enclosures shall be constructed of the principle material as that used on the principle structure.
(2) All exterior storage, including the storage of truck trailers or vehicles under repair, for commercial or industrial uses shall be screened as provided herein; screening shall be to an opacity of not less than 75%, six feet above grade and may be accomplished by berming, landscaping, neutral color fence or masonry wall construction.
(D) Parking and drive areas.
(1) Parking improvements standards: all off-street parking and drive areas shall be graded and paved or otherwise improved with Bituminous concrete or Portland Cement concrete or other “dust free” paving materials as approved by the Village Board.
(2) Parking stalls shall be identified by painting striping. Dimensions for stall and drive aisles shall be in accordance with Appendix B below. Disabled parking is required in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
(E) Access. Vehicular ingress and egress points (curb cuts) to/from site shall be no less than 50 feet from any street intersection (as measured from the property corner to the nearest side of the curb cut) nor closer than 75 feet to another curb cut on the same street. Curb cut widths shall be no less than 20 feet nor more than 40 feet in width. No more than two curb cuts per site shall be permitted.
(F) Drainage/storm water controls. All sites shall be graded as to prevent storm water run-off from impervious surfaced areas onto adjacent properties. The storm water detention requirements specified in the Storm Water Drainage and Detention Ordinance shall be applied. A combination of detention storage and controlled release of storm water run-off shall be required for the following.
(1) All sites involving improvements with a net developed area of two acres or more.
(2) All sites involving improvements which have and will have impervious areas of 50% of gross lot area or greater.
(3) In cases where improvements will be made to facilities existing prior to the date of this chapter, the percent imperviousness will be based on the entire parcel. If this percentage is 50% or greater, the storm water detention requirement shall be applied only to the portion of the parcel being improved.
(G) Lighting.
(1) All exterior lighting, except as hereby allowed, shall be fully shielded, directed down at a 90-degree angle, and otherwise designed so as to avoid glare onto neighboring residential properties. SHIELDED means that all bulb/light source and cover portion of a fixture that transmits light shall not extend beyond/below the opaque portion of the fixture so the bulb/light source is not visible from general side view.
(2) All exterior lighting should balance the need of energy conservation with the needs of safety, security and decoration.
(3) All exterior lighting shall be part of the site plan review process and all lighting fixtures, standards and all exposed accessories shall be concealed or harmonious with other project design materials. Subject to the approval of staff, exterior decorative lighting shall be allowed in lieu of exterior lighting standards and fixtures.
(4) In general, the height of exterior lighting features shall not exceed the predominant height of principle building to which they relate.
(5) Exterior lighting shall not be designed to permit adverse effects upon neighboring properties. Lighting designers shall identify the light cutoff angle for all sources of outdoor illumination.
(6) As part of the site plan review, a photometric plan shall be submitted for staff’s review. Commercial, office and industrial sites shall incorporate a minimum of a “0.05" of a foot-candle at the property line.
(7) Security wall-pack lighting on exteriors of structures that point down at a 45-degree shall be prohibited.
(Ord. 808, passed 4-19-2006)