(A) Purpose: The purpose of this overlay district is to establish design standards pertaining to the commercial, residential, and mixed use buildings in the downtown commercial district. The design standards are intended to do the following:
1. Encourage integrated site planning to create a cohesive, sustainable built environment.
2. Maintain and reinforce "small town" and "main street" architectural traditions.
3. Encourage an active, walkable, pedestrian environment.
4. Maintain the character of historic buildings.
5. Unify and articulate building facades.
6. Place a strong visual emphasis on streetscapes.
7. Require new construction to be compatible with existing buildings.
8. Provide for the compatible integration of commercial and residential uses located on the edge of the downtown commercial district.
9. Encourage replacement or remodeling of architecturally incompatible buildings.
10. Adaptively reuse older buildings that contribute to the district's sense of time and place.
11. Encourage the development of pocket parks, gardens, plazas, and courtyards for public use.
12. Establish well defined transitions (mixed use buildings) between the downtown and adjacent neighborhoods.
(B) Overlay District Boundary: The downtown commercial overlay (DC-O) district is described as the property located south of the Vermillion River, west of 5th Street, north of Walnut Street and east of 1st Street.
(D) Applicability: All new construction and renovations or additions of exiting commercial, residential, and mixed use buildings in the DC-O district will be required to meet the standards in this chapter, unless otherwise provided. Projects exempt from meeting the standards are those buildings that are comprised of any of the following project types:
1. Interior remodels;
2. Single-unit detached dwellings, two-unit dwellings, twin home dwellings, and townhouse dwellings;
3. Normal or routine maintenance and repair of existing structures;
4. Construction that does not require a building permit.
(E) Building Material And Design:
1. In the case of new construction, renovations, or additions, seventy percent (70%) or more of the total surface area of any building facade fronting on a public street or open space shall consist of a mixture of two (2) or more of the predominant downtown finish materials (clay, brick, stucco, natural stone, ornamental concrete. Extruded metal storefront framing is allowed only on window or door frames.
2. Transparency:
(a) For commercial and mixed use buildings, transparent glass must comprise a minimum of fifty percent (50%) and a maximum of seventy-five percent (75%) of the total wall area of the ground floor of any building facade fronting on a public street or open space.
(b) For buildings with ground floor residential uses and all upper floors, transparent glass or facade openings shall comprise a minimum of twenty percent (20%) and a maximum of fifty percent (50%) of the total wall area. Upper story windows will be vertically proportioned and have the visual appearance of traditional double hung sash.
3. Blank, windowless walls facing a public street or open space are prohibited, which is defined as not exceeding a horizontal distance of fifteen (15) feet of a building’s facade.
4. Exterior walls shall not be covered with metal panels, EIFS (exterior insulation and finish system), vinyl siding, faux half timbering, logs, shakes, shingles, exposed aggregate, or poured in place concrete.
5. Preassembled clay brick panels, artificial stucco, decorative precast units resembling stone, and other modern materials may be used that similarly match the appearance of historic materials.
6. Standardized corporate or "trademark" commercial building types shall be constructed to meet the architectural style of the downtown, which includes building materials, glass, color, and signage.
7. The ground or street level of a building shall be visually distinguished from the upper level(s) through the use of colors and/or building materials.
8. Imitation of historical styles shall be encouraged in new construction and renovation of existing buildings; references to historic architectural styles and periods will be interpreted in a contemporary manner; new and renovated buildings shall reinforce and not compete with heritage landmark properties.
9. New commercial, residential, and mixed use buildings shall solidify the relationship between old and new buildings and support a human scaled, street oriented downtown environment. Infill construction on side streets shall be designed with architectural features such as brick facades.
10. The massing and bulk of new buildings shall be mitigated by varied massing and proper articulation of street facades. Large "big box" commercial buildings shall be designed to appear as multiple storefronts by breaking the facade into smaller bays of twenty (20) feet in width in order to maintain a pattern integrated with and similar to surrounding buildings.
11. The size, scale, massing, and facade materials of new construction shall complement the architectural character of existing historic buildings identified as heritage landmarks.
12. Corner buildings shall be designed with two (2) street facades and a main entrance on both sides.
13. Rooflines shall be flat or gently sloping.
(F) Awnings/Canopies:
1. Awnings/canopies shall only be allowed over the ground floor window openings and along the frontage of all building entrances.
2. Awnings and canopies shall not project more than five feet (5') into the public right of way, except where located above an entrance, in which case the maximum projection shall not exceed eight (8) feet. Awnings and canopies shall not be supported by poles or other structural elements located in the public right of way.
3. Awnings and canopies shall emphasize the rhythm of the facade bays, windows and entrances, and shall not continue uninterrupted along the building facade.
4. The bottom of awnings and canopies shall be at least eight feet (8') above sidewalk grade.
5. Illumination: Backlit awnings and canopies are not permitted.
6. Inscription: Lettering on awnings and canopies shall comply with subsection 10-6-3(B)1(k) of this chapter.
7. Materials: Awning and canopy materials should be limited to cotton, acrylic or vinyl coated cotton, copper or bronze coated metal, or clear glass. Awnings shall be designed with a slope. No horizontal awnings are allowed. Structural supports shall be constructed of steel and/or aluminum and shall (if or where visible) incorporate ornamental features.
(G) Parking Areas:
1. Required off street parking spaces shall be provided by surface parking areas located at the rear or sides of a building and provided with architecturally compatible security lighting, and screened with landscape buffers or low walls.
2. Underground and above-ground parking structures shall be encouraged and new parking structures shall be compatible with (but not indistinguishable from) adjacent buildings in terms of height, scale, massing, and materials.
(H) Screening and Fencing:
1. Screening of Exterior Uses: Screening of service yards, refuse, and waste removal areas, loading docks, truck parking areas and other areas which tend to be unsightly shall be accomplished by use of walls, fencing, dense planting, or any combination of these elements. Screening shall block views from public rights of way, private street, public open space, mid-block pedestrian way, and off street parking areas, and shall be equally effective in winter and summer. Fencing for screening purposes may be installed at a height of up to eight (8) feet, with the approval of a building permit. Fencing used for screening purposes shall only be allowed in the side and rear yards. Chainlink and slatted fencing are prohibited within the downtown commercial overlay district. Fencing on property lines adjacent to established residential uses shall consist of wood or vinyl.
2. Screening of Mechanical Equipment: Mechanical equipment, satellite dishes, and other utility hardware, whether located on the roof or exterior of the building or on the ground adjacent to it, shall be screened from the public view with materials identical to or strongly similar to building materials, or by landscaping that will be effective in winter, or they shall be located so as not to be visible from any public right of way, private street, public open space, mid-block pedestrian way, or off street parking area. In no case shall wooden fencing be used as a rooftop equipment screen.
3. Decorative Fencing: All fencing [with the exception of fencing identified in the screening requirements of subsection (H)1 of this section] visible from a public right of way, private street, public open space, mid-block pedestrian way, or off street parking area shall not exceed a height of six (6) feet in the side and rear yards and four (4) feet in the front yards. Decorative fencing shall consist only of the following materials:
(a) Wrought iron.
(b) Vinyl.
(c) Ornamental aluminum.
4. Historic Landmarks: No fencing shall be attached to any historic landmark building or structure. (Ord. 012-645, 6-18-2012)
(I) Signs:
1. Notwithstanding contrary provisions in this code the following signs are allowed in the DC-O overlay district:
(a) Projecting in compliance with subsection 10-6-3(B)5(e) of this chapter.
(b) Wall signs in compliance with subsection 10-6-3(B)3(a) of this chapter.
(c) Monument signs where existing building is set back from front property line in compliance with subsection 10-6-3(B)3(b) of this chapter.
(d) Painted wall signs through a conditional use permit in compliance with subsection 10-6-3(B)1(l) of this chapter.
(e) A-frame signs in compliance with subsection 10-6-3(B)1(t) of this chapter.
2. Signs on historic landmark buildings shall: a) not cause damage to historic architectural features or building materials as a result of installation; and b) be designed and installed in such a manner that when they are removed or replaced there is no physical evidence of their former presence. In other words, holes shall not be drilled in historic masonry, alterations shall not be made of historic character defining windows or doors, and fasteners shall not be attached to any historic trim. (Ord. 010-627, 9-20-2010; amd. Ord. 021-761, 8-16-2021)