To ensure attractive commercial development, the city has a set of industrial design standards applicable to all industrial development and to development in the B-3 Limited Industrial Business District. This is applicable to following districts: Industrial (I), Business Park (BP), and Limited Industrial Business (B-3).
(A) Visual interest and building materials.
(1) All new building fronts and refacing of an existing building, shall include a minimum of 3 of the following elements:
(a) Accent materials;
(b) A visually pleasing front entry that, in addition to doors, shall be accented a minimum of 150 square feet around the door entrance for single-occupancy buildings and a minimum of 300 square feet total for the front of multi-tenant buildings (this area shall be counted as 1 element);
(c) Twenty-five percent window coverage on each front that faces a street;
(d) Contrasting, yet complementary material colors;
(e) A combination of horizontal and vertical design features;
(f) Irregular building shapes; or
(g) Other architectural features in the overall architectural concept.
(2) No wall shall exceed 75 feet in length without at least 1 visual interest element, such as a window, horizontal or vertical facade articulation, contrasting materials colors, or vertical or horizontal patterns.
(3) Accent materials. Accent materials shall be wrapped around walls visible from public view. Accent material shall consist of materials comparable in grade and quality to the primary exterior material. Such materials may include glass and prefinished decorative metal. Fiber cement trim, soffit, and fascia may be used as accent materials.
(4) Major exterior materials of all walls including face brick, stone, glass, stucco, synthetic stucco, fiber cement vertical panel siding, architectural concrete, and precast panels shall be acceptable as the major exterior wall surface when they are incorporated into an overall design of the building. No more than 25% of any exterior wall on a building shall be fiber cement siding, wood, or metal accent material.
(5) Fiber cement seam lines shall be architecturally integrated into the building design so that they are not visible. Seam lines can be filled, covered by other accent material or other method thereby making the seam lines invisible. Color impregnated decorative block shall also be allowed as a major exterior wall material, and shall be required to be sealed. All materials shall be color impregnated with the exception of allowing architectural concrete precast panel systems (only within the I District) and fiber cement siding to be painted.
(6) Restricted exterior materials. Unadorned pre-stressed concrete panels, whether smooth or raked, non-decorative concrete block, sheet metal, unfinished metal, and/or galvanized or unfinished aluminum surfaces (walls or roofs) shall not be used as exterior materials. This restriction shall apply to all principal structures and to all accessory buildings.
(7) Roofs. Roofs which are exposed or an integral part of the building aesthetics shall be constructed only of commercial grade shingles, wood shingles, standing seam metal, slate, tile, or copper. Flat roofs, which are generally parallel with the first floor elevation, are not subject to these material limitations.
(B) Screening.
(1) Rooftop mechanical equipment. The view of all rooftop equipment and related piping, ducting, electrical and mechanical utilities abutting a street on buildings shall be screened from the ground level view. Screening may include parapet walls, penthouses, or other architecturally integrated elements. Wood fencing or chain link with slats shall not be used for screening. A cross-sectional drawing shall be provided that illustrates the sight lines from the ground level view.
(2) Ground mechanical equipment. Ground mechanical equipment shall be 100% screened from contiguous properties and adjacent streets by opaque landscaping, or a screen wall shall be provided to be compatible with the architectural treatment of the principal structure.
(3) Screening adjoining residential use. Wherever an industrial, commercial, or business park use abuts, or is across the street from a residential district, a berm, fence, or screening comprised of compact evergreen trees or hedge or combination thereof, not less than 80% opaque at time of installation, nor less than 6 feet in height, except adjacent to a street where it shall be not less than 3 feet nor more than 4 feet in height shall be erected or installed and maintained. The light from automobile headlights and other sources shall be 100% screened whenever it may be directed onto adjacent residential window. All screening shall comply with § 153.146 of this chapter.
(4) Trash enclosure service structure. All trash, recyclable materials, and trash and recyclable materials handling equipment and compactors shall be screened from public view. Any trash enclosure shall be constructed of the same materials as the principal building.
(C) Parking and vehicular circulation. Parking areas in all industrial districts shall be subject to the following design standards:
(1) Parking orientation shall minimize visual and noise impacts on adjacent properties.
(2) To the maximum extent feasible, parking shall be located behind or to the side of a building in a landscaped parking area and screened from view from public rights-of-way through landscaping, berms, or low walls.
(3) Structured parking, integrated with the building’s architectural design, is encouraged.
(4) Parking areas shall be safe and convenient for both the movement of vehicles and customers.
(5) On corner lots, parking shall not be located on the corner.
(6) Vehicle circulation on-site shall be clearly organized to facilitate movement into and throughout parking areas.
(7) Service access areas shall be located in the rear of the property, outside of view from public rights-of-ways. Buildings within a development should share services areas to the extent practical.
(8) Circulation and parking for service areas shall be designed to minimize disruption to the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
(9) Development sites where uses require multiple deliveries shall provide separate customer and service access drives where possible.
(D) Exterior storage. All exterior storage of material and equipment related to, located on, and used by any business shall be stored within a building or fully screened, as required herein, so as not to be visible from streets, highways, or neighboring property, with the exception of the following:
(1) Materials and equipment currently being used for construction on the premises;
(E) Loading and service areas. All external loading and service areas accessory to industrial buildings must be completely screened from the ground level view from contiguous residential or commercial properties and adjacent streets, except at access points. Whenever an industrial use abuts a residential district, there shall be no loading docks on any building elevation that is either directly facing or oriented towards a single-family residence.
(F) Industrial District and Limited Industrial Business District design standards. In addition to the minimum design standards applicable to all industrial districts, the Industrial (I) and B-3 Districts shall also be subject to the following standards to reflect the character of the districts. The design standards are explained in further detail and illustrated in the Forest Lake Design Manual.
(1) Site layout. Whenever such developments abut residential districts, their interior road patterns shall be arranged in such a way as to route service vehicle traffic away from residential neighborhoods.
(2) Lighting. In addition to the lighting requirements presented in § 153.185, lighting in the I and B-3 Districts shall be subject to the following regulations:
(a) Decorative style lighting a maximum of 14 feet in height shall be used to illuminate all site areas with the exception of parking areas.
(b) Shoe-box style lighting shall only be permitted in parking areas.
(c) Decorative poles and fixtures shall be consistent with the Forest Lake Design Requirement Manual.
(d) Lighting fixtures shall be compatible with the architecture of the building.
(e) Wall mounted lighting shall be used on building fronts to illuminate entry points and highlight architectural features.
(3) Signage. In addition to the sign requirements presented in §§ 153.205 et seq., signs in the I and B-3 Districts shall also be subject to the following requirements:
(a) To reduce visual sign clutter, signage shall be distinct and minimal.
(b) Monument sign bases shall be constructed of similar materials, style, and color as that of the principal building.
(c) Signage shall be designed in a manner that is consistent with the code requirements and as illustrated in the Forest Lake Design Requirement Manual.
(G) Compliance.
(1) All new construction shall fully comply with the requirements in § 153.324.
(2) Complete building face lift combined with a building addition shall fully comply with the requirements in § 153.324.
(3) Other existing building and site improvements shall comply with the standards in § 153.054.
(H) Business Park design standards. In addition to the minimum design standards applicable to all industrial districts, the Business Park (BP) District shall also be subject to the following standards to reflect the character of the district. The design standards are explained in further detail and illustrated in the Forest Lake Design Requirement Manual.
(1) Site layout.
(a) Orient and consolidate structures to complement existing, adjacent development and to create a coordinated and visually attractive business park setting.
(b) Site planning shall respect the relationship of the site to existing and proposed buildings and streets.
(c) Buildings with frontage on a primary street shall orient front facades to parallel the primary street.
(d) Buildings shall have a clearly defined primary pedestrian entrance at street level.
(e) Where feasible, the development shall be arranged to preserve and integrate natural environmental features into the site design.
(2) Building design.
(a) A minimum of 30% of the ground level facade shall be transparent.
(b) Visual continuity shall be created by designing buildings to exhibit complementary height and massing to adjacent buildings.
(c) Buildings shall be designed in an architectural style and constructed of materials that are compatible, and complementary to surrounding buildings in the Business Park District.
(a) Use predominately native materials and well-adapted plant species to create an attractive environment along the edges of each development parcel.
(b) Use landscaping to buffer objectionable views and to break up the apparent size and monotony of parking areas.
(c) Landscaping shall be clustered into features areas, such as corners, entryways, buffer zones, and screening rather than distributed thinly throughout the site.
(4) Lighting. In addition to the lighting requirements presented in § 153.185, lighting in the BP District shall be subject to the following regulations:
(a) Decorative style lighting a maximum of 14 feet in height shall be used to illuminate all site areas with the exception of parking areas.
(b) Shoe-box style lighting shall only be permitted in parking areas.
(c) Decorative lighting appropriate to this district is illustrated in the Forest Lake Design Requirement Manual.
(d) Lighting fixtures shall be compatible with the architecture of the building.
(e) Wall mounted lighting shall be used on building fronts to illuminate entry points and highlight architectural features.
(5) Signage. In addition to the sign requirements presented in §§ 153.205 et seq., signs in the BP District shall also be subject to the following requirements:
(a) To reduce visual sign clutter, signage shall be distinct and minimal.
(b) Monument sign bases shall be constructed of similar materials, style, and color as that of the principal building.
(c) Signage shall be designed in a manner that is consistent with code requirements and as illustrated in the Forest Lake Design Requirement Manual.
(Am. Ord. 596, passed 2-8-2010; Am. Ord. 658, passed 7-25-2016)