(A) Intent. The purpose of these non-residential design standards is to establish a minimum level of design quality while at the same time allowing site and building design creativity and flexibility for non-residential development.
(B) General standards apply to non-residential uses in the commercial, industrial and institutional zoning districts.
(1) Applicability. All commercial developments shall meet or exceed the requirements of this section, in addition to all other applicable development standards established by this chapter. These commercial standards shall apply to the following:
(a) Improvement location permit applications for new structures submitted on or after the effective date of this chapter;
(b) Expansions greater than 50% of pre-existing facilities; and
(c) Expansions to other structures that result in a structure greater than 20,000 square feet in gross floor area.
(2) General development standards.
(a) Site layout.
1. Site planning which encourages compatibilitly between the site and the buildings and between all buildings on the site is encouraged. Where natural or existing topographic patterns contribute to a development, they shall be preserved and developed. Modification to topography shall be permitted where it contributes to the overall development.
2. The orientation of buildings shall promote interaction with the street and provide a pedestrian friendly environment.
3. Newly installed infrastructure and service revisions necessitated by exterior alterations shall be underground. To the extent possible, all existing overhead utilities shall be relocated underground.
4. All structures shall be evaluated in terms of scale, mass, color, proportion, and compatibility with adjoining developments.
5. Colors shall be subtle, harmonious and non-reflective. Accents shall be compatible.
(b) Vehicular access. Major and minor arterials and major collector streets must have reasonable restrictions as to the numbers and location of access points within the corridor overlay zone. To provide safe and sufficient traffic movement to and from adjacent lands:
1. Frontage roads, access roads, and distributors roads may have to be constructed.
2. Shared access shall be coordinated with contiguous lots and designed to preserve the aesthetic benefits provided by the greenbelt areas. Access at the side or rear of buildings is encouraged.
3. New access points onto the major and minor arterials within the corridor overlay zone shall be coordinated with existing access points whenever possible and approved by the County Highway Engineer.
4. The following curb cut policy shall apply throughout the US 40, US 52, US 36, and CR 600W corridors.
a. Curb cuts shall be no closer than one foot for each 400 feet of frontage.
b. No curb cuts shall be within 200 feet of any intersection of public roads.
c. Opposing curb cuts shall align squarely or be offset no less than 200 feet.
(c) Access to undeveloped sites.
1. Stub streets shall be built in all cases where adjacent lots have reasonable potential for development.
2. Reasonable potential shall include any adjacent parcel of adequate size for commercial or residential development or any adjacent parcels determined to have reasonable potential by the County Area Plan Commission or its duly appointed or designated representative.
(d) Architectural design requirements.
1. Exterior materials. Building facades may be constructed from wood, stone, masonry, E.I.F.S., cement fiber board, concrete, vinyl, metal or glass or other materials which provide the same desired quality. Products other than those listed below must be approved by the County Area Plan Commission or its duly appointed designees.
a. Buildings constructed of metal shall be permitted in the agriculture, rural residential and industrial districts. Facades that exceed 50% metal shall contain other design elements such as concrete or masonry bases, pitched roofs, enhanced entries or color variation.
b. Stone material used for masonry construction may consist of granite, sandstone, slate, limestone, marble, or other hard and durable all weather stone. Ashlar, cut stone, and dimension stone construction techniques are acceptable.
c. Brick material used for masonry construction shall be composed of hard fired all-weather standard size brick or other all-weather facing brick.
d. Concrete finish or precast concrete panels shall be textured using the following techniques: exposed aggregate, bush-hammered, sand blasted, or other concrete finish as approved by the County Area Plan Commission or its duly appointed designees. Concrete masonry units (CMU or block) shall be textured or splitface, and otherwise not smooth.
2. Roof design. The materials and finishes for roofs shall complement those materials used for the exterior walls. Roofs may be pitched or parapet walls used to screen flat roofs.
3. Mechanical equipment screening. Roof-mounted equipment on exposed roofs shall be screened from view. The appearance of roof screens shall be coordinated with the building to maintain a unified appearance. All ground and building mounted mechanical and electrical equipment shall be screened from view. The screens and enclosures shall be treated as an integral element of the building's appearance.
4. The exposed walls and roofs of buildings shall be maintained in a clean, orderly, and attractive condition, and be free of cracks, dents, punctures, breakage, and other forms of visible marring. Materials that become excessively faded, chalked, or otherwise deteriorated shall be refinished, repainted, or replaced.
5. Refuse and waste removal areas, loading berths, service yards, storage yards, and exterior work areas shall be screened from view with fencing, walls or landscaping.
6. All accessory buildings shall be constructed with materials that are similar and compatible with materials used in the principal structure.
(e) Signage standards. Signage shall be designed to be an integral part of the architectural and landscaping plans. The colors, materials, and style of signage shall be architecturally compatible and accentuate the buildings and landscaping on the site. The colors, materials, and lighting of every sign shall be restrained and harmonious with the building and site to which it principally relates. Signs shall be in conformance with §§ 156.085 et seq. unless otherwise specified below.
1. No pole sign shall exceed 25 feet in height;
2. There shall be a minimum spacing of 200 feet between any pole or ground signs located along US 40, US 52, US 36, and CR 600W; and
3. In no instance shall pole signs for multiple businesses, strip commercial centers or strip business centers exceed 200 square feet of copy area.
1. Landscaping materials selected should be appropriate to local growing and climatic conditions. Wherever appropriate, existing trees should be conserved and integrated into the landscaping plan; credit toward required in-kind landscaping may be given.
2. The provisions for landscaping installation and maintenance are as follows:
a. All landscaping required by the approved landscaping plan shall be installed prior to the issuance of a building occupancy permit if the permit is issued during a planting season, or within six months of the date of occupancy if during a non-planting season.
b. It shall be the responsibility of the owners and their agencies to insure proper maintenance of the landscaping, in accordance with the standards set by this subchapter and as indicated on the landscaping plan which has been approved by the Area Plan Commission. This is to include, but is not limited to, replacing dead plantings with identical varieties or a suitable substitute, and keeping the area free of refuse and debris.
(Ord. 2007-1B, passed 2-5-07)