The following guidelines shall be applicable to all new development, redevelopment, and all substantial expansion of parcels within the Central Business District.
A. Utilities
1. All utility lines for new projects shall be located underground.
2. Pedestrian Lighting
a. Pedestrian lighting structures are pole-mounted lights in the right-of-way that primarily function to illuminate pedestrian areas such as sidewalks. They are part of a secondary lighting system used to supplement street lighting levels.
b. Pedestrian lighting structures are to be placed in the Pedestrian Buffer area, not to encroach upon sidewalks, where possible.
c. Pedestrian lighting structures shall:
i. Be placed at equal intervals between streetlights, such that either a pedestrian light or a streetlight is established approximately per every twenty-five (25) feet of roadway.
ii. Be a maximum of eighteen (18) feet above grade.
iii. Decorative in nature and complementary to existing pedestrian lighting structures along Broadway Avenue.
iv. Provide one (1.0) foot-candle of illumination.
v. Shall conform to IDA (International Dark-sky Association) standards to prevent light pollution.
vi. Shall be submitted to the ARB as an overall street lighting plan for development or building frontage.
B. Pedestrian Circulation, Landscaping and Streetscape Design
1. Sidewalks
a. Sidewalks will be required along all road frontages.
b. Sidewalks located on a section or block with on-street parking shall be at least five (5) feet, but no more than twelve (12) feet in width.
c. Sidewalks shall connect to sidewalks on adjacent parcels.
d. Use of permeable pavers or pavement is encouraged for sidewalk material, to be approved by the City Engineer.
2. Pedestrian Buffer/Tree Lawn: A Pedestrian Buffer/Tree Lawn may be required in order to buffer pedestrians from automobile traffic and to help green the Central Business District in accordance with adopted Streetscape Improvement Plans or Corridor Plans for Broadway Avenue, Libby Road or Lee Road.
a. If a buffer area is included by an adopted Plan, property owners shall accommodate such requirements, and may be required to assist in the establishment of this landscaped buffer.
b. Maintenance of the pedestrian buffer/tree lawn shall be the responsibility of the property owner. Failure to properly maintain the buffer or tree lawn area shall result in action by the City against the property owner.
c. This buffer shall be constructed to encompass existing streetlights, and other above ground public utilities.
d. Landscaping. All landscaping plans shall be approved by the Building Commissioner and the Architectural Review Board.
i. This buffer shall contain, at minimum, one (1) small tree for every twenty (20) feet of frontage, or one (1) medium tree for every tree for every thirty (30) feet of frontage. Trees may be accommodated by tree grates, tree wells, or tree boxes.
ii. The buffer area should also feature a continuous vegetated tree lawn in addition to street trees. This tree lawn shall include only native, salt-and drought-resistant plantings ranging from two (2) inches to two (2) feet in height. A list of appropriate trees and native plants are listed in Section 1282.11 (G).
iii. This buffer may also feature raingardens or vegetated bioswales. These bioswales must be approved by the City Engineer. A list of plants to include in a raingarden or bioswale is included in Section 1282.11 (G).
3. Pedestrian Amenities:
a. City standard benches, trash receptacles and other street furniture shall be installed at regular intervals along Broadway Avenue, Libby and Lee Roads in the Central Business District and shall be located at transit stops and in public outdoor spaces. Such treatments will be adjacent to the front sidewalk or along the building frontage and shall not impede the flow of pedestrian traffic.
b. Street furniture and pedestrian amenities shall be included in development plans submitted to the Architectural Review Board.
4. The Central Business District will also feature streetscape treatments to help foster a pedestrian-friendly environment. One or several of the following treatments may be required or encouraged to be installed or maintained within the ROW:
a. Textured sidewalk ramps.
b. Curb Extensions/Sidewalk Bump-outs.
C. Green Infrastructure
The City of Maple Heights strongly encourages the use of green infrastructure throughout the City. The following green infrastructure opportunities are either encouraged or required within the Central Business District:
2. Green parking lots: Parking lot islands and/or parking lot buffers should take the form of raingardens, bioswales, or planter boxes if possible. These include recessed islands rather than traditional raised curb islands.
3. Pervious pavement/pavers. Pervious pavers or permeable pavement should be used in pedestrian walkways. Pervious pavers can be used in lieu of concrete or asphalt for driveways and parking lots. Permeable pavement should be avoided anywhere meant for automobiles.
4. Light-colored pavement/pavers: Developers should opt for light-colored asphalt, concrete, pervious pavement, or pavers to reduce the urban heat island effect.
5. Rooftops: All rooftops must be painted white to reduce the heat island effect, unless green roof technology is utilized.
6. Green infrastructure plans must be included in required plans to be submitted to the Architectural Review Board.
D. Site Features
1. Site features such as dumpsters, mechanical equipment, service entrances, loading zones and outdoor storage shall not be located in the front or side yard.
2. All site features shall be screened from view from the public right-of-way. Screening materials shall resemble, to a practical extent, the construction materials of the primary building. Acceptable materials include those used for the building, masonry, or concrete masonry walls with brick veneer to match building exterior.
E. Building Design
1. No single store should exceed 30,000 square feet in area.
2. Entrances and Facades:
a. The front entrance of buildings shall be oriented towards Broadway Avenue, Libby Road or Lee Road.
b. Entrances shall be readily apparent and contain one of the following architectural features:
i. Recess
ii. Overhang
iii. Canopy/Awning
iv. Portico
c. Buildings located along the northeastern side of Broadway Avenue between Greenhurst Drive and Maple Heights Boulevard shall be designed to have 100 percent (100%) of the building facade at the front lot line along the sidewalk.
3. The use of highly reflective materials for walls and roofs shall not be used. Natural materials such as brick or stone are encouraged. The use of Stucco or Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) is discouraged.
4. Buildings located along Broadway Avenue between Greenhurst Drive and Maple Heights Boulevard shall be designed so that the ground floor of the building is limited to retail uses, personal services, restaurants, or other uses encouraging street level activities. Offices and residential uses should be limited to the second and third floors of the building.
5. Windows:
a. For ground floors, windows shall cover a minimum of fifty percent (50%) of total wall area.
b. Continuous window walls should be avoided by providing architectural building treatments, mullions, building modulation, entry doors, pilasters, and/or columns at appropriate intervals.
c. Windows shall be clear glass (no darkened, reflective or spandrel glass permitted).
d. Windows shall be placed between a height of two and a half (2.5) feet to seven (7) feet on the building facade and shall have a visible depth of at least three (3) feet into the interior of the building.
e. Windows shall be architecturally enhanced through framing features to add relief and visual interest. Continuous window walls should be avoided by providing architectural building treatments, such as mullions, entry doors, pilasters, and/or columns at appropriate intervals.
f. No flashing or neon lights shall be permitted to frame windows.
6. The use of awnings and other such features to create an inviting street level experience are encouraged.
7. Exterior appearance, including materials, colors and textures shall be submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Architectural Review Board for review.
F. Signage
1. Signage shall be limited to ground-mounted, awning, projecting, and wall-mounted signs.
2. Permanent Signs shall conform to regulations set forth in Chapter 1296 of this document. Additionally, developers shall submit a Signage Master Plan to the Building Commissioner for review and approval.
3. Window Signs.
a. Ground Floor Occupants.
b. Permanent window signs, which shall be any window sign displayed for more than thirty (30) days, shall have a maximum area not greater than twenty percent (20%) of the total window area of the space occupied by the occupant.
i. The total area of window signage permitted may be aggregated onto one or more window panels provided that such signs do not cover more than thirty percent (30%) of the window panel to which they are affixed or behind which they are placed.
ii. The total area of permanent and temporary window signage shall not exceed twenty-five percent (25%) of the total window area of the space occupied by the occupant.
iii. A temporary window sign is to be displayed not more than thirty (30) days. Temporary window signs must be attached to the inside of the window.
iv. In addition to other window signage that may be permitted by this Chapter, each occupant may display one (1) window sign, not to exceed a maximum of one (1) square foot in area, which indicates its hours of operation and one (1) window sign, not to exceed two (2) square feet in area consisting solely of the words "open" or "closed".
c. Upper Story Occupants. For a multi-story building, each occupant above the ground floor shall be permitted one (1) permanent sign to be placed in a window of the occupant's space.
i. The sign shall not exceed six (6) square feet or twenty- five percent (25%) of the area of the window in which the sign is placed, whichever is smaller.
ii. The Building Commissioner may authorize the display of a window sign in or on a second story window upon determination that such second story sign is consistent with this code and in harmony with the general character of the building and neighborhood.
G. Approved Plant Lists. These lists are not exhaustive.
1. Native pollinator-friendly plant lists: flowers and grasses. Some native flowers and grasses to include in landscaping include the following. For a complete list, consult Landscaping for Biodiversity with Ohio Native Plants: A Species Guide for Plantings from the Cleveland Metroparks:
a. Western Yarrow (Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis):
b. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata):
c. Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa):
d. Borage: (Borago officinalis):
e. Butterfly Weed/Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa):
f. Smooth Aster (Aster laevis):
g. Canadian Milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis):
h. Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata):
i. Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata):
j. Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria):
k. Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea):
l. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea):
m. Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium):
n. Common Gaillardia (Gaillardia aristata):
o. Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella):
p. Dense Blazingstar (Liatris spicata):
q. Great Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica):
r. Lemon Beebalm (Monarda citriodora):
s. Wild Bergamont (Monarda fistulosa):
t. Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis):
u. White Wand Beardtongue (Penstemon tubaeflorus):
v. Narrow Leaved Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium):
w. Virginia Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum):
x. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta):
y. Dwarf Goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis):
z. Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis):
aa. Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea):
bb. Autumn Bentgrass (Agrostis perennans):
cc. Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium):
2. Native Ground Cover: Some native ground covers include the following. For a complete list, consult Landscaping for Biodiversity with Ohio Native Plants: A Species Guide for Plantings from the Cleveland Metroparks.
a. Christmas Fern / Polystichum acrostichoides
b. Wild Ginger / Asarum canadense
c. Violet / Viola spp.
d. Wild Geranium or Spotted Cranesbill / Geranium maculatum
e. Pennsylvania Sedge / Carex pensylvanica
3. Native Herbacious woodland plants: For a complete list, consult Landscaping for Biodiversity with Ohio Native Plants: A Species Guide for Plantings from the Cleveland Metroparks.
a. Large-flowered Trillium / Trillium grandiflorum
b. Nodding Trillium / Trillium cernuum
c. Toadshade or Toad Trillium / Trillium sessile
d. Jack-in-the-puIpit / Arisaema species
e. Mayapple / Podophyllum peltatum
f. False Solomon's Seal / Smilacina racemosa
g. Solomon's Seal / Polygonatum species
h. Jacob's Ladder / Polemonium
i. Virginia Waterleaf / Hydrophyllum virginianum
j. Dutchman's Breeches / Dicentra cucullaria
k. Wild Blue Phlox / Phlox divericata
l. Blue Cohosh / Caulophyllumthalictroides
m. Fairy Candles or Black Cohosh / Cimicifuga racemosa
n. White Baneberry or Doll's Eyes / Actaea pachypoda
o. Goldenseal / Hydrastis canadensis
p. Sensitive Fern / Onoerea sensibilis
q. Horse Balm / Coltinsonia canadensis
r. Tussock Seqge / Carex stricta
s. Golden Ragwort / Senedo aureus
t. Twinleaf / Jeffersonia diphylla
u. White Wood Aster / Aster divaricatus
4. Native shrubs: For a complete list, consult Landscaping for Biodiversity with Ohio Native Plants: A Species Guide for Plantings from the Cleveland Metroparks.
a. American Cranberry Viburnum / Viburnum trilobum
b. Arrowwood Viburnum / Viburnum dentatum
c. Spicebush / Lindera benzoin
d. Maple leaf viburnum / Viburnum acerfolium
e. Nannyberry viburnum / Viburnum lentago
5. Trees: Plating and care of trees shall conform with Chapter 1028 of the City of Maple heights Codified Ordinances, including those trees listed in Chapter 1028. Deciduous trees that are tolerant to both drought and salt include the following listed below. For a complete list of all trees, consult Landscaping for Biodiversity with Ohio Native Plants: A Species Guide for Plantings from the Cleveland Metroparks:
a. Nyssa sylvatica/ Blackgum (Native)
b. Quercus velutina/ Black Oak
c. Juglans nigra/ Black Walnut
d. Betula nigra/ River Birch
6. For raingarden plants, consult the Rainwater Manual for Homeowners from the Cuyahoga County Soil and Water Conservation District.
H. Architectural Review Board
The Architectural Review Board may recommend to the Planning Commission, from time to time, revisions to these design criteria for specific areas within the Central Business District.
(Ord. 2022-35. Passed 4-6-22.)