(A) Purpose. The city sees the interaction between the built environment and the public as a crucial ingredient in maintaining a certain sense of place. As a part of this, the visual aspects of overall building design and placement must be scrutinized when considering a proposed development. This section outlines design standards for building facades. These standards seek to increase the prospect of compatibility between buildings, styles, and generations. Designers must infuse their individual talents and creativity into each project for these standards to be successful.
(B) Flexibility in administration. Because these standards cannot cover every possible scenario that may arise, the Zoning Administrator is authorized to make determinations on development applications that may vary from the written standards so long as the determination meets the intent of this article.
(C) Prohibited building materials. Except for single-family and duplex dwellings, the following materials shall not be used as an exterior finish:
(1) Wood fiber hardboard siding, oriented strand board siding, plastic or fiberglass panels;
(2) Galvanized, aluminum coated, zinc-aluminum coated or unpainted exterior metal finishes;
(3) Unfired or underfired clay, sand, or shale brick; and
(4) Smooth or untextured concrete finishes.
(D) Primary materials. For the purposes of this section, the following are deemed primary materials:
(1) Vinyl siding;
(2) Brick, including thin brick;
(3) Natural or manufactured stone;
(4) Pre-cast concrete panel, provided it has an integrated color and is textured or patterned;
(5) EIFS, exterior insulation and finish system;
(6) Stucco with a weather barrier layer and wall drainage system; and
(7) Architectural masonry units including split face, weathered face, sandblasted face and ground face blocks.
(E) Secondary materials. For the purposes of this section, the following are deemed secondary materials.
(1) Embossed or pre-finished architectural metal panel (26+ gauge), which has an appearance of masonry, stucco, or any other appearance that is approved by the Zoning Administrator;
(2) Masonry or cement fiberboard siding that, for residential applications, is manufactured and installed in traditional profiles such as four-inch to eight-inch horizontal beveled or shake;
(3) Glass;
(4) Tile;
(5) Stainless steel;
(6) Chrome;
(7) Wood; and
(8) Smooth-faced finished concrete masonry units.
(F) Metal roofs. Metals roofs shall be allowed if the following conditions are met or otherwise approved by the Zoning Administrator:
(1) Openings shall not be seen on the fascia and shall be completely covered with material designed and built for metal roofing systems;
(2) Corrugated galvanized steel panels shall not be used; and
(3) Roof and fastener color shall be the same, with the exception of trim pieces.
(G) Ground-mounted equipment. Mechanical equipment mounted on the ground and associated with apartments, nonresidential and mixed-use buildings, including, but not limited to, HVAC systems and meter banks, shall be screened from view from public and private streets by landscaping or screening walls.
(H) Refuse containers. Dumpsters shall be provided for multiple-family residential, nonresidential, and mixed-use development for solid waste collection services. Such facilities are subject to the following standards:
(1) The facilities shall be located no more than 200 feet (walking distance) from the individual uses that they are intended to serve;
(2) Access to the facilities shall be:
(a) Configured to meet the requirements of the refuse hauler; and
(b) Provided from an alley if an alley is present and used for service to other properties;
(3) The areas where dumpsters are stored shall be fully enclosed by an opaque wall with a minimum height of six feet constructed of brick, stone, stucco-finished concrete block, wood or vinyl;
(4) The enclosures shall:
(a) Have opaque service gates which remain closed at all times except when the dumpster is being serviced;
(b) Include separate, opaque pedestrian access gates or a pedestrian access opening that screens the dumpster from view;
(c) Be large enough to accommodate:
1. One or more dumpsters that are of sufficient size to serve the development, based on the frequency of solid waste collection; and
2. One or more recycling bins (whether provided at the time of development or not), based on the anticipated generation of recyclable materials and the frequency of collection; and
(d) Meet city engineering design standards, including those that pertain to maneuvering space.
(5) The facilities shall be located in a side or rear yard of the parcel proposed for development unless it is not possible to provide service access in such locations according to the refuse service provider; and
(6) If an enclosure must be located in a front yard to meet the requirements of the refuse service provider, it shall be designated and constructed with the same cladding materials used for the principal building walls.
(I) Exemption. A building wall is exempt from the requirements of this section under the following circumstances:
(1) The subject property is zoned GI, General Industrial;
(2) The building walls are not visible from an existing major arterial, or minor arterial nor are they adjacent to a proposed street of such classifications from the Comprehensive Plan; and
(3) The building contains uses in the following use categories:
(a) Heavy industrial use category;
(b) Light industrial use category;
(c) Warehousing and freight movement use category; or
(d) Wholesale trade use category.
(J) Alternative building materials and forms. The Zoning Administrator may approve alternative building materials and forms not specified in this section if the Zoning Administrator determines that, compared to the permitted primary and secondary materials, the alternative:
(1) Is substantially equal to or better in quality, durability, and appearance and will not violate any provision of this article;
(2) Is proposed in order to achieve a minimum bronze certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ("LEED"), and the materials qualify for LEED points under both the "energy and atmosphere criteria" and the "materials and resources criteria" of the LEED checklists; or
(3) Is part of a building that is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency as designed to earn an ENERGY STAR rating, and the materials substantially improve the energy efficiency of the building compared to materials that are permitted in this section.
(Ord. 15039, passed 4-11-2022)