(A) Intent.
(1) The intent of the (C-2) Central Business District is to encourage the continuation of a viable downtown by promoting uses dependent on high volumes of pedestrian traffic; to provide for regulation of the high intensity commercial and public uses located within the original core of the city; and, to encourage limited areas of parks and greenspace in the downtown. The Central Business District provides space for concentrated general business and commercial activities at locations where they are easily accessible to residential areas and, at the same time, minimizing negative impacts to residential neighborhoods. The standards and guidelines set forth in this district are intended to encourage sensitive architectural rehabilitation and preservation of the older significant buildings as well as establish standards for new developments which emphasize harmonious and unifying architectural design that will tie the entire district together.
(2) All property located within this district shall be subject to all other applicable standards, procedures and regulations as specified within the Code of Ordinances of the City of Mayer (“City Code”). Where the provisions of this district and the other portions of the City Code are in conflict, the more stringent requirement shall apply.
(B) Permitted and special uses. All buildings, structures, land or premises shall be used, erected, constructed, reconstructed moved or altered according to the uses identified or described in the City Code.
(C) Accessory uses. In addition to other uses specifically identified in § 152.059, the following are permitted accessory uses within the C-2 Central Business District:
(1) Off-street parking and loading areas, as regulated by § 152.063;
(3) Dwellings, provided that they meet the following stipulations:
(a) The dwelling units shall not be located on the main or street level story of the structure;
(b) The number of dwelling units shall not exceed two per structure;
(c) The number of occupants per dwelling unit shall not exceed the equivalent of one adult for every 200 square feet of living space in the dwelling unit; with persons under the age of 16 counting as one-half that of an adult;
(d) Parking for this residential accessory use shall be provided, as specified in § 152.063, in addition to the requirements for the principal use of the structure;
(e) Stair access to the dwelling units shall not be located on any side of the structure which faces a public right-of-way except for alleys; and
(f) The design of the dwelling units shall be such that their use for residential purposes is not readily apparent from a public right-of-way.
(D) Lot and setback requirements.
(1) Minimum lot area - 7,500 square feet.
(2) Minimum lot width - 50 feet abutting a public street.
(3) Maximum lot coverage - none.
(4) Maximum building height - 40 feet.
(5) Minimum setbacks -no setbacks required except as provided elsewhere in this section, there shall be no front yard, side yard or rear yard setback required for a structure provided that the structure meets the following requirements:
(a) Structures must be designed to prevent snow, ice and other precipitation from falling on any public sidewalk;
(b) In order to reinforce the existing building line and to facilitate pedestrian access and circulation, all new principal buildings shall be built to the front property lines and shall be oriented so that the front of the building faces the public street, unless a variation meeting the general intent of this district and performance standards is approved by the City Council following review by the Planning Commission; and
(c) All entrance and exit doors to buildings built to the front property line shall be recessed inwards so as not to open directly onto the adjoining street or sidewalk.
(6) Parking/paving setbacks.
(a) None, unless adjoining residential districts, then 15 feet.
(b) All off-street loading berths shall be a minimum of ten feet from any residential district.
(E) Building materials. Prohibited exterior materials. Unadorned pre-stressed concrete panels, non-decorative concrete block, metal siding with exposed fasteners, corrugated metal or unfinished metal shall not be used as exterior materials on that part of a building facing a public right-of-way except an alley. Painting previously unpainted brick on the facades of buildings is prohibited.
(F) Visual relief. No front elevation or elevation facing a public right of way may exceed 40 feet without the incorporation of visual relief. All new building elevations shall include a minimum of three of the following elements creating visual relief.
(1) Accent materials.
(2) A visually pleasing front entry that, in addition to doors, shall be accented by a minimum of one-hundred fifty (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 entry and accenting shall be counted as one element).
(3) A minimum of 25% of the front elevation and each front that faces a street shall be glass. Glazing patterns and window styles of adjacent buildings shall be matched as much as possible.
(4) Contrasting, yet complementary material colors (not painted).
(5) A combination of horizontal and vertical design features.
(6) Varying wall depths.
(G) Design elements.
(1) Architectural features which create a sculptural or three-dimensional quality such as marquees, balconies, grill work, sculpted keystones, caryatids, detailed cornices, brackets, niches, and awnings shall be incorporated into the design of buildings or structures. Buildings shall be designed to match existing cornices, brick corbelling, details and patterns of adjacent buildings as much as possible.
(2) Flat roofs must have parapets and sloped roofs must be sloped a minimum of 4/12.
(H) Franchise architecture. To maintain the unique character of downtown Mayer, buildings shall not be constructed or renovated using typical franchise architecture. Franchise architecture is defined as building design that is trademarked or identified with a particular franchise, chain or corporation and is generic or standard in nature. Franchises or national chains must follow the standards of this section to create a building that is compatible with downtown Mayer.
(I) Colors. Colors are an important element of the overall design concept for the Central Business District and should be complementary to the historical palette of the Central Business District, or other historic and significant buildings in the vicinity. Color can be used to enhance or draw attention to specific parts of a building such as entries. Colors can be used to mask or diminish the visual importance of features such as service entries or storage and trash areas. The following items shall be observed with respect to building colors.
(1) The predominant exterior colors shall be muted earth tones.
(2) Trim and detail colors should provide contrasting accent. The number of accent colors should be limited to prevent a gaudy appearance.
(3) Colors should represent the architectural style of the building.
(4) Materials with natural colors such as brick or copper should be left unfinished unless there is a compelling reason to the contrary.
(5) Bright or intense colors or very dark colors should be used sparingly and should typically be reserved for more delicate or intricate design elements such as grille work, as well as more transient features such as awnings, signs and flags.
(6) Doors, screening walls, or other architectural features should be painted or finished to complement the color of the building.
(J) Awnings. Awnings may be used to enhance the character of buildings while providing sun protection for display windows, shelter for pedestrians, and a sign panel for businesses.
(1) Awnings cannot extend across multiple storefronts and/or multiple buildings, unless the multiple buildings are used to operate the same use.
(2) Awnings must be constructed of durable, protective, and water repellant materials.
(3) Replacement of existing awnings must meet the requirements of divisions (J)(1) and (2) of this section.
(K) Expansions, exterior renovations and exceptions.
(1) All subsequent expansion and/or additions shall be constructed of those materials comparable to those used in the original construction and shall be designed in a manner conforming to the original architectural design and general appearance of the original building.
(a) All portions of any buildings undergoing expansion or addition, so as to require the issuance of a building permit, shall be brought into conformance with all provisions of this section at the time the renovations or additions are completed unless the proposed additions do not exceed 30% of the floor area of the structure. Re-shingling, re-roofing or replacement of windows shall not constitute a renovation which requires the existing building to be brought into conformance with this Section.
(b) Any buildings undergoing exterior facade changes which do not include structural changes to the building shall bring the exterior building materials into compliance with this section unless the proposed facade changes do not exceed 30% of the gross wall elevations for all sides of the entire structure. For structures on corner lots this percentage is increased to 50% of the gross wall elevation of all sides of the structure.
(2) Existing building materials not specifically approved in this section may be allowed to be repaired or replaced only after it is demonstrated, to the satisfaction of the Planning Commission that the proposed building meets three or more of the following standards.
(a) The building shall be an accessory structure.
(b) The building shall not be occupied by personnel.
(c) The building shall be used to house materials, parts, or equipment that would otherwise constitute open storage.
(d) The building shall be generally not visible from major arterial roadway corridors, as defined in City Code.
(e) The landscaping of the area surrounding the location shall provide natural visual barriers to the building.
(f) The building shall be constructed of long-term maintenance free materials. A manufacturer’s warranty shall be prima-facie evidence of compliance with this standard.
(g) The proposed building is an addition to a structure that currently utilizes such materials and application of required design standards would be infeasible or impractical as determined by the Planning Commission.
(3) It is recognized that there may be projects that require a departure from the requirements in this section in order to be feasible. Any deviance from the standards prescribed in this section will require a variance according to § 152.153. Additional possible grounds to be considered in determining possible reasons for granting exceptions to this section are as follows: safety, public benefit, unique site or building characteristics or that complying with this section would have a detrimental effect on the use of the property. Financial hardship alone is not a basis to grant an exception. Exceptions will be reviewed by the Planning Commission with a recommendation to the City Council for action.
(L) Site plan and building design review required. No building permit shall be issued for construction, expansion or remodeling in the (C-2) Business District until a building design review pursuant to this section and a site plan review pursuant to § 152.031 has been approved to determine that the use and development is consistent with the requirements of this section.
(Ord. 158, passed 7-27-09)