(a) Purpose. The appearance of buildings, structures, open spaces and landscape throughout the City is of public concern. It is in the public interest to ensure that new developments and modifications to existing developments reflect and are sensitive to the history, architecture, community character and other building traditions of the City of Medina. Therefore, the purpose of the regulations in this section is to provide criteria to be used by the City Planning Commission when evaluating the appropriateness of proposed development and redevelopment in the City.
These provisions are established to achieve, among others, the following purposes:
(1) Strengthen, protect, enhance and improve the existing visual and aesthetic character of the City, and to prevent the creation or perpetuation of nuisances or blight in the City.
(2) To integrate developments into the surrounding environment, as well as to ensure that each new development and redevelopment will be attractive.
(3) To protect and improve property values.
(4) To foster and encourage creative application of design principles.
(5) To ensure that the particular existing design features, which contribute to the unique character of Medina, are retained and re-created in a manner that retains and enhances the City's sense of community.
(6) To ensure that new development and redevelopment are compatible and harmonious with the existing overall character of the City, especially when development is proposed in areas where the existing structures do not have architectural features that warrant replication or enhancement.
(7) To bring new buildings into an orderly arrangement with landscape and nature, other buildings, and open space areas.
(8) To ensure that these objectives are achieved through an impartial review process which assures that each proposal complies with these guidelines.
(b) Explanation of Terms. For the purpose of and use in this chapter, certain terms and words shall be interpreted with regard to the following explanations:
(1) Appropriateness. A proposal is judged to be appropriate when it respects the existing style of a building and fits comfortably within its setting, neighborhood and overall community. This condition applies to landscaping and accessory structures as well.
(2) Compatibility. A design or a material/color selection is compatible when it does not strongly deviate from its parent building or the overall character of the neighborhood. To be compatible does not require look-alike designs, but rather designs that reflect some aspects of its parent building or buildings in the general vicinity, such as scale of windows, overhangs, building materials, patterns of siding, roof slope. Conversely, incompatibility occurs when an architectural design, landscape design or accessory building proposal is aesthetically harsh or overwhelming relative to its neighbors.
(3) Noncontributing. A factor in a proposal or part thereof that is taken from an existing building characteristic or site feature such as design, scale, fenestration, architectural feature, material or color that is determined by the Planning Commission to be not appropriate for replication in new projects or modifications to existing projects when:
A. It does not enhance or improve the character of the City and/or the surrounding environs of the project, or
B. It is unrepresentative of the overall character of the City and/or the prevalent character of the surrounding environs of the project.
(4) Proportion. The relationship of parts of a building, landscape, structures, or buildings to each other and to the whole balance.
(5) Proximity. Proximity shall be considered in terms of the potential for one property, by virtue of its location, to materially affect other properties. In determining a property to be in proximity to another, the following factors shall be considered:
A. The visibility of both properties from a common point; or
B. The location of both properties within a relatively compact network of streets, walkways or spaces.
(6) Style. Style relates to a building's character and configuration in plan and elevation. It also relates to architectural conventions of a particular time period concerning details or windows and doors, eaves, corner boards, pitch of roofs, and the materials of the building's skin.
(c) Design Review Guidelines. The following standards shall apply to the design and appearance of all new construction or building renovation (other than for single family residential structures). As a consideration, during any plan review, the Planning Commission shall determine if the proposal complies with the following standards:
(1) The height, width and general proportions of the structure shall complement adjacent buildings so that an overall harmonious appearance is created and maintained.
(2) The architecture of a commercial building should not act as a recognizable logo for a national corporation or franchise. The building architecture is deemed to be a "logo" when the specific business occupying the proposed building could still be easily identified if all the allowable signs were to be removed
(3) Architectural details and ornamentation shall be meaningful to the overall design and appropriate for the size and scale of proposed structures, and harmonious with other architectural details and ornamentation on adjacent structures.
(4) Blank walls (without openings) shall not be permitted on public faces of any building.
(5) The use of long unbroken building facades shall be avoided. Front building facades shall exhibit the use of recesses, fenestration, pilasters, or other architectural features deemed appropriate to provide character.
(6) The front door or main entrance to a building shall be visible from the street. An entrance to a public building shall be clear and visible and not obscured by building masses.
(7) Materials shall be appropriate for the structure and the use therein. Materials shall be weather-resistant. The materials shall be compatible with and not in stark contrast to the materials used on adjacent structures.
(8) Colors and textures shall be appropriate for the size and scale of the proposed structure and shall be harmonious with adjacent structures. Building colors shall consist of earth-tones. Bright, chromatic, colors are discouraged.
(9) The materials, colors, and finishes used for screening roof top mechanical equipment and other surface equipment shall be consistent with the primary structure and, to the extent practicable; such screening shall be designed as an integral part of the architecture of the building.
(Ord. 109-14. Passed 6-23-14.)
(Ord. 109-14. Passed 6-23-14.)
(10) The following styles and materials are inappropriate and shall be discouraged from use:
A. Mansard roofs for one-story structures in an area that is residential in character,
B. Pre-engineered metal buildings and "pole buildings",
C. Exposed concrete or cinder block on the front or sides of any building (except split face, ½ high or other special "architecturally patterned" block),
D. Stucco appearance, unless it is utilized with bands of accent color, recessed or protruding belt courses, wide reveals, or combinations thereof,
E. Sheet metal siding, except as rain gutter/downspouts; exposed unstained wood; exposed steel nails; vinyl siding; and flimsy vertical wood siding (e.g., T-111),
F. Bright or primary colors, and/or awnings which are in stark contrast to other structures in the surrounding area and/or the design of the proposed structure.
(Ord. 58-17. Passed 4-24-17.)
(Ord. 58-17. Passed 4-24-17.)
(11) Roof materials should be asphalt, fiberglass and slate. Clay tile and/or ribbed metal may have merit as a variation, but will be very carefully considered in contrast to adjacent materials.
(12) Landscaping shall be designed to:
A. Maintain an appropriate proportion of deciduous and non-deciduous trees.
B. Be in such locations, scale and quantity to be integrated with the building design.
C. Clearly designate entrances and exits.
D. Reasonably screen paved area from the street through the use of mounding, the land's natural topography, and/or adequate vegetation.
(13) Parking, to the extent feasible, shall be located behind the front wall of the building. Only circulation drives, when necessary, will be permitted in front of the building.
(14) Approaches, drives and parking areas shall be of appropriate size and scale in relation to the appearance of the proposed development from public rights-of-way, adjacent property and the internal portion of the site itself. Such appropriate scale shall be achieved by the width of approaches and drives, by having adequate but not excessive parking, and by using landscaping within large parking areas. Curbing and adequate landscaping shall be provided between driveway aprons.
(15) Mechanical equipment, waste receptacles, and other similar appurtenant or accessory structures shall be located to minimize the impact on the building and the community.
(16) Large Retail Establishment Standards shall apply to retail business where an individual tenant, owner, occupant, or business occupies more than 10,000 square feet. Large retail establishments shall also be subject to the following:
A. Facades greater than 100 feet in horizontal length shall incorporate wall plane projects or recesses having a depth of at least three percent (3%) of the length of the façade and extending at least twenty percent (20%) of the façade. No uninterrupted length of any façade shall exceed 100 horizontal feet. Facades that have no customer entrance are only visible from service areas and are screened from abutting properties and customer parking are exempt from this requirement.
B. Facades that face a public street shall have arcades, display windows, entry areas, awning or other such features along no less than sixty percent (60%) of their horizontal length.
C. Each large parking lot must be divided into smaller lots through the incorporation of landscaping and/or pedestrian walkways.
D. Each parking lot must provide customer trash receptacles throughout the lot.
E. In the event of property abandonment or vacancy, maintenance of facilities and grounds, including buildings and structures, landscaping, parking lots and storm water runoff facilities shall be conducted.
(17) Development for Industrial Uses within the I-1 Industrial District shall only be required to comply with the following standards:
A. Architectural details and ornamentation on the street façade shall be meaningful to the overall design and appropriate for the size and scale of proposed structures, and harmonious with other architectural details and ornamentation on adjacent structures
B. Additions and accessory structures should be designed to be compatible with the main structure.
C. All exterior finished materials, including windows and doors, shall be of architectural grade with long term maintenance characteristics.
(d) Interpretive Illustrations for Design Guidelines. The Planning Commission may prepare from time to time or authorize the preparation of illustrations which demonstrate the design review criteria in this chapter. Such illustrations may include drawings, photographs of acceptable projects in the City of Medina and elsewhere, drawings or photographs of projects which have been approved pursuant to these regulations and photographs of existing building characteristics or site features which have been determined by the Planning Commission to be noncontributing. Any such illustrations may be recommended by a majority vote of the Planning Commission and approved by Council. When approved, such illustrations shall be considered administrative guidelines which assist in the utilization of these design review criteria.
(Ord. 109-14. Passed 6-23-14.)