The following guidelines shall guide the exercise of site planning review by the Planning Commission.
(a) Buildings and open spaces shall be in proportion and in scale with existing structures and spaces in the area within three hundred (300) feet of the development site.
(b) A site that has an appearance of being congested, over built or cluttered can evolve into a blighting influence and therefore shall be avoided.
(c) Open spaces shall be linked together by walkways or planting areas.
(d) Natural separation shall be preserved on the site by careful planning of the streets and clustering of buildings using natural features and open spaces for separation. Existing vegetation removal shall be kept to a minimum.
(e) Screening of intensive uses shall be provided by utilizing landscaping, fences or walls to enclose internal areas.
(f) Buildings shall be sited in an orderly, non-random fashion. Long, unbroken building facades should be avoided.
(g) In connection with the siting of mid-rise and high-rise buildings, the location shall be oriented to maximize the privacy of the occupants of adjacent buildings.
(h) Short loop streets, cul-de-sacs and residential streets shall be used for access to low density residential land uses in order to provide a safer living environment and a stronger sense of neighborhood identity.
(i) Street location and design shall conform to existing topographic characteristics. Cutting and filling shall be minimized in the construction of streets. Flat as possible grades shall be utilized proximate to intersections.
(j) Curb cuts for driveways shall be located on local streets wherever possible with a minimal number of curb cuts on collector or arterial roads.
(k) Curb cuts shall be located at far as possible from the intersection of two (2) or more streets.
(l) Pedestrian circulation in non-residential areas shall be arranged so that off-street parking areas are located within a convenient walking distance of the use being served. Handicapped parking shall be located as near as possible to the structure. Pedestrian and vehicular circulation shall be separated as much as possible, through crosswalks designated by pavement markings, signalization or complete grade separation.
(m) Path or sidewalk street crossings shall be located where there is good sight distance along the road, away from sharp bends or sudden changes in grade.
(n) Parking lots and garages shall be located in such a way as to provide safe, convenient ingress and egress. Whenever possible there shall be a sharing of curb cuts with other facilities. Parking areas shall be screened and landscaped and traffic islands shall be provided to protect circulating vehicles and to break up the monotony of continuously paved areas.
(o) Establishments with drive-up windows or designed for drive through service shall be located to allow enough automobile waiting space for peak hour operation without interference with ingress or egress or other parking lot circulations.
(p) Adequate landscaping shall be provided throughout the site to create an attractive development, to reduce the amount of impervious surface created and to prevent large expanses of uninterrupted pavement areas.
(q) Signage shall be kept to the minimum amount required and so located as to create an attractive development.
(r) All structures shall comply with Chapter 1309, Ionization Detectors, Sprinklers and Stand Pipes in New Construction, of the Milford Codified Ordinances.
(s) Plans shall be consistent with adopted plans, ordinances and guidelines for the City.
(t) Consistency of proposed building materials and design with the prevailing character of the area and consistency with adopted design requirements established by the City for any district.
(u) All points of ingress/egress shall conform to the adopted corridor access control plans of the City, in locations where such plans are applicable.
(Ord. 99-1966. Passed 5-4-99.)