A. Generally. Buildings are an integral component of the development for nonresidential developments. Buildings set mass, scale, and help define patterns of development. Building designs within the City of Monroe should complement one another through color, design and building materials. Buildings are not required to use the same components, but shall provide features that reflect their surroundings.
B. Standards. Building design standards for non-residential buildings shall:
1. Promote and enhance pedestrian scale;
2. Feature appropriate levels of building articulation, transparency, and design elements;
3. Limit undesirable design elements and promote desirable design elements;
4. Screen loading and delivery areas and mechanical use areas, including those on roofs; and
5. Position primary entrance of a building toward a street or civic space area.
C. Prohibited Design Elements. The following design elements, which do not promote high quality development or redevelopment, are prohibited:
1. Large, monotonous, unarticulated blank wall surfaces;
2. Exposed and untreated block walls;
3. Chain link fences and barbed wires except as otherwise permitted in commercial and industrial zoned properties;
a. Areas used for the parking and or storage of vehicles, materials and or goods may utilize a chain-link fence/barbed wire or similar along the perimeter of those areas. Chain-link fences may not be utilized as part of the required perimeter buffer/screening requirements set forth in Section 8.3 Landscaping, Buffering, Fences and Walls. Chain-link may only be utilized in the front yard as part of a design alternative. Fencing required as part of a state and or federal requirement (i.e., Federal Aviation Administration, NC-DOT, etc). are exempt from these standards.
4. Mirror window glazing;
5. False fronts;
6. Loading bays or loading doors;
7. Lack of architectural features; and
8. Lack of change in materials.
D. Required Design Elements. The following design elements, which promote a high-quality development or redevelopment, are required for all buildings subject to this Section 8.7.4:
1. Consistent architectural style, detail and trim;
2. Facades which break down large elements of mass and scale where appropriate;
3. Architectural details and articulation;
4. Material changes reflective of function and appropriately placed;
5. Canopies, porches, stoops, roof overhangs or other pedestrian friendly features;
6. Shade and weather protection for ground floor entrances;
7. Design elements such as cornice lines, columns, arches; and
8. Various fenestration and transparency elements.
E. Building Form. Building form design shall take into account mass, scale, and articulation. Box-like building forms, with little to no variety in design, which do not take into account required design elements, are prohibited.
1. Required Facade Design Requirements. Building facades shall be designed with a consistent architectural style, detail, and trim features. Figure 8.7.1.1 and 8.7.1.2 demonstrates illustrative examples of facades that feature various required design elements. Facades shall also conform to the following standards:
a. Vertical Mass. The vertical mass of multistory buildings shall be visually broken at each story with architectural detail and articulation of at least one (1) foot in the vertical direction, which is illustrated as “A” in Figure 8.7.1.1 and 8.7.1.2.
b. Roof Lines. Multiple roof line heights are required per the standards of this Section. It is encouraged to utilize recesses and projections between 10-30 (10-30) feet to provide public gathering and open places, which is illustrated as “B” in Figure 8.7.1.1 and 8.7.1.2.
c. Horizontal Mass. Building facades which face a street or public space shall not exceed a linear distance of thirty-five (35) feet without the introduction of a physical articulation no less than one 1) foot wide and extending in a horizontal direction along the facade, which is illustrated as “C” in Figure 8.7.1.1 and 8.7.1.2.
d. Wall Offsets. Facades of sixty (60) or greater feet in width shall incorporate wall offsets of at least one (1) foot of depth a minimum of every forty (40) feet, which is illustrated as “D” in Figure 8.7.1.1 and 8.7.1.2.
2. Transparency. Building facades shall be designed to have a minimum transparency, through the use of windows and doors, on ground floor and upper floors as illustrated in Figure 8.7.2: Transparency. Transparency applies to all sides of a buildings facing a public or private street. Transparency shall not be required for service areas, loading/unloading areas, or those areas not visible from the public or private street.
a. Ground Floor Transparency. Ground floor transparency shall be calculated based on the total facade area located between the finished ground floor level and beginning of the upper floor. All ground floor transparency shall be a minimum thirty-five (35) percent, unless otherwise provided in this UDO.
b. Upper Floor Transparency. Upper floor transparency is calculated based on total facade area located between the surface of any floor to the surface of the floor above it. If there is no floor above, then the measurement shall be taken from the surface of the floor to the top of the wall plate. All upper floor transparency shall be a minimum thirty percent (30%), unless otherwise provided in this UDO.
3. Blank Wall Area. Blank wall area is an undesirable design feature and shall be limited as follows. Blank wall area standards shall apply to the front and sides of buildings or any portion of a building fronting a residential area or public or private street, and shall comply with the standards below:
a. Blank wall area refers to the portions of an exterior facade that do not include windows, doors, columns, pilasters, architectural features greater than one (1) foot in depth, or a substantial material change. Blank wall area is illustrated in Figure 8.7.3: Blank Wall Area.
b. Paint shall not be considered a substantial material change.
c. Blank wall area applies in both a vertical and horizontal direction of the building facade and applies to ground floors and upper floors.
d. The maximum continuous blank wall area shall be a maximum thirty-five (35) square feet without a break by windows, doors, architectural features greater than one (1) foot in depth, or a substantial material change.
e. Except as otherwise regulated, the maximum permitted blank wall length for the rear of buildings shall be one-hundred (100) feet, or twenty-five percent (25%) of the building length, whichever is less. Alternatively, where the facade faces adjacent residential uses or the Monroe Expressway Bypass, an earthen berm shall be installed. The berm shall be no less than six (6) feet in height, containing at a minimum a double row of evergreen or deciduous trees, planted at intervals of fifteen (15) feet on center. This alternative is not intended for installation along frontage roads.
4. Buildings on Corners. Buildings that exist on a corner lot shall incorporate additional architectural features, utilize massing techniques, or implement other features to emphasize their prominent location and create a visual assist to turn the corner. Figure 8.7.4: Corner Building, illustrates massing techniques and architectural treatments to create an inviting pedestrian environment where a building wraps a street corner.
5. Outparcel Buildings. Outparcel buildings, also referred to as liner buildings, are buildings located in front of other buildings along a street within the same development.
a. Outparcel buildings maybe permitted within mixed-use zoning districts or within Planned Commerce Development (PCD) in planned developments ten (10) acres or greater and must comply with PCD standards provided in Section 3.4.7: Planned Developments.
b. Outparcel buildings shall include a consistent level of architectural detail on all sides of the building and consist of similar exterior materials and compatible colors of the primary building in the development.
c. Outparcel buildings, to the maximum extent practicable, shall be clustered along the street in order to define street edges, entry points and promote a pedestrian scale along the public street.
6. Minimum Design Items. A minimum of four (4) design items shall be utilized in the development of building design; however, it is encouraged to use more. Figure 8.7.6: Minimum Design Items illustrates UDO compliant minimum design items. The following design items may be chosen to fulfill the minimum requirement:
a. A change in plane, such as a projection or recess which shall be a minimum of twelve (12) inches and include such features as columns, arches, planters, voids, etc.;
b. Architectural details including cornices or similar details with relief elements;
c. Awnings, canopies, arcades, porches, stoops or balconies and similar weather/sun cover features over public entrances;
d. Complementary change in materials or texture, which may include the use of a building “base” which is defined as an area extending along the bottom of the building to a height of between thirty (30) inches and forty-eight (48) inches; can include the use of stacked stone, brick, or similar materials;
e. Complementary change in color;
f. Doors and windows fronting the public street shall include visually prominent sills, shutters, or other such forms of framing;
g. Ornamental and structural architectural details that are integrated into the overall design of the building, such as ironwork;
h. Parapet height transitions, vertical pilasters, and other similar treatments to soften scale of a building;
i. Differing building setbacks or projections to help vary the plane of a building;
j. Active use areas; and
k. Other design items to be approved by the Director.
