A. Intent. The design of buildings and pedestrian walkways shall support a safe and attractive pedestrian environment for all non- residential developments. All applicable developments shall ensure a direct pedestrian connection between the street and buildings on the site, and between buildings and other activities within the site. In addition, they provide for connections between adjacent sites, where feasible. Pedestrian circulation should clearly articulate pedestrian connections and provide connections to public gathering spaces.
B. Building Entrances. The following requirements for building entrances shall be required:
1. A primary facade and main building entry shall face the right-of-way, and additional entrances are encouraged facing local streets, parking lots, plazas, and adjacent buildings. Vehicular openings, such as those for garages, shall not constitute a public entrance.
2. Every primary entrance for a building shall include two of the following elements:
a. Awning or covered entry;
b. Variation in building height;
c. Roof overhang;
d. Arches;
e. Columns;
f. Architectural details other than cornices; and
g. Parapet over the door.
C. Active Use Areas. Active use areas allow for increased pedestrian activity in the private realm and provide attractive, safe, and functional environments for the gathering of people. A list of potential active use area elements are provided below. If a new development chooses to implement an active use area, the standards of this subsection shall apply.
1. New developments ranging from five-thousand (5,000) square feet to fifteen- thousand (15,000) square feet shall be required to include three (3) of the active use area elements listed below.
2. New development ranging from fifteen-thousand (15,000) square feet to twenty-five-thousand (25,000) square feet and multifamily dwellings shall be required to include four (4) active use area elements.
3. New development greater than twenty-five-thousand (25,000) square feet shall provide five (5) active use area elements.
4. The following is a list of acceptable active use elements:
a. Benches or public seating;
b. Café style tables and seating;
c. Large potted planters;
d. Gardens and landscaped open space;
e. Water features or fountains;
f. Public art installments;
g. Enhanced paving areas and pavers;
h. Galleries and arcades;
i. Pocket parks and gardens; and
j. Other design items to be approved by the Director.
D. Streetwalls. Streetwalls are required and must meet the below design standards:
1. Required.
a. Where surface parking lots abut a public street right-of-way (or sidewalk), a streetwall shall be required on the setback line, or edge of parking lot pavement, as outlined in each respective district standard. A design alternative may be requested for a hedge.
b. Streetwalls are required alongside boundaries of drive aisles along drive-through lanes.
2. Streetwall Design Standards.
a. Streetwalls shall be constructed of brick, masonry, stone, wrought iron or other solid decorative materials. Wood, fencing, and chain link shall not be considered permitted materials for a streetwall.
b. Streetwalls shall be a minimum three (3) feet and a maximum four (4) feet in height.
c. Breaks in streetwalls maybe permitted to allow for pedestrian or vehicular access, or tree protection.
E. Pedestrian Access.
1. A pedestrian path of at least six (6) feet shall be provided from any principal building entrance to the parking area serving the building. This requirement shall be fulfilled on private property and not within the right-of-way. If a parking lot separates the principal building from an outparcel building, a pedestrian path or sidewalk shall be provided connecting the two through a direct link as illustrated in Figure 8.7.5.1.
2. Street crossings shall be required in accordance with the standards provided in the City of Monroe’s Standard Specifications and Detail Manual and should be designed to draw special attention to alert vehicles to its location through signage, change in materials, paint, grade change, or a combination of these elements. Street crossings shall be required whenever:
a. A walkway intersects a vehicular area; or
b. A pedestrian walkway intersects a vehicular area within a development or along its frontage.
3. Crosswalks shall be marked in accordance with the standard Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices as provided by the Federal Highway Administration.
4. Design Alternative. If site constraints which make the standards of pedestrian access impractical, the Director may approve a design alternative in which the main primary entrance does not face the right-of-way provided the following standards are met:
a. The main building entrance, when not facing the right-of-wary, shall provide a safe and convenient access for pedestrians from the main building entrance to the right-of-way. The pedestrian way must provide additional landscape amenities.
b. Entrances which are oriented on a diagonal are permitted, provided that they are integrated with the overall architectural design, and not merely angled appendages or alcoves.
c. Ground floor windows or window displays shall be provided along at least ten percent (10%) of the building’s (ground floor) street-facing elevation(s); windows and display boxes shall be integral to the building design and not mounted to an exterior wall. Customer entrances must have weather protection features, such as awnings, arcades, or vestibules.