These criteria are not intended to restrict imagination, innovation or variety, but rather to assist in focusing on design principles, which can result in creative solutions that will develop a satisfactory visual appearance within the City, preserve taxable values and promote the public health, safety and welfare.
(a) Style. Architectural style is not restricted; however, generic corporate franchise architecture shall be avoided. While distinct identifying details may be included in the design, the final design should be unique to the City and in context with its surroundings. Evaluation of the appearance of a project shall be based on the quality of its design and relationship to surroundings.
(b) Scale. Buildings shall be in scale with components of historic downtown buildings including the relationship of facade height to width, the relationship of window height to width, compatible roof forms and shapes and the rhythm of walls, doors and windows.
(c) Building Setback and Arrangement. Building setbacks and arrangement should help define the street, frame corners, encourage pedestrian activity and define both public and private spaces as follows:
(1) Uniform setbacks along the build-to-line for each block shall be established. Like uses should face like uses.
(2) Minimize setbacks at major intersections so that the architecture can define the area.
(3) Use compact building arrangements to reduce the impact of parking and encourage pedestrian activity.
(4) Contiguous building arrangement along the street-face is encouraged to avoid large breaks between buildings. Breaks to allow pedestrian connections are acceptable. Building wall offsets, including projections, recesses, and changes in floor level shall be used in order to add architectural interest and variety, and to relieve the visual effect of a simple, long wall. Similarly, roofline offsets shall be provided, in order to add architectural interest and variety, and to relieve the effect of a single, long roof.
(5) Around common open space, use buildings to define edges and provide a comfortable scale.
(6) Choose building arrangements that offer an attractive termination of vistas. Focal points, or points of visual termination, shall generally be occupied by more prominent, monumental buildings and structures that employ enhanced height, massing, distinctive architectural treatments, or other distinguishing features.
(7) Monotony of design shall be avoided. Variation of detail, form and siting shall be used to provide visual interest.
(d) Materials.
(1) Materials shall be selected for suitability to the type of buildings and the design in which they are used. Buildings shall have the same materials, or those that are architecturally harmonious, used for all building walls and other exterior building components wholly or partly visible from public ways.
(2) Materials shall signify high quality, stability and permanence.
(3) Large expanses of any one material are not appropriate. Techniques of highlighting foundations, lintels, sills and cornices with contrasting materials and breaking up the mass of the building with bands at floor levels or projections at entries should be incorporated.
(4) Building materials shall be restricted to brick, stone, or other decorative masonry units, exclusive of glass or windows. Stucco, exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS), wood or vinyl for siding, or advanced decorative material type (i.e. hard i-board siding) may be permitted but shall not comprise more than thirty percent of any single facade.
(e) Windows and Doors.
(1) Windows shall be vertically proportioned wherever possible. To the extent possible, upper story windows shall be vertically aligned with the location of windows and doors on the ground level.
(2) Blank, windowless walls are discouraged. Where the construction of a blank wall is necessitated by local building codes, the walls should be articulated by the provision of blank window openings trimmed with frames, sills, and lintels.
(3) Display windows shall be included to enhance the visual interest of the street. Where display windows occur, they shall be lit from within the building's interior.
(4) Unusual window and door shapes, sizes and configurations should be avoided. Accent windows of a different shape than a building's other windows are acceptable when used sparingly.
(5) Shutters should be sized to fit window openings. The height of the shutter should match the height of the window opening. Each shutter should match half the width of the window opening.
(6) The primary glass used on windows and doors shall be clear glass. Frosted, tinted, mirrored or other similarly treated glass may be used sparingly for decorative purposes. Glass block shall not be used to fill window or door openings.
(f) Exterior Detail and Relationships.
(1) Front facades shall be organized into two zones: A street level storefront and an upper facade. Separate the store front from the upper facade with sign board or fascia to create a uniform horizontal element in the block face.
(2) Generally, the primary entrance will be at the most prominent elevation of a building. A building may have more than one entrance. Design the needed entrances with a hierarchy to properly address the view of the building from various orientations. Rear facades that are accessible to the public shall be inviting and incorporate appropriate entry features to identify them as secondary public entrances.
(3) Building elements such as canopies, porches, bays or projections should be used to break up the appearance of a long wall.
(4) Fixed or retractable awnings are permitted at ground level, and on upper levels where appropriate, if they complement a building's architectural style, and do not conceal architectural features, or decorative details; canvas or other water-proofed materials may be used. In buildings with multiple storefronts, compatible awnings may be used as a means of unifying the structure.
(g) Roof elements.
(1) Flat roofs should be avoided on one story buildings and are recommended on buildings with a minimum of two stories, provided that all visibly exposed walls have an articulated cornice that project horizontally from the vertical building wall plane.
(2) Other roof types should be appropriate to the architecture of the building.
(3) Architectural embellishments that add visual interest to roofs, such as dormers, belvederes, masonry chimneys, cupolas, clock towers, and other similar elements are encouraged.
(4) The content, texture and color of roofing materials shall be compatible with the building.
(h) Colors.
(1) A coordinated palette of colors shall be used for each building. This palette shall be compatible with existing historic buildings in the vicinity.
(2) Set the color theme by first choosing the color for the material with the most surface area to set the tone for the rest of the colors.
(3) Limit the number of color choices. Generally, there is a wall color, trim color, accent color, and roof color.
(4) Use natural tints of materials such as reds, browns, tans, grays, and greens as primary colors. Use accent colors for building trim, awnings and signs.
(5) Use color variation to break up the mass of a building and provide visual interest.
(Ord. 16-19. Passed 9-16-19.)