Introduction
The Downtown Facade and Design Guidelines were created to provide direction for the improvement and enhancement of commercial, governmental, cultural and housing within the downtown and surrounding areas of downtown Parkersburg.
The goal of the City of Parkersburg is to establish aesthetic continuity, and to protect the investment of the business community. For the Facade Improvement Program to have the maximum effect on business retention, growth, and recruitment goals, the City of Parkersburg will establish a board appointed by the Mayor and approved by Council.
The Downtown Facade and Design Committee will consist of five (5) members. One member shall be a local architect, a member of Council appointed by the President, a resident whose primary occupancy is within the Central Business District, and two (2) members of the downtown business community. The Planning Director and Code Enforcement Director shall serve as non-voting staff members.
Concept
To encourage desirable development, the City of Parkersburg shall adopt the Downtown Facade and Design Ordinance. This process provides for a case-by-case review of design aspects of new development and redevelopment before a building permit is issued.
The Review Process
Applications for design review may be obtained in the New Business/Zoning Division office. An application for review must be accompanied by a set of submittals, including the following, as applicable:
1. A Zoning application including information on existing and proposed land uses and signage plan, if applicable, in accordance with Article 1364.03.
2. A narrative description of the proposed design or change in design, use of materials and colors, finish grade line, landscaping and orientation of the structure to adjacent properties. Also include color and material samples. Artist or architectural renderings/conceptual designs are encouraged, though not required.
3. An off-street parking plan, drawn to scale, showing the location, extent, nature, character, dimensions of parking and loading facilities (include handicap facilities), ingress/egress routes, total square footage and landscaping. Also indicate details of lighting, drainage and surfacing.
Public or private proposals for construction, reconstruction, remodeling, alterations, maintenance, repairs or demolition of structures and lands within the subject areas will be classified as either major or minor projects. A minor project is one that is defined as such by the Facade Ordinance and will be reviewed administratively by the Planning and Code Divisions. Minor projects are those which will not significantly affect the character, use and development of surrounding properties. Major projects are reviewed by the Facade Committee.
An application for review by the Facade Committee must be filed prior to the onset of any work and accompanied by an adequate set of submittals. Include any presentation material that is essential to the understanding of the proposal and its relationship to its environment.
Upon receipt of an application and submittals adequately describing the project, an administrative hearing on the proposal will be scheduled within 5 days excluding weekends.
Approval by the Planning Division or Facade Committee will result in issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness and subsequently a Certificate of Zoning Compliance. After the certificates are secured, Building and Demolition Permits may be issued by the Code Enforcement Division.
All repair, maintenance and demolition work must be completed within 90 days of approval. Appeals must be filed with the Planning Division within 45 days of final decision.
Project designers are strongly encouraged to request an early briefing with the Planning Division staff prior to formal application for a hearing. Such meetings provide an opportunity for informal discussion of the specific circumstances of the project and how the guidelines might affect its development.
About the Guidelines
The guidelines in this document are to be used to implement the goals for downtown improvement and design. They are intended to aid project designers in understanding the principal expectations of the City and the concerns and objectives of downtown redevelopment.
The guidelines are not intended to be inflexible prescriptive requirements, and therefore exceptions to them for appropriate proposals may be granted. The Facade Committee, while concerned that every project address itself to all applicable guidelines, is also interested in encouraging creative solutions to design problems.
The guidelines are divided into three topic categories: General Principles, Special Cases and Historic Preservation. They represent the most significant factors affecting the appearance of the downtown area. Historic Preservation has been addressed as a major issue area because of the number of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as the Julia-Ann Square and George Avery Historic Districts.
The guidelines herein focus on relation of buildings, space and people. They are used to coordinate and enhance the diversity of activities taking place in the downtown area. Many ways of meeting a particular guideline exist, and since it is not the intent to prescribe any specific solution, the guidelines encourage a diversity of imaginative solutions to issues raised by this document.
This set of guidelines is not to be all-inclusive, but subject to modification.
GOALS FOR DOWNTOWN PLANNING AND DESIGN
The following goals are proposed as general statements of objectives for planning and design review in Parkersburg's downtown.
1. Enrich the character, definition and form of downtown Parkersburg.
2. Recognize and preserve the distinctive historical and architectural character of properties that reflect an earlier period of Parkersburg's history.
These goals express the desired ends of the review process. Both the goals and guidelines extend the property development regulations for providing an opportunity for a detailed, measured review of project proposals.
(Ord. 0-905. Passed 11-24-98.)