(a) Site Development.
(1) To the maximum extent feasible, the proposed development shall avoid or minimize land disturbance and grading and preserve the original contours and other natural topographical features of the site and existing trees on the site and shall incorporate measures to minimize soil erosion during all construction phases.
(2) Parking areas shall be designed to minimize the visual impact of parked cars as viewed from the public right-of-way and adjacent properties through the use of plantings and earth berms. (Ord. 73-2015. Passed 11-17-15.)
(3) Off-street parking may be included in a required side and rear yard within the setbacks required by Section 1145.07. Joint use of parking areas is encouraged. The Commission may permit parking to extend to the front, side or rear property line in the case of joint parking area.
(Ord. 13-2019. Passed 7-2-19.)
(4) Utility services on private property shall be placed underground for all new services.
(5) Where a sidewalk/bikeway does not exist in the public right-of-way abutting the applicant's property, a five foot wide sidewalk shall be provided by the applicant. A pedestrian/bikeway connection shall occur from the building to the sidewalk/bikeway in the public right-of-way.
(6) To the maximum extent feasible, provision shall be made in the design of the development for connections with the existing or future pedestrian systems on adjoining properties, including but not limited to connections to existing or planned future sidewalks, bikeways, or trail systems.
(7) Site features such as service entrances and loading zones shall be screened from adjacent properties and the public right-of-way and located in the side or rear of the lot.
(8) Mechanical equipment shall be located so as not to be visible from any public ways or adjacent residential areas. Where such limitation is not possible, the facilities shall be screened from public view with materials compatible with those used in the building.
(9) All trash containers and trash storage areas shall be screened with a six-foot high enclosure on three sides and a solid gate on the front. The enclosure shall be similar to the main structure as to materials and color.
(10) All storage of materials and equipment shall be within enclosed buildings. All business activity shall be within enclosed buildings, except as permitted by the Commission.
(11) Decorative fencing such as split rail, wrought iron or wood picket shall be permitted in the front yard and shall not be higher than four feet.
(12) Security fences shall not be permitted in the front building setback, in front of any building or in the side yard setback on a corner lot. Security fences must be screened from view with trees and shrubs. Chain link fencing shall not be permitted.
(b) Vehicular Circulation and Access. Any development in this District shall:
(1) Minimize the number of vehicular turning movements by limiting access points to one. Points of ingress and egress shall be clearly defined and promote the safe movement of traffic.
(2) Provide for the safe and functional movement of vehicles and pedestrians both on and off-site.
(3) Give consideration to the location of existing access points, adjacent to and directly across the street from the site.
(4) Not use driveways as points of ingress and egress for individual parking spaces. Driveway placement should be such that loading and unloading activities will not hinder vehicular ingress and egress.
(5) Be designed so the plants and structures on the site do not interfere with the safe movement of motor vehicle traffic, bicycles or pedestrians.
(6) Encourage vehicular circulation between parcels. Where legally possible, provisions for circulation between adjacent parcels shall be provided through coordinated or joint parking systems to minimize curb cuts along the street. (See following examples)
Shared Parking Example Preferred
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Shared Access Example Preferred
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Avoid Separate Parking and Access Example
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(7) Give priority to pedestrian safety and residential character issues when evaluating access design elements.
(8) Maintain curb definitions and prohibit continuous access along the frontage of the site.
(9) Pave all drives and parking areas with concrete, bituminous concrete, brick, or paving blocks.
(c) Landscaping.
(1) Landscaping shall be used as a transition between uses, and to screen areas from public view and to improve the appearance of developed areas. All yard areas not used for accessory structures and uses shall be landscaped and maintained with grass, trees, and shrubs.
(2) Plant materials should be chosen which are indigenous, moderately fast growing, and require minimal maintenance. The landscape design should incorporate the entire site and consist of a palette of plants with year round appeal, which may include: annuals, perennials, shrubs or trees.
(3) Landscaping shall be compatible with the Village's Historic Streetscape Plan.
(4) Each landscape plan shall address the functional aspects of landscaping such as drainage, erosion prevention, wind barriers, provisions for shade, energy conservation, sound absorption, dust abatement, reduction of glare and screening.
(5) Where landscaping is used as screening it shall be opaque year round.
(6) Landscape screening shall be of a height and density so that it provides the full desired affect within three years growing time.
(7) Landscaping, walls, planters or similar means shall be used to screen parked cars. Whenever structures such as walls or fences are used to create a screen, plants shall be located on the sides of the structure which can be seen from the surrounding streets, walks and other properties which are used by the public. Landscape plans shall be approved by the Commission.
(8) All parking areas shall be landscaped with trees, shrubs and fences to provide an effective buffer for any adjacent residential property and public street right-of-ways. Within the interior of the parking areas there should be landscaping to break up large areas of parking.
(9) New and remodeled buildings shall include landscaping in the form of street trees and/or shrubbery along the public right-of-way, low shrubbery around the buildings themselves to soften the appearance and landscaping between and along site boundary lines. All street trees shall be at least 3 1/2 inch caliper and shall be spaced a minimum of 25-30 feet apart.
(10) Tree species should be hardy city types and approved by the Commission.
(d) Lighting.
(1) All exterior lighting shall be an integrated part of the architectural and landscape design concept and compatible with the Village Historic Streetscape Plan.
(2) All lighting shall be so directed so as not to produce glare and unnecessary diffusion onto adjoining properties.
(e) Location, Orientation, Size and Shape of Buildings.
(1) No building shall exceed 5,000 square feet of gross floor area on the ground floor. The 5,000 maximum square foot limitation set forth above shall not be varied by the Planning Commission except upon a demonstration by the applicant by clear and convincing evidence that a particular difficulty exists as a result of the application of such standard and that the property cannot be put to any viable economic use without the exception. The decision to grant any exception to such 5,000 square foot limitation shall be forwarded by the Planning Commission to Council for its review. Council shall have 30 days from its receipt of the decision of the Planning Commission to confirm, deny, or modify said decision. In the event Council does not act upon the decision of the Planning Commission within said 30 days, the decision of the Planning Commission shall be deemed to be confirmed.
(2) Linear continuity of buildings shall be preserved by placing primary facades parallel to the street.
(3) New and remodeled buildings shall be compatible with their surroundings. Architectural style, bulk, shape, massing, height, scale and form of new and remodeled buildings and the shape between and around buildings shall be consistent with the character of the area and be in harmony with neighboring buildings. Building design and materials shall also be compatible with the historic residential structures in the Village and include gable roofs and residential-type windows and doors.
(4) Buildings with a facade in excess of 55 feet shall be divided into modules not exceeding 50 feet in width. Each module may have a separate entry, display windows, and/or other architectural features to distinguish it from adjacent modules. (Ord. 73-2015. Passed 11-17-15.)
(f) (EDITOR’S NOTE: Former subsection (f) was repealed by Ordinance 73-2015, passed November 17, 2015.)
(g) (EDITOR’S NOTE: Former subsection (g) was repealed by Ordinance 73-2015, passed November 17, 2015.)
(h) Building and Lot Aesthetics. The specific guidelines for building and lot aesthetics in this subsection provide an illustration of the acceptable and unacceptable methods of building design as it relates to height, scale, massing, setback and other issues. For each specific guideline that follows, a description of the recommended approach that the applicant/property owner should "consider" is provided, with an illustration of the result of the design. Similarly, a description is provided of the design approach that the applicant/property owner should "avoid" when designing or remodeling structures in these districts.
(1) Height:
Acceptable - Relating the overall height of new construction or renovation of existing structures to that of adjacent structures.
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Unacceptable - New construction that greatly varies in height (too high or too low) from other buildings in the vicinity.
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(2) Scale:
Acceptable - Relating the size and proportions of new structures to the scale of adjacent buildings. Although much larger than its neighbors in terms of square footage, the building shown maintains the same scale and rhythm as the existing buildings.
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Unacceptable - Buildings that in height, width or massing violate the existing scale of the area. The new building shown here disrupts the scale and rhythm of the streetscape.
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(3) Massing:
Acceptable - Breaking up uninteresting boxlike forms into small, varied masses such as are common on older buildings. Variety of form and massing are elements essential to the character of the streetscape.
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Unacceptable - Single, monolithic forms that are not relieved by variations in massing. Boxlike facades and forms are intrusive when placed in a streetscape of older buildings that have varied massing and facade articulation.
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(4) Directional Expression:
Acceptable - Relating the vertical, or nondirectional facade character of new buildings to the predominant directional expression of nearby buildings. Horizontal buildings can be made to relate to the more vertical adjacent structures by breaking the facade into smaller masses that conform to the primary expression of the streetscape.
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Unacceptable - Strongly horizontal or vertical facade expressions unless compatible with the character of structures in the immediate area. The new building shown does not relate well to either its neighbor or to the rhythm of the streetscape because of its unbroken horizontal facade.
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(5) Setback:
Acceptable - Maintaining the architectural facade lines of streetscape by locating front walls of new building in the same plane as the facades of adjacent buildings. If existing setbacks vary, new building should conform to historic siting patterns.
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Unacceptable - Violating the existing setback pattern by placing new buildings in front of or behind the historic facade line. Avoid placing buildings at odd angles to the street unless in an area where diverse siting already exists.
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(6) Sense of Entry:
Acceptable - Articulating the main entrances to the building with covered porches, porticos, and other pronounced architectural forms.
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Unacceptable - Facades with no strong sense of entry. Side entries or entries not defined by a porch or similar transitional element result in an incompatible "flat" first floor facade.
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(7) Roof Shapes:
Acceptable - Relating the roof forms of the new building to those found in the area. Although not entirely necessary, duplication of the existing or traditional roof shapes, pitches and materials on new construction is one way of making new structures more visually compatible.
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Unacceptable - Introducing roof shapes, pitches or materials not traditionally used in the area.
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(8) Rhythm of Openings:
Acceptable - Respecting the recurrent alteration of wall area with door and window elements in the facade. Also consider the width-to-height ratio of bays in the façade. The placement of openings with respect to the facade's overall composition symmetry, or balanced asymmetry, should be carefully studied.
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Unacceptable - Introducing incompatible facade patterns that upset the rhythm of the openings established in surrounding structures. Glass walls and window and door shapes and their locations shown in example are incompatible to the adjoining buildings.
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(Ord. 25-2011. Passed 9-20-11.)