(A) Route 73.
(1) Building design.
(a) All buildings in a development approved as a single project shall be compatible in design as to facade material, proportionality of features, color and texture.
(b) There shall be an apparent change in features, material, color and texture for each separate user or for every 40 feet of the primary facade.
(c) The material and design elements used on the front or primary facade shall be replicated on any side or rear elevation visible to the general public from rights-of-way or adjacent properties.
(d) No more than two-thirds of the building shall be at the same setback line and the offset shall be at least equal to 10% of the average depth of the building and there shall be two separate breaks for every 100 feet of facade length.
(e) The aforementioned design regulations shall apply to all non-residential zones.
(2) Definitions. For the purpose of this division , the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ARCADE. A continuous passageway parallel to and open to a street, open space, or building, usually covered by a canopy or permanent roofing, and accessible and open to the public.
BAY. A regularly repeated unit on a building elevation defined by columns, pilasters, or other vertical elements, or defined by a given number of windows or openings.
BELT (also STRING COURSE or HORIZONTAL COURSE). A projecting horizontal band on an exterior wall marking the separation between floors or levels.
BELEVEDERE. From the Latin "beautiful view," referring to an architectural structure such as a gazebo, from which one can gaze onto a particular view.
BLANK WALL. An exterior building wall with no openings and generally constructed of a single material, uniform texture, and on a single plane.
BUFFER. An area within a property or site; generally adjacent to and parallel with the property line, either consisting of existing natural vegetation or created by the use of trees, shrubs,
berms, and/or fences, and designed to limit views and sounds from the development tract to adjacent properties and vice versa.
COLUMN. A vertical pillar or shaft, usually structural.
CORNICE. The top part of an entablature, usually molding and projecting.
CUPOLA. A small roof tower, usually rising from the roof ridge.
EAVES. The projecting lower edges of a roof overhanging the wall of a building.
ELEVATION. An exterior facade of a structure, or its head-on view, or representation drawn with no vanishing point, and used primarily for construction.
FACADE. A building face or wall.
FENESTRATION. Window and other openings on a building facade.
GABLE. The part of the end wall of a building between the eaves and a pitched or gambrel roof.
HARMONY. The design, arrangement, and location of buildings or other created or natural elements of the urban environment that are sufficiently consistent in scale, character, and siting with other buildings to avoid abrupt differences.
LINTEL. A horizontal beam over an opening in a masonry wall, either structural or decorative.
OVERHANG. The part of a roof or wall that extends beyond the facade of a lower wall.
PARAPET. The extension of the main walls of a building above the roof level. Parapet walls are often used to shield mechanical equipment and vents.
PERGOLA. A structure usually consisting of parallel colonnades supporting an open roof of girders and cross rafters, something like an advanced trellis or arbor.
PILASTER. A column partially embedded in a wall, usually non-structural.
PITCH. The angle of slope of a roof or berm.
PORCH. A roofed open area, which may be screened, usually attached to or part of and with direct access to or from a building.
PORTICO. An open sided structure attached to a building sheltering an entrance or serving as a semi-enclosed space.
(3) General requirements and standards.
(a) The Zoning Map adopted on April 12, 1999 as Ordinance No. 919-99, and any and all amendments thereto adopted from time to time by the Township Committee as required by law, is hereby incorporated herein, and made a part of this Unified Land Development Ordinance (ULDO), as if same were fully set forth herein. In the event of any conflict between this ULDO and the Zoning Map or between the Zoning Map and any ordinance duly adopted as required by law after the effective date of this ULDO, the ULDO or such ordinance, as the case may be, shall govern and control.
(b) The Architectural and Design Standards set forth herein shall apply to all parcels, hereafter developed or redeveloped, with access to Route 73.
(4) Positioning of development.
(a) Building layout shall be constructed in a manner to position at least 50% of the building facade along the Route 73 Corridor required front yard building setback.
(b) All buildings on corner lots within all zoning districts along the Route 73 right-of-way should be placed proximate to the intersection of the front yard setback lines.
(c) Parking may not encompass more than 50% of the lot frontage within 170 feet of the Route 73 right-of-way.
(d) Developments with multiple buildings shall be maintained positioning the buildings along Route 73 frontage and provide consistent setback depth as set forth herein.
(e) All parking lot or parking areas located along the highway buffer must be screened by a densely planted evergreen hedge with plants three feet in height at the time of planting or a solid masonry wall screen that matches the facade of the building.
(5) Service areas and loading docks.
(a) Shrub, evergreen trees and walls that match the facade shall be used to screen loading docks from the public view. Loading docks shall be positioned in a manner that makes them less visible from the public view. Loading docks shall not be visible from the road. Loading docks shall be consistent in overall appearance with the building. Whenever possible, loading of merchandise should occur through the entrance or exit doors to avoid the construction of loading docks.
(b) Trash receptacles and refuse areas shall meet the setback requirements for parking lots and structures. All trash receptacles and refuse areas shall be enclosed with solid walls that match the facade of the building or buildings it serves. Gates and doors that provide access shall compliment the color scheme of the walls. No chain-link doors are permitted. The doors shall be constructed of a solid material like metal or wood. All wall screening refuse areas shall be eight feet in height. Landscaping shall be utilized to soften the appearance of any such wall.
(6) Parking areas.
(a) Unless otherwise specified herein, all non-residential off-street parking shall be governed by the provisions of § 154.010.
(b) Parking shall not occupy more than 50% of the frontage of any parcel and shall be screened to create a defined edge.
(c) Ten percent of the area within the parking area (excluding buffers and setbacks) shall be landscaped with evergreen and deciduous trees.
(d) For every ten parking spaces, 1.5 trees with a minimum caliper of three inches shall be required.
(e) To the greatest extent possible, all existing trees and vegetation shall be maintained.
(f) All parking areas that abut Route 73 and/or any other local or county roads shall be screened by a dense evergreen hedge at least three feet in height at the time of planting along the entire length of the parking area. Plants shall be selected to achieve a minimum height of five feet at maturity.
(g) No temporary structure may be erected within a parking area without a zoning permit which shall review placement, circulation and access. A sketch showing necessary details and dimensions shall be required.
(7) Pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
(a) Unless otherwise specified herein, all pedestrian and bicycle facilities shall be governed by the provisions of § 154.009.
(b) Pedestrian walkways to building entry(s) shall be prominent, clearly and readily identifiable.
(c) A clear and direct pedestrian linkage from parking areas to building entry(s) is required.
(d) Pedestrian walkways shall be physically separated from vehicular areas to insure safety at crossings and driveways.
(e) Pathways and walkways shall be used to link plazas and gardens and access to all buildings.
(f) The use of a variety of enriched textures and paving surfaces for walking surfaces shall be required.
(g) Bicycle racks or lockers shall be provided at all shopping and office complexes.
(h) Textured pedestrian crosswalks shall be provided from parking areas to all buildings.
(8) Lighting.
(a) Lighting fixtures for properties along the Route 73 Corridor shall utilize Hadco Hagerstown fixtures or approved fixtures of similar style. Poles and bollards shall utilize black decorative lamp poles. The pole type shall be Hadco Classic I or approval equal. Concrete foundation pads shall not exceed six inches in height above grade where used to mount the light poles.
(b) Along all streets, parking areas, sidewalks and walkways, 12-foot lampposts shall be provided at regular intervals. In parking lot areas, the lampposts may be increased to 16 feet. Use of minimum wattage is recommended to avoid light pollution while still achieving visibility. A 0.9 foot-candle maximum is allowed in parking areas in walkways for non-residential uses. A maximum 0.6 to 0.7 foot-candles measured at the property line is allowed in areas that abut residential zones. House side shields shall be required to reduce lighting spillover. At access drives and at driveway intersections, stronger illumination coverage should be provided for increased visibility and safety.
(c) Mounted light fixtures on buildings shall be permitted in order to add to the architectural quality of the building. Such fixtures shall not extend above the roofline and shall be directed downward. Fixture types shall be compatible with the architectural style and appearance of the building.
(d) Within the Route 73 buffer area, approved lighting fixtures and other street fixtures should be consistently used.
(9) Building height/roofing.
(a) If any portion of the building wall exceeds 100 linear feet, the building wall shall contain roofline offsets. Flat roofs are discouraged but are permitted if they are enclosed with a continuous parapet. All flat roofs shall have an articulated cornice line. A building with a pitched roof is preferred. Permitted roof materials for pitched roofs include: cedar wood shingles; dimensioned asphalt; composite tile; and standing seam copper or anodized aluminum.
(b) Special architectural features such as clock towers, bell towers, cupolas and ornamental portions of parapet walls may exceed the height limit by up to ten feet, but shall not encompass more than 10% of the building facade wall. Signage shall not be included within the additional height.
(10) Fenestration/doors.
(a) Windows, doors display windows, or arcades shall make up at least 50% of building walls that face streets. Windows shall be architecturally attuned with the style, materials, color and details of the building. Upper story windows shall be vertically aligned with windows and doors on the ground level.
(b) Only one solid, blank windowless wall or service area is permitted per building. When the construction of a blank wall is absolutely necessary, the facade shall be articulated with false windows, architecturally articulated masonry, or by recessed display window cases.
(c) All entrances and doors to a building shall be defined and articulated by architectural elements such as lintels, pediments, pilasters, columns, porticos, porches, or overhangs. Any such features shall be compatible to the style and color of the building as a whole.
(11) Building colors and materials.
(a) Wherever possible, harmonization of colors, consistent with the Corridor's design is preferred. Design features on buildings and the color of signage shall be consistent and compatible.
(b) Buildings shall be constructed of full brick, natural stone, stucco, wood or a combination of these materials. Stucco shall have a smooth finish and shall contain some color or pigment. Earth tone colors and white tones shall be used. Colors shall be chosen to be compatible and harmonious. Accent colors may be used to highlight architectural elements.
(c) Buildings with multiple storefronts shall be unified through the use of architectural common materials, colors and details.
(12) Trim/decorative elements. All buildings shall be trimmed all around with eaves or cornices. Decorative elements such as pergolas, cupolas and belvederes may be used to give extra architectural features to structures.
(13) Building style. Building styles shall not utilize long uninterrupted, blank walls. Building offsets, including projections, recesses, and changes in floor elevation shall be used to add variety.
(14) Detention basins.
(a) Detention basins and other storm management drainage improvements shall be screened with planting and berms. Such improvements shall be situated in the least visible location in keeping with the natural topography and when possible, to expand the buffers that separate residential and non-residential uses. Detention basins shall not be included in the required buffer area. Detention basin embankments and the basin itself shall be extensively landscaped with wet site tolerant plant materials.
(b) The detention facility shall be sized to accommodate the future growth of vegetation planted in the basin. Retention basins shall be designed as a site feature and suitably sited and landscaped. Instead of peripheral fencing, retention/detention basin edges shall be contoured and shaped to form low angles at the primary water line, insuring greater pedestrian safety. If peripheral fencing is required, open fences and gates (conforming to the minimum requirements of the Uniform Construction Code) made of maintenance free materials, such as cast aluminum, in dark or earth tone colors, shall be used as appropriate. Woven wire (chainlink), stockade fences or solid fences shall be prohibited.
(Ord. 42-04, passed 3-8-04; Am. Ord. 85-06, passed 4-24-06; Am. Ord. 110-07, passed 7-9-07; Am. Ord. 266-15, passed 5-11-15)