Every application for a permit for the construction, reconstruction or alteration of any building in the CC District shall be reviewed under these guidelines, the Urban Design Plan, and the Comprehensive Plan. Applications shall be approved if the Planning Commission finds that the guidelines and recommendations of these plans have substantially been met. It is the responsibility of the applicant to demonstrate compliance with these Standards and Guidelines and the Conditions for Review and Approval, § 154.10.475.
(A) Building Placement.
(1) All buildings are encouraged to be be placed at or very close to the street right-of-way line, their facades running parallel with the street, except in cases where:
(a) The distance between the right of way and the street curb is less than twelve feet, the building shall be moved back from the right of way enough to establish the required twelve-foot distance for street sidewalk space; and
(b) A utility easement running parallel with the street right of way requires that no building can be constructed over it;
(c) The Service or Safety Director determines such a location will be a hazard to traffic.
(2) Buildings at corner lots are encouraged to extend along both lot frontages to the extent possible.
(3) Storefronts should be oriented towards the street, shall be integrated with the sidewalk space, and shall afford direct pedestrian access from the street sidewalk.
(4) Businesses should be designed to reinforce the pattern of small storefront divisions facing the street.
(Ord. 3298. Passed 6-14-05.)
(5) Drive-up facilities shall be designed and located on the site so as to be screened as much as possible from public view. Drive-in facilities are permitted so long as the Planning Commission is satisfied that the general purpose, objectives, and design standards and guidelines of the City Center District are substantially met. Drive- thru facilites are prohibited.
(Ord. 3384. Passed 4-22-08.)
(B) Building Character.
(1) Ensure visual compatibility by discouraging the construction of new buildings and the renovation and/or expansion of existing buildings which calls attention to itself and significantly disrupts the establishment of unity and form envisioned in the Plan.
(2) Discourage the construction of “big-box” type buildings which are incompatible with the desired small scale and mass of retail tructures. If this type of building is proposed, it should modify its form in order to be articulated and subdivided into massing that is proportional to the mass and scale of other small scale structures in the district.
(C) Building Height.
(1) Building height shall be 35 feet.
(2) Buildings in excess of 35 feet may be permitted depending on their location in relation to the overall district, the predominant building form and character, and visual compatibility with adjacent buildings.
(D) Housing Units Development and Site Planning.
(1) Housing units shall front along the street and public space shown in the Alexandersville Square Redevelopment Plan in order to extend the urban form and visual corridor connecting the business and commercial areas with the riverfront.
(2) Housing development shall take place on the basis of a unified plan in adherence with the urban design concepts shown in the Alexandersville Square Redevelopment Plan.
(3) In the case where housing may be developed by more than one developer, the plans shall be coordinated and their implementation shall result in establishing the desired form, architectural character, visual corridor, public open spaces and parking as recommended and as shown in the Alexandersville Square Redevelopment Plan.
(4) Housing units shall only include attached, detached, zero-lot line, and other similar- type units as described in Section 154.10.473(A)(7).
(5) Ground level commercial space is highly encouraged in a mixed vertical arrangement with the housing units.
(E) Sidewalks and Pedestrian Amenity.
(1) Barrier-free pathways to accommodate the handicapped should be provided from parking areas to various building destinations.
(2) The design and construction of all sidewalks shall aim at establishing a uniform pedestrian network. Improvements to sidewalks and pedestrian space by property owners shall conform to the standards and design specifications established by the City.
(F) Parking and Loading.
(1) Parking within the District shall be computed on the basis of four parking spaces required for 1,000 square feet of gross floor area of office and commercial mixed uses, applied throughout the entire area. Reciprocal shared off-site parking arrangements are highly encouraged and may, in certain cases, be required as a condition of project approval.
(2) In the case of commercial/residential mixed use development, parking shall be computed for each use and there shall be a separation between the residential parking areas and those devoted to commercial users. Driveways and access lanes may be combined and shall be clearly demarcated with proper signage.
(3) Existing parking lots should be shared and made more efficient through improved access and more efficient layout.
(4) Existing small, under utilized lots should be combined to create larger more efficient parking areas.
(5) Parking lots should be located and should be designed so they do not detract from the appearance of a site from streets or other public areas.
(6) Large, uninterrupted expanses of pavement should be avoided or substantially mitigated by the careful location of green space and plant materials within the parking lot.
(7) Loading areas should be visually unobtrusive and should be located properly in order to minimize conflicts with vehicles or pedestrians.
(G) Vehicular Circulation, Joint and Cross Access.
(1) The location and design of driveway entrances to the property should minimize conflict with off-site traffic, and should provide for a safe transition into the parking lot.
(2) Creative site planning in building siting, circulation and access, shared ingress/egress arrangements, and elimination of curb cuts should be encouraged.
(3) Wherever possible, adjacent properties shall provide cross-access to allow circulation between them.
(4) A system of joint-use driveways and cross-access easements should be established wherever feasible. Property owners shall record an easement with the deed allowing cross access to and from other properties served by the joint use driveway and cross- access. The agreement will be recorded with the deed specifying that the remaining access right along the thoroughfare will be dedicated to the State or the City and pre-existing driveways will be closed and eliminated after construction of the joint-use driveway.
(H) Lighting.
(1) Lighting should be used to illuminate important on-site elements such as entrances, pedestrian pathways, and pedestrian spaces.
(2) The luminosity, orientation, and location of exterior light fixtures should foster user safety and minimize vehicle/pedestrian conflicts.
(3) All outdoor lighting shall be designed, located, and mounted at heights no greater than sixteen feet above grade for non-cutoff lights and thirty-two feet above grade for cutoff lights.
(4) All outdoor lighting shall be located, screened or shielded so that adjacent uses are not directly illuminated, especially in cases where commercial uses abut or are in close proximity to residential uses.
(5) No outdoor lighting shall be of such an intensity or color distortion as to cause glare or to impair the vision of pedestrians and/or drivers.
(I) Screening and Landscaping.
(1) All landscape improvements within the right of way, parking areas, screening, and selected private spaces shall be undertaken in accordance with the City’s streetscape standards and Landscape Regulations of the Zoning Code, Section 154.13.01.
(2) Green areas designed for the use and enjoyment of pedestrians should consider visibility, accessibility, safety, location of seating, and microclimate.
(3) Where appropriate, green areas should link major site destinations such as buildings and parking areas.
(J) Signs.
(1) All signs within the district shall be reviewed and approved according to the requirements of the City’s Sign Code, Chapter 153, and as provided in these regulations.
(2) Signs should be designed to communicate with pedestrians or persons in slow moving vehicles, and located to be visible under the street tree canopy.
(3) Signs for the identification of tenants occupying the upper floors of a building and/or for occupants of the building having no street frontage should be permitted, if they comply with the following:
(a) One identifying plaque for each occupant having access to premises at point of attachment. Height of plaque is optional. Width of plaque may not exceed width of surface of attachment. Maximum area is three square feet. Plaque shall be placed flat on the building’s wall.
(b) All plaques shall be placed adjacent to building entrance. Where more than one plaque is placed at an entrance, the total group is to be related in an orderly and integrated manner in one or more vertical columns but no more than two columns, with common vertical centerlines. The horizontal centerline of each group must be 5'0" above the average grade level.
(c) Plaques may be of any cast metal, of any natural stone or wood, or other appropriate material.
(d) Letters or characters shall not exceed two and one-half inches in height; symbols may not exceed eight inches in height; all letters and symbols shall be integral with the base material or painted on the base (in the case of wood). No more than three lines of letters should be used. No internally illuminated plaques shall be used.
(K) Dumpsters.
(1) Dumpsters shall be located at the rear side of buildings away from pedestrian pathways, shall be screened from public view, and shall be easily accessible for service.
(2) Dumpster enclosures shall be constructed in direct coordination with the principal structures with regard to materials and color.
(Ord. 3298. Passed 6-14-05.)