The intent is to create building facades throughout this development that are varied and articulated to provide visual interest.
A. Parcel A and Parcel E: Architectural design should pay careful attention to exterior building materials and details, use of windows and doors, and change in building mass within the plan and roof design. Materials and trim used on the front facade shall be continued around all sides of the building. However, the level of detail can be reduced on the facades not facing a street.
Homes shall use materials such as brick, stone, lap siding or shakes, decorative trim or similar combination of material which represents a variation of architectural styles or elements. Use of natural materials is encouraged, composite materials such as fiber cement and wood composites are appropriate substitutions. Vinyl siding may be used only with appropriately scaled trim. Materials should change with the change in building planes; however, all material should keep within the chosen style. Trim and structural elements such as posts or columns shall be sized to the scale of the building and detailed appropriately to the style. When used, masonry materials shall have the appearance of three-dimensional elements. Fenestration (door and window openings) shall be sized to the scale of the building and be compatible to the chosen architectural style.
Garages or accessory structures shall incorporate architectural details of the primary building with the use of roof forms, windows, doors and other facade detailing.
1. Attached Garages: Garage doors shall not be the predominate feature of a home. Garage doors facing the street shall be set back so as to minimize the dominance of their appearance and provide adequate space between the street or sidewalk and the garage to accommodate additional parking. Therefore any residential structure with a garage which projects in front of the front facade equal to or greater than three feet (3') will be required to provide a minimum five foot (5') deep covered front porch, or stoop with a width that extends a minimum of twenty five percent (25%) of the front facade. Any residential structure with a garage which projects less than three feet (3') or is recessed behind the front facade does not need to meet this requirement. In addition, the garage width shall not exceed sixty percent (60%) of the primary facade.
2. Detached Garage: Detached garages or accessory structures should be clad in the same materials and incorporate similar architectural details of the primary buildings with the use of roof forms, windows, doors and other facade detailing. Those portions of accessory buildings visible from any street or adjacent property shall incorporate same level of architectural detail as the primary buildings.
B. Parcel B: Architectural design for multi-family buildings shall express a creative presentation of exterior building materials, exterior details and texture, treatment of windows and doors, and use of angles and multiplicity of planes within the wall and roof design to lessen the plainness of appearance which can be characteristic of large residential buildings. The suggestion of building articulation that breaks up the building mass into modules shall be required. Methods used to create intervals which reflect and promote compatibility and which respect the scale of the single-family detached residential dwellings include:
1. Facade modulation - stepping back or extending forward a portion of the facade.
2. Repeating the window patterns.
3. Providing the porch, patio, deck, or covered entry.
4. Changing the rooflines by alternating dormers, stepped roofs, gables, or other roof elements.
5. Changing materials with the change in building plane.
6. Using paint and materials that blend with the single-family residential areas.
Asphaltic shingles shall be allowed provided the shingle materials are of a heavier grade that produces a shake or shadowing effect.
C. Parcel C; office: The architectural design of any office building within the PUD shall be acceptable to the city, provided acceptance shall not be unreasonably held, and all buildings shall have as a primary element being fascia glass, brick, or stone with consistency of design and use of materials on all sides of any building. The design of any building shall incorporate elements that provide a common theme or compatibility with residential uses in the neighborhood. The use of brick shall be incorporated into the building architecture on all sides of the structure, unless the city council of West Des Moines, after review by the plan and zoning commission of West Des Moines, determines that the use of alternate building materials enhances the physical appearance and accomplishes a compatible structure with the residential uses in the neighborhood. No wood, masonite, visible asphaltic exterior wall or roof material, aluminum siding, nonarchitectural sheet metal, concrete block, EIFS, stucco, or other similar materials shall constitute a portion of any building except as trim material, unless the city council of West Des Moines after having receive a recommendation from the plan and zoning commission of West Des Moines, determines said material when used as a primary element, enhances the physical appearance, or provides continuity to unite all structures within the parcel together into one project concept. (Ord. 1783, 10-8-2007; amd. Ord. 2517, 5-16-2022)