The architectural design of any commercial or office buildings 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, face 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 received a recommendation from the Plan and Zoning Commission of West Des Moines, shall determine 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.
A. No commercial or office building shall exceed a maximum height allowed according to the provisions of the zoning ordinance. Design elements such as clock towers, as focal points shall be allowed to exceed the maximum building height through review by the Plan and Zoning Commission and the approval of the City Council.
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 use of building articulation that breaks up the building mass into modules which reflect proportions similar to the single-family residential dwellings on the adjacent parcels 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 at intervals equal to articulated intervals,
3. Providing the porch, patio, deck, or covered entry to the articulation interval,
4. Changing the rooflines by alternating dormers, stepped roofs, gables, or other roof elements to reinforce the modulation or articulation interval,
5. Changing materials with the change in building plane,
6. Providing a lighting feature, trellis, tree, or other landscape feature with each interval,
7. Using paint and materials that blend with the single-family residential areas and to reinforce the modulation or articulated intervals.
C. Asphaltic shingles shall be allowed provided the shingle materials are of a heavier grade that produces a shake or shadowing effect and is consistent with the color and materials used for the multi-family residential developments on Parcel J. (Ord. 1785, 10-22-2007)