For the purpose of and use in this Chapter, certain terms and words shall be interpreted with regard to the following explanations:
(a) Appropriateness. A proposal is judged to be appropriate when it respects the existing architectural style of a building and fits comfortably within its setting, neighborhood and overall community. This condition applies to landscaping and accessory structures as well.
(b) Compatibility. A design or a material/color selection is compatible when it does not strongly deviate from its parent building, or the overall character of the neighborhood. To be compatible does not require look alike designs, but rather designs that reflect some aspects of its parent building or buildings in the general vicinity, such as scale of windows, overhangs, building materials, patterns of siding, roof slope. Conversely, incompatibility occurs when an architectural design, landscape design or accessory building proposal is aesthetically harsh or overwhelming relative to its neighbors.
(c) Noncontributing. A factor in a proposal or part thereof that is taken from an existing building characteristic or site feature such as design, scale, fenestration, architectural feature, material or color that is determined by the Planning Commission to be not appropriate for replication in new projects or modifications to existing projects when:
(1) It does not enhance or improve the character of the City and/or the surrounding environs of the project, or
(2) It is unrepresentative of the overall character of the City and/or the prevalent character of the surrounding environs of the project.
(d) Proportion. The relationship of parts of a building, landscape, structures, or buildings to each other and to the whole balance.
(e) Proximity. Proximity shall be considered in terms of the potential for one property, by virtue of its locations, to materially affect other properties. In determining a property to be in proximity to another, the following factors shall be considered:
(1) The visibility of both properties from a common point; or
(2) The location of both properties within a relatively compact network of streets, walkways or spaces.
(f) Style. Style relates to a building's character and configuration in plan and elevation. It also relates to architectural conventions of a particular time period concerning details of windows and doors, eaves, corner boards, pitch of roofs and the materials of the building's skin.
(Ord. 2001-141. Passed 1-17-02.)