Appendix Section 3.0: - Design Guidelines General Design

Building Facade Materials and Modulation

Plan

• Modulate building façade setbacks with a variety of dimensions and feature elements such as colonnades.

 

Elevation

• Buildings 3 stories or less shall incorporate cornices that project horizontally a minimum of 1 foot and extending across the entire façade.    • Changes in building material and color shall be incorporated.    •  Street level: Articulate façade with large windows and distinctive entrances.

 

Architectural Design For Multi-Story Buildings

 

Architectural Entry Features

 

Height Transitions

Transitional Height Plane

Internal Height Transitions

Multifamily Residential

The following architectural and site design guidelines are laid out to ensure well-designed and well-constructed multifamily development that enhances the quality of life in the surrounding community and provides a variety of quality housing options to current and future residents.

Typical Multifamily Building Elevation

• Multifamily buildings encouraged to be designed with a pitched roof (see 3.8 for roof guidelines.)    • Common entrances and breezeway entrances shall incorporate a distinctive architectural entrance structure such as a tower element, arched portal or arbor/trellis.    • Front, sides, and rear facades shall be finished with a minimum of 50 percent brick or stone finish on each elevation.

 

Typical Site Layout For Multifamily Residential

1. Provide pedestrian connections within and beyond the development.    2. Provide potential future connections to adjacent sites or parallel roads.    3. Organize buildings around park to create more park views and provide more natural security    4. Buildings should be oriented parallel to both external and internal streets, providing a frontage that helps frame the public realm.    5. Buildings should be used to screen the parking areas from view.    6. Break up parking lots to avoid large areas of asphalt.

 

Attached Single-Family Residential

Typical Attached Single-Family Building Elevation

• Buildings shall be designed with a pitched roof (see 3.8 for roof guidelines)    • Front, sides, and rear facades shall be finished with a minimum of 50 percent * brick or stone finish on each elevation   * Required percentage of brick or stone finish varies by zoning district.

 

Typical Site Layout For Attached Single-Family Residential

• Building front façade changes in setback are encouraged.

 

Industrial Building Facades

The following design guidelines should be considered when designing industrial buildings:    • Articulate facades to provide a consistent visual effect that is consistent with the character and scale of the area.    • Elevations visible to public view shall reflect the overall design, colors and textures used on the front façade.    • Design multi-building projects to include consistent design elements throughout the project.    • Incorporate clearly defined public and employee entrances.    • Incorporate canopies, porticoes, and peaked roof features.    • Varied parapet elevation height changes.    • Entrance framed by outdoor pedestrian features or enhanced landscaping.    • Incorporate architectural details such as façade articulation that includes changes in color and materials.    • Incorporate integral planters in the outdoor pedestrian areas.

 

Roof Treatments

Flat Roof

• Flat roof buildings shall incorporate articulated parapets or facade projections every 100 feet. Parapets should be a minimum of 1' in height. Vary building and cornice heights along long facades, but avoid drastic changes - generally no more than 20 feet or two stories.

 

Green Roof

• Flat roofs with live vegetative planting visible from ground views may be substituted for articulated parapets or pitched roofs.

 

Mansard Roof

• Pitched roofs may have a flat roof well located in the central area of the roof, not to exceed 50 percent of the total roof area. The height of the partial (mansard) roof profile should be equal in ridge height to the design height of a fully pitched roof.

 

Pitched Roof

• Fully pitched roofs require a minimum slope of 4 feet in every 12 feet. Roof eaves must overhang 1 foot at minimum. Roofing material is limited to seam metal, slate, tile, or architectural shingles. Roof must be articulated every 100 feet. Incorporate features such as roof eave height changes, towers, spires, cupolas, dormers, and/or gables.

 

Awning/Canopy Design

Awnings

• The scale of the awning, i.e., height, length, depth, and overall bulk shall be compatible with the building storefront or entry.    • Awnings shall not be made of shiny, high gloss, or translucent materials.    • Awnings shall not cover distinctive architectural features of the building façade.
	Discouraged: higher awnings that cover signage or architectural features	Encouraged: awnings that highlight signage and enhance building

 

Canopies

• Canopies shall be compatible in material, color, and construction to the style of the building.    • Canopy roof and column material and design shall compliment the main building design.

 

Parking Decks: Architectural Features and Screening

 

Landscape and Plaza Design

Multifamily Residential

• Vary heights, sizes and types of plant materials around the building foundation area.    • Create focal cluster groups of plants adjacent to the building entry points.    • Incorporate perennials and annuals to add color.

 

Commercial/Office

• Screen service areas with large evergreens.    • Vary heights, sizes and types of plant materials around the building foundation area.    • Create focal cluster groups of plants adjacent to the building entry points.    • Incorporate perennials and annuals to add color.

 

Ground-Level Utility Equipment and Dumpster Screening

Utility equipment screening
• Utility equipment such as HVAC and other mechanical equipment should be designed and located in a manner to be hidden from public view.    • Screens for exterior equipment should exceed the height of the equipment.    • Screen structures shall utilize building materials that match the exterior materials of the adjacent building.
Utility meter and other building mounted equipment screening
• Utility meters shall screened to best extent possible with evergreen and other plantings.    • Utility meters and associated fixtures shall be painted to match the color of the building.    • Heating and air cooling units, exhaust hoods, fans, vent piping, satellite dishes, antennae, solar panels, and other appurtenances that are ground or roof mounted shall be screened from public view.
Dumpster enclosures
• Dumpster enclosures shall be constructed of materials that match the material and color finishes of the adjacent primary building.