Bernardsville City Zoning Code
§ LD-12-12.20
Architectural Standards.
[Added 10-13-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-1852]
a.
Intent. The architecture of Downtown Bernardsville is varied. In the historic core, building design ranges from early 20th century, mosonry and stucco "Main Street" shopfront buildings close to the sidewalk to older residential-type buildings, such as the Old Library, that feature shallow yards, porches, sloped roofs, and siding. These variations contribute to the unique village-like character of the Borough. The demolition of structures deemed historic is strongly discouraged. At a minimum, the exterior facades and features of buildings deemed historic should be preserved. The later architecture in downtown and along the corridors leading into downtown is more suburban in character and lacks the richness of downtown's more historic buildings. The intent is for the design of new construction and additions to take cues from Downtown Bernardsville's most iconic historic buildings.
b.
General. The standards in this section apply to basic building components as depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1  |
1.
Unless otherwise specified, the standards in this section apply to all facades that face a street or public open space and side facades for a minimum depth of 20 feet.
2.
Buildings shall be generally oriented so that a primary entrance(s) faces the primary street or public open space.
3.
Building entrances (excluding service access or emergency egress) shall be defined by a roof covering or by being recessed.
4.
Buildings shall be generally built parallel to the street frontage. If the street frontage is not straight, facades shall be generally built tangent to the street frontage.
5.
Buildings shall have simple massing and details in order to clearly distinguish the main body of the building and the primary pedestrian entry.
6.
Street-facing facades shall be composed so that the rhythm of ground floor attachments and openings harmonizes with the rhythm of attachments and openings on upper stories.
7.
Buildings on corner lots, shall address both streets with openings or the following attachments: porches and bay windows. For the purpose of this standard, a lane or alley is not a street.
8.
Miscellaneous Guidelines. Buildings and related elements should be arranged in a manner to indicate the pattern of base, body or shaft, and cap.
c.
Facades.
1.
Building facades shall be built of no more than two primary materials, excluding accent materials, and shall only change material along a horizontal line (with the heavier material below the lighter material), outside corners (where material wraps the corner a minimum of two feet), or inside corners. (See Attachment 3 - Downtown Zoning District Guidebook.)
3.
Building facades may include horizontal siding, vertical siding with flush joints, stucco, and medium-density overlay plywood (MDO) as an accent material in gables, dormers, and bay windows.
4.
Horizontal siding shall be lap, shiplap, drop, or shingle-style.
5.
Materials, other than masonry, shall be painted, stained, or have a factory-applied finish.
6.
Buildings shall be limited to two colors, excluding accent colors. Colors shall be earth tones from white through natural "red."
7.
Parking structure facades shall incorporate appropriate materials, openings, and detailing and be configured in a manner so as to resemble a building with active uses.
8.
Miscellaneous Guidelines. Natural materials are encouraged. Materials intended to represent natural materials should be minimized.
d.
Openings.
1.
Openings in walls with siding shall be trimmed with flat casing, a sloping sill, and drip cap at a minimum.
2.
Openings in masonry walls or walls with masonry veneer shall include brickmold casing.
3.
Openings in masonry walls or walls with masonry veneer other than stucco, shall have a precast lintel; masonry arch; or masonry header.
4.
Openings in parking structure facades may remain open without windows.
5.
With the exception of transoms and decorative windows, windows shall be square or vertically proportioned and rectangular in shape. The grouping of individual windows to create a horizontal banding effect is permitted as long as the width of the banding does not exceed 1/2 of the length of the facade.
6.
Adjacent windows shall be separated a minimum of two inches.
7.
Windows and doors shall have clear glass.
8.
Window muntins, if included, shall be true divided lites or simulated divided lites fixed on the interior and exterior surfaces of the window and shall create panes of square or vertical proportion (as tall as wide or taller than wide).
9.
Shutters, if included, shall be the same height as the window, and 1/2 the width of the window. Small windows may have one shutter that is the full width of the window. Shutters shall be operable or designed and installed as if they were operable including hardware.
e.
f.
Attachments. Attachments shall comply with the following standards. Refer to Attachment 3 - Downtown Zoning District Guidebook, for examples:
1.
Awnings and canopies shall not be internally illuminated.
2.
Balconies shall not be fully enclosed.
3.
Bay windows shall have visible support, either by extending the bay to grade with a foundation or transferring the projection back to the wall with beams, brackets, or brick corbeling.
4.
Chimneys shall extend to grade.
5.
Drive-through facilities shall be designed to match the architecture of the principal building the facility is attached to.
6.
Porches may be enclosed with glass or screens; however, glass enclosures are not permitted on porches that face a street or public open space.
7.
Posts and columns shall be generally classically ordered and include a base or pedestal, shaft, and capital. The base of posts, columns, and pedestals shall generally align with the face of the foundation wall directly below. The outside face of porch beams shall generally align with the face of the top of the column.
8.
The above standards shall not preclude the provision for outdoor dining.