Gardendale City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XII.
ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL STANDARDS[2]
Editor's note— Ord. No. 2018-017, § 9, adopted Nov. 19, 2018, amended Art. XII in its entirety to read as herein set out. Former Art. XII, §§ 111-376—111-378, have been redesignated as Art. XIII, §§ 111-380—111-382. The former Art. XII pertained to legal status provisions, and derived from Ord. No. 2013-02, §§ 12.1—12.3, 3-4-2013.
Sec. 111-376.- Purpose of architectural control standards.
The purpose of this section is to establish minimum standards for exterior architecture of commercial, office, institutional, religious, industrial and warehouse buildings to ensure a high quality of development, redevelopment and compatibility with evolving architectural or planning themes that contribute to a community image of quality, visual aesthetics, permanence and stability, which are in the best interest of the citizens of the city. These standards are intended to prevent use of building materials that are unsightly and contribute to depreciation of area property values or cause urban blight.
These standards are further intended to enhance the appearance of building exteriors, additions and accessory structures in order to prevent visual disharmony, to minimize adverse impacts on adjacent properties from buildings which are or may become unsightly, and to discourage buildings that detract from the character and appearance of the area. It is not the intent of this section to unduly restrict design freedom when reviewing and approving project architecture in relationship to the proposed land use or site characteristics.
Sec. 111-377. - Definition applicable to architectural control standards.
The following definitions are applicable to this article XII:
Brick includes kiln fired clay or shale brick manufacture to ASTM C216 and C652, Grade SW, can include concrete brick if the coloration is integral, shall not be painted, and it is manufactured to ASTM C1623; minimum thickness of two and one quarter inches when applied as a veneer, and shall not include underfired clay or shell brick.
Decorative concrete block includes highly texture finish, such as split faced, indented, hammered, fluted, ribbed or similar architectural finish; coloration shall be integral to the masonry material and shall not be painted on; minimum thickness of three and five eighths inches when applied as a veneer; shall include light weight and featherweight concrete block or cinder block units.
Masonry materials shall mean and include that form of construction defined below and composed of clay brick, stone, decorative concrete block, rock or other materials of equal characteristics laid up unit by unit set in mortar.
Precast concrete panels include products often associated with tilt up wall construction but only allowed if post-constructed wall areas are then covered by defined masonry materials that can be laid up unit by unit set in mortar and meet the required percentage of coverage as defined in this ordinance.
Stone includes naturally occurring granite, marble, limestone, slate, river rock, and other similar hard and durable all weather stone that is customarily used in exterior building construction; may also include cast or manufacture stone product, provided that such project yields a highly textured stone-like appearance, its coloration is integral to the masonry material and shall not be painted on, and it is demonstrated to be highly durable and maintenance free; natural or manmade stone shall have a minimum thickness of two and five eighths inches when applied as a veneer.
Synthetic masonry means synthetic stucco exterior insulation finishing systems (EIFS, cement board, and similar products) should meet the standards of the International Code Council evaluation report.
Sec. 111-378. - Scope of regulations.
The provisions of this section are applicable to all properties within the City of Gardendale that are located within Inst-1, Inst-2, Inst-3, CP, C-1, C-2, C-3 zoning districts.
Sec. 111-379. - Architectural design standards.
All new structures and buildings, and all existing structures and buildings proposed to have facade changes of 50 percent or greater, and located within an Inst-1, Inst-2, Inst-3, CP, C-1, C-2, and C-3 zoning districts shall be erected and constructed as follows with any of the approved materials, or any other comparable or superior materials as approved by the building official. The following masonry standards have been established, while acknowledging there may be certain nationally recognized franchises with standard architectural designs that may be considered:
(1)
A minimum of 70 percent of the total exterior finish of a building shall consist of masonry. For purposes of determining the relative percentages of exterior finish of a building all exposed walls shall be considered; excluding, however, windows, doors, and trim.
(2)
A minimum of 70 percent of the exterior finish of the facade of a building shall consist of masonry.
(3)
When synthetic masonry is used, a minimum of 70 percent of the exterior of all buildings shall be a combination of masonry and synthetic masonry. At least 30 percent of the exterior of all buildings shall be clad in masonry. The building official may attach conditions to the use of synthetic masonry to prevent damage due to water infiltration and other causes.
(4)
The balance of the exterior walls shall consist of wood, glass, or other permitted materials. Exposed cinder block is prohibited. Architectural metal is, and exterior trim work may consist of other materials, subject to approval by the building official.
(5)
Application should be accomplished only by a manufacturer trained installer in accordance to manufactured standard details.
(6)
Any building to be constructed as part of a development agreement with the city pursuant to section 94.01 of the Recompiled Constitute of Alabama shall be required to comply with the exterior materials included in the development plan approved by the city council for such building notwithstanding any provision of this section.