Buildings shall not expose service areas and equipment (transformers, generators, compressors, etc.), loading areas, non-residential overhead doors, and similar features to the public right-of-way or to adjacent residential property.

If it is not feasible to design and orient service areas and equipment (transformers, generators, compressors, etc.), loading areas, non-residential overhead doors, and similar features so as not to face a public right-of-way or adjacent residential property, appropriate screening walls or fences with similar design features to the building (material, shape, color, etc.), additional landscape buffering or additional setbacks shall be required.

Buildings other than one- and two-family buildings which are proposed in residential districts (utility structures, schools, churches, etc.) shall incorporate residential design elements (pitched roofs, dormers, cupolas, or other similar roof elements) into the building design to minimize the aesthetic impact of the non-residential uses.

Multiple-family buildings shall be designed in a manner compatible with residential uses in the vicinity. Architectural design for multiple-family buildings shall attempt to lessen the plainness of appearance which can be characteristic of large residential buildings. Multiple-family buildings with plain walls and boxy appearance are not acceptable. Exterior building materials shall employ a variety of textures and colors and window and door details. The roof shall be principally of gable, hip style or similar residential roof design. The structures’ perimeter shall be varied when multiple buildings are proposed. Multiple buildings shall be sited at angles with one another.

Buildings proposed in commercial districts that are adjacent to residential developments shall incorporate an articulated roofline, giving emphasis to architectural elements that will help visually divide the mass of a large building into smaller, more identifiable pieces. Flat roof buildings shall be discouraged and shall only be allowed on a favorable recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission. Roof and wall elevations in the Governors District shall reflect the existing historic community architecture in the district.

Commercial buildings shall incorporate architectural design elements, materials, and colors into the side and rear building elevations similar to those used in the front building elevation.

Commercial buildings shall incorporate façade modulation in all building elevations, either by physical offsets or by the use of color, pattern, or texture in order to preserve building scale and reduce the negative aesthetic impact of long, large, expansive wall surfaces.

Roof-mounted mechanical, communications, or other similar equipment shall be screened from public view by the use of parapet walls or other roof structures. If a parapet wall or other roof structure cannot feasibly screen the roof-mounted equipment, point-in-place or other appropriate screening with similar design features to the building, including material, shape, and color shall be required.

In R-3 Medium and R-3 High Multiple-Family Residential Districts, residential construction materials, such as brick, stone, wood, cement board siding, vinyl siding and architectural shingles, shall be utilized. At a minimum, twenty-five percent (25%) of primary materials shall be incorporated into the exterior surfaces, exclusive of glazed surfaces, of each building face. Acceptable primary materials shall include a combination of earthtone colored brick, textured concrete block, marble, stone panels or other similar substantial material. Prohibited materials include smooth-faced concrete block, corrugated metal siding, split shakes and rough-sawn wood.

In C-1, C-2, and C-3 Commercial Districts, all wall sides shall have a primary material covering. The primary materials shall constitute at least sixty percent (60%) of the sum of the total of all wall areas, excluding glass. A minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the primary material shall be on each wall that does not face public right-of-way. Acceptable primary materials shall include a combination of earthtone colored brick, architectural concrete panels, textured concrete block, marble, native/manufactured stone panels or other similar substantial material. Concrete panels and cement board siding are not considered a primary material. Prohibited materials include smooth-faced concrete block, corrugated metal siding, split shakes and rough-sawn wood.

In M-1A, M-1, M-2, and M-3 Industrial Districts, architectural design shall employ materials common in the district and vicinity of the building. The exclusive use of sheet metal as an exterior building material is not acceptable for buildings in close proximity to public streets. For buildings within three hundred (300) feet of the public street or residential properties, the exterior materials of the wall area facing the public street and a minimum of thirty (30) feet along the adjacent side wall shall be comprised of no less than twenty-five percent (25%) earthtone colored brick, architectural concrete panels, textured concrete block, marble, native/manufactured stone panels or other similar substantial material. Pre-cast, tilt-up concrete panels and cement board siding are acceptable, provided additional architectural detailing is provided along the public faces of the building.

Wall Area Defined. In the application of these requirements, some standards are based upon a percentage of the wall area. The wall area is defined as the total square feet of the exterior elevation of the building that is vertical to the ground. It may contain a gable end or dormer in the same plane of view. It does not contain the elevation area of a pitched roof, but would include the area of a parapet wall.