Kenilworth City Zoning Code
APPENDIX A
APPEARANCE PLAN
Section I. CRITERIA FOR APPEARANCE.
The purpose of these criteria is to establish a checklist of those items which affect the physical aspect of the village environment. Pertinent to appearance is the design of the site, building and structures, planting, signs and miscellaneous other objects which are observed by the public.
These criteria are not intended to restrict imagination, innovation, or variety, but rather to assist in focusing on design principles which can result in creative solutions that will develop a satisfactory visual appearance within the village.
A. Relationship of buildings to site.
1. The site shall be planned to accomplish a desirable transition with the streetscape, and to provide
for adequate planting, pedestrian movement and parking areas.
2. Site planning in which setbacks and yards are in excess of zoning restrictions is encouraged to provide an interesting relationship between buildings.
3. Parking areas shall be treated with decorative elements, building wall extensions, plantings, berms or other innovative means so as to largely screen parking areas from view from public ways.
4. The height and scale of each building shall be compatible with its site and adjoining buildings.
5. Newly installed utility services and service revisions necessitated by exterior alterations, shall be underground.
6. In relating buildings to site, the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance in regard to bulk regulations, standards and off-street parking shall be part of this criteria. This shall also apply to subsection B. which follows.
B. Relationship of building and site to adjoining area.
1. Adjacent buildings of different architectural styles shall be made compatible by such means as screens, site breaks and materials.
2. Attractive landscape transition to adjoining properties shall be provided.
3. Harmony in texture, lines and masses is required. Monotony shall be avoided.
4. Buildings shall have similar scale to those in the surrounding area.
C. Building design.
1. Architectural style is not restricted -- evaluation of appearance of a project shall be based on quality of its design and relationship to surroundings.
2. Buildings shall have good scale and be in harmonious conformance with permanent neighboring development.
3. Materials shall have good architectural character and shall be selected for harmony of the building with adjoining buildings.
Materials shall be selected for suitability to the type of buildings and the design in which they are used. Buildings shall have the same materials, or those which are architecturally harmonious, used for all building walls and other exterior building components wholly or partly visible from public ways.
Inappropriate materials and methods, and those which will produce inconsistency with the structure of the building, shall be avoided.
Materials shall be of durable quality.
In any design in which the structural frame is exposed to view, the structural materials shall meet the other criteria for materials.
4. Building components – such as windows, doors, eaves and parapets – shall have good proportions and relationship to one another.
5. Colors shall be harmonious, with bright or brilliant colors used only for accent.
6. Mechanical equipment or other utility hardware on roof, ground or buildings shall be screened from public view with materials harmonious with the building, or they shall be located so as not to be visible from any public ways.
7. Exterior lighting shall be part of the architectural concept. Fixtures, standards and all exposed accessories shall be harmonious with building design.
8. Refuse and waste removal areas, service yards, storage yards and exterior work areas shall be screened from view from public ways, using materials as stated in criteria for equipment screening.
9. Monotony of design in single or multiple building projects shall be avoided. Variation of detail, form and siting shall be used to provide visual interest. In multiple building projects, variable siting or individual buildings may be used to prevent a monotonous appearance.
10. Inappropriate, incompatible, bizarre and exotic designs shall be avoided.
11. The provisions of the Zoning Ordinance in regard to bulk regulations and standards, and those portions of the Kenilworth Building Code which directly affect appearance, shall be part of the criteria of this subsection.
D. Signs.
1. Wall signs shall be part of the architectural concept. Size, color, lettering, location and arrangement shall be harmonious with the building design, and shall be compatible with signs on adjoining buildings. Signs shall have good proportions.
2. Ground signs shall be designed to be compatible with the architecture of the building. The same criteria applicable to wall signs shall apply to ground signs.
3. Identification signs of a prototype design shall conform to the criteria for building and ground signs.
4. Materials used in signs shall have good architectural character and be harmonious with building design and surrounding landscape.
5. Every sign shall have good scale in its design and in its visual relationship to buildings and surroundings.
6. Colors shall be used harmoniously and with restraint. Excessive brightness and brilliant colors shall be avoided. Lighting shall be harmonious with the design. If external spot or flood lighting is used, it shall be arranged so that light source is shielded from view.
7. The provisions of the Kenilworth Village Code in regard to signs shall be part of the criteria of this subsection.
E. Maintenance – planning and design factors.
1. Continued good appearance depends upon the extent and quality of maintenance. The choice of materials and their use, together with the types of finishes and other protective measures, must be conducive to easy maintenance and upkeep.
2. Materials and finishes shall be selected for their durability and wear as well as for their beauty. Proper measures and devices shall be incorporated for protection against the elements, neglect, damage and abuse.
3. Provision for washing and cleaning of buildings and structures, and control of dirt and refuse, shall be included in the design. Such configurations that tend to catch and ac-cumulate debris, leaves, trash, dirt and rubbish shall be avoided.
F. Factors for evaluation.
The following factors and characteristics relating to a development, and which affect appearance, will govern the Architectural Review Commission’s evaluation of a design submissions
Conformance to ordinances and the village plan
Logic of design
Exterior space utilization
Architectural character
Attractiveness
Material selection
Harmony and compatibility
Circulation – vehicular and pedestrian
Maintenance aspects
Section II. MAINTENANCE FOR GOOD APPEARANCE.
A. Site.
1. Landscape materials, other than plantings, which have deteriorated or have been damaged or defaced, should be properly repaired or replaced.
2. Plant materials which have deteriorated or died shall be replaced with healthy plantings, or the area should be redesigned with other treatment to provide an attractive appearance.
3. Plantings should be kept watered, fed, cultivated and pruned as required to give a healthy and well groomed appearance during all seasons.
4. Parking areas should be kept in good repair, properly marked and clear of litter and debris.
5. Vacant property shall be kept free of refuse and debris, and shall have the vegetation cut periodically during the growing season.
B. Buildings and appurtenances.
1. Buildings and appurtenances, including signs, should be cleaned, painted or repaired as required to present a neat appearance.
2. Deteriorated, worn, or damaged portions should be rebuilt or replaced.
3. Building and sign illuminating elements should be replaced as required to maintain the effect for which designed.
C. Public property.
1. Parkway planting areas should be maintained by the adjacent property owner or tenant in order to add to the aesthetic enhancement of the private property and the overall attractiveness of the streetscape.
2. Sidewalks, curbs and gutters, roadside berms and other public improvements in the public right-of-way shall be repaired and maintained as necessary.
3. Refuse containers of an aesthetically satisfactory design and color should be placed in locations which will encourage their use – to avoid littering of waste materials.
4. Street hardware shall be erected and secured properly, and shall be cleaned or painted regularly to present an orderly appearance. Signs shall be treated similarly.
Section III. DEFINITIONS.
APPEARANCE - The outward aspect visible to the public.
APPURTENANCES - The visible, functional objects accessory to and part of buildings.
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER - The composite or aggregate of the characteristics of structure, form, materials and function of a building, group of buildings, or other architectural composition.
ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT - The basic aesthetic idea of a building, or group of buildings or structures, including the site and landscape development, which produces the architectural character.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE - A prominent or significant part or element of a building, structure or site.
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE - The characteristic form and detail, as of buildings of a particular historic period.
ATTRACTIVE - Having qualities that arouse interest and pleasure in the observer.
COHESIVENESS - Unity of composition between design elements of a building, or a group of buildings, and the landscape development.
COMPATIBILITY - Harmony in the appearance of two or more buildings, structures, and landscape- developments in the same vicinity.
CONSERVATION - The protection and care which prevent, destruction or deterioration of historical or otherwise significant structures, buildings or natural resources.
DECORATIVE SCREEN - A wall or fence intended to partially or entirely cut off visibility to the area behind it.
EXTERIOR BUILDING COMPONENT - An essential and visible part of the exterior of a building.
EXTERNAL ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE - The architectural style and general arrangement of such portion of a building or structure as is designated to be open to view from a public street, place or way, including the kind, color, and texture of the building material of such portion and the type of windows, doors, lights, attached or ground signs, and other fixtures appurtenant to such portion.
HARMONY - A quality which produces an aesthetically pleasing whole as in an arrangement of varied architectural and landscape elements.
LANDSCAPE - Elements of nature, topography, buildings and other man-made objects combined in relation to one another.
LOGIC OF DESIGN - Accepted principles and criteria of validity in the solution of the problem of design.
MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT - Equipment, devices and accessories, the use of which relates to water supply, drainage, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and similar purposes.
MISCELLANEOUS STRUCTURES - Structures, other than buildings, visible from public ways. Examples are: memorials, stagings, antennas, water tanks and towers, sheds, shelters, fences and walls, kennels, transformers, drive-up facilities.
PROPORTION - Relationship of parts of a building, landscape, structures, or buildings to each other and to the whole – balance.
SCALE - Harmonious relationship of the size of parts to one another and to the human figure.
SITE BREAK - A structural or landscape device to interrupt long vistas and create visual interest in a site development.
STREET HARDWARE - Objects other than buildings, structures and plantings located in streets and public ways and outside of buildings. Examples are: lamp posts, utility poles, traffic lights, traffic signs, benches, litter containers, planting containers, letter boxes, fire hydrants.
STREETSCAPE - The scene as may be observed along a public street or way composed of natural and man-made components, including buildings, paving, planting, street hardware and miscellaneous structures.
(Ord. 721, passed 1-13-1986)