Buildings shall maintain a minimum buffer of 30 feet from the edge of any floodway on the most current Flood Insurance Rate Maps or from the edge of any wetlands identified by the National Wetlands Inventory or a site-specific inventory of wetlands.

Site design shall minimize cut-and-fill and generally follow the natural topography of the site.

Developments shall preserve natural and scenic areas, streams and natural drainageways, floodplains, prairies, and wetlands. Developments shall, to the degree possible, preserve individual trees or stands of trees specified by the City of Papillion's list of recommended tree species. Developments that remove specified trees shall replace such trees according to the Tree Replacement Schedule under § 205-235. All replacement trees must also be listed on the list of recommended species and shall have a caliper of at least three inches.

Each project application shall include an inventory of natural and scenic features, and the site development plan shall demonstrate how these areas will be preserved.

Buildings shall be grouped in ways that avoid continuous rows of building walls and permit visibility into the development from surrounding streets.

Building siting shall define positive open spaces. These spaces may include street environments emphasizing public walks, porches, street-oriented entrances, lighting and street furniture, or more-internalized public spaces that serve the needs of the development. All projects shall submit an urban space plan that identifies the nature and programmed use of major open spaces created by the development. Building entrances shall be oriented toward and provide direct entrances to these major open spaces identified by the urban space plan.

Typically, buildings that are directly adjacent to single-family residential development shall minimize the height and mass of buildings that directly face single-family structures. Where parallel orientation is necessary, setbacks from the street shall be at least 10 feet greater than the required minimum setbacks, and buildings shall include design and elevation features that complement adjacent lower-density development.

Developments shall provide an internal pathway system that connects individual buildings together and links developments with adjacent residential areas, community open spaces, and adjacent trails. For trails that are proposed in the City's Comprehensive Plan but are not yet constructed, the development plan shall make provisions for a connection to the trail, and the developer shall be responsible for constructing the connection when the trail becomes available.

Sidewalks shall be provided along all public streets or internal community streets.

All multifamily development shall provide internal vehicular connections to adjacent collector or local streets.

Developments over five acres shall include a minimum of one community street with detached sidewalks and parkway strips with a minimum width of eight feet between the back of the curb and the edge of the sidewalk. The community street shall connect to a public street on both ends. A community street is a private drive internal to the development that serves as a principal access connecting public streets, parking facilities, building entrances, and other site features.

Community streets shall be aligned with local streets in adjacent developed areas.

Landscaped parking courts, local loops, and innovative street designs are encouraged to create improved public space and provide for safe, slow movement of vehicles within and around the development.

Garages and parking facilities shall be internalized or oriented away from street frontages to the degree possible. Off-street parking shall not be permitted in street yards adjacent to single-family residential development.

Garages or carports shall be limited to six bays in any single detached structure to avoid long rows of horizontal structures, unless approved by the Planning Director.

Parking lot design shall define vehicular circulation routes that are separated by landscaped islands or similar site amenities from parking bays and pedestrian pathways.

All detached parking structures above the surface of the ground shall relate to the architecture of the project's residential buildings, providing compatible forms, scale, materials, colors, and details.

For multifamily development, at least 25% of the development area shall be designated as common open space. Common open space includes outdoor recreational amenities; landscaped pathways that are at least 10 feet away from adjacent streets or driveways; perimeter landscaped areas; and open or landscaped areas not occupied by principal or accessory structures.

Internal common open spaces should be defined by residential buildings. These spaces shall have direct access from primary building entrances and shall be directly observable from residential units.

Common open spaces shall incorporate and protect significant environmental resources if present on the site, including drainageways and swales, mature trees, wetlands, and prairies and grassland areas.

Open space shall be integrated and/or connected through trails and linear parks with the following types of lands located within or adjacent to the development area:

Detention ponds shall be located, designed, and managed to provide visual amenities or entryway features or to provide opportunities for passive recreation.

Other parking and screening requirements are set forth in §§ 205-232 and 205-233, regarding landscaping and screening requirements.

All lighting used to illuminate off-street parking areas, signs or other structures shall be arranged so as to deflect light away from any adjoining property and from public streets through fixture type and location.

The maximum height of lighting standards within multifamily developments shall be 25 feet, unless the City grants a specific exception as part of the application approval process. Lighting standards and lamps shall be residential in scale.

Exterior lighting of buildings shall be limited to low-level incandescent spotlights, floodlights, and similar illuminating devices hooded in such a manner that the direct beam of any light sources will not glare upon adjacent property or public streets. The City may approve exceptions to these requirements for special areas and public spaces, flagpole lighting, public streetlighting, temporary lighting for seasonal/holiday or special events, and lighting used for public safety.

Building mass shall reflect the surrounding neighborhood context and should place buildings or building elements with greater mass and height away from peripheral streets with adjacent lower-density development.

Building mass shall be articulated to reduce apparent scale. Building design should incorporate more-massive features at the base and lighter or smaller building elements at upper levels.

Buildings should use features such as bays, insets, porticos, porches, or stoops to reduce mass and scale. Such features shall relate to the overall composition of openings in the building elevation. Breaks in wall planes, gables, balconies, and other features shall be used to maintain residential scale.

All street facades shall contain windows.

Permitted exterior building materials shall be high-quality, durable materials that include but are not limited to brick, native or manufactured stone (such as Renaissance stone or similar masonry materials), shingle or wood siding, stucco or similar materials, and other materials generally associated with quality residential development.

The following exterior materials are prohibited: split shakes, rough-sawn wood, concrete block, tilt-up concrete panels, field-painted or prefinished standard corrugated metal siding, standard single- or double-tee concrete systems, or EIFS. The Planning Director may permit the use of these materials up to 10% of any facade as an accent material.

These guidelines are not intended to inhibit creativity and innovation in building design. The Planning Director may permit the use of any building materials if the applicant demonstrates that the use of such materials will result in a building that gives a sense of quality and permanence.

On two- or three-story buildings, roofs should be residential in scale, incorporating a gable or hip configuration with dormers or other complementary elements. Roof design will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Roofs shall effectively screen all rooftop mechanical equipment from public view.

Any section of roof that is visible from an adjacent property or right-of-way shall consist of any of the following materials: clay or concrete tile, standing-seam metal, architectural-grade asphalt shingles, architectural metals, copper, natural or synthetic slate, or similar durable materials.