In adopting this article, the Village Board of Trustees hereby finds that it is in the long-term interests of the Village of Pleasantville to encourage the protection, enhancement, perpetuation and reasonable use of land and buildings in the Village which have a special historical, architectural, cultural, aesthetic or similar special interest or value, as well as to conserve existing neighborhoods which impart a sense of the Village's cultural and historic heritage so as to promote the education, pleasure and welfare of the present and future citizens of the Village of Pleasantville and of the public generally.

It is further declared to be the purposes of this article to retain and enhance those properties which contribute to the special character of this district and to assure that new construction and alterations of existing structures are compatible with the character of this district. The Village Board of Trustees further declares that these objectives can only be achieved through the adoption of supplementary design guidelines which shall be applicable to all uses of property in this district, in addition to the requirements of the underlying primary zoning district in which such properties are located.

Prior to scheduling a public hearing on an application for site plan or special permit approval affecting any lot in this district, the Planning Commission acting in its capacity as the Board of Architectural Review shall determine whether the application is in conformance with the standards set forth at § 185-30. For uses not requiring a site plan or special permit approval, said review and approval by the Board of Architectural Review shall be required for all uses prior to the issuance of a building permit. In the latter case, such referral shall be made by the Building Inspector within 30 days of receipt of a complete application and the Board of Architectural Review shall render a decision within 60 days of its receipt of the referral. The time within which the Board of Architectural Review must render its decision may be extended by an additional 30 days at the request of the applicant. Applications referred to the Board of Architectural Review shall be submitted in an appropriate format to be developed by said Board to ensure the uniformity of all submissions and shall be accompanied by architectural plans and elevations and any other information deemed necessary, in the opinion of said Board, to enable it to render its decision. The Planning Commission and Building Inspector may not take action to approve said application if it has been denied by the Board of Architectural Review.

An application for a building permit for alteration, removal, or demolition of a building or structure shall be accompanied by all applications(s) required for any improvement to be erected thereafter, and, except in the case of a demolition under Chapter 69, Unsafe Building Law of the Village of Pleasantville, the Building Inspector may not take action to approve an application for a building permit for alteration, removal, or demolition unless and until all said applications(s) required for any improvement to be erected thereafter have been granted.

All new structures should be constructed to a height visually compatible with the buildings and environment with which they are visually related. By illustration, in an area where two-story buildings predominate, it would be most appropriate to continue this prevailing architectural character, and the construction of one-story buildings will be strongly discouraged.

The gross volume of any new structure should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment with which it is visually related.

In the street elevation(s) of a building, the proportion between the width and height in the facade(s) should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment with which it is visually related.

The proportions and relationships between doors and windows in the street facade(s) should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment with which it is visually related.

The rhythm of solids to voids, created by openings in the facade, should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment with which it is visually related.

The existing rhythm created by existing building masses and spaces between them should be preserved.

The materials used in the final facade(s) should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment with which it is visually related.

The texture inherent in the facade should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment with which it is visually related.

Colors and patterns used on the facade (especially trim) should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment with which it is visually related.

The design of the roof should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment with which it is visually related.

Architectural details should be incorporated as necessary to relate the new with the old and to preserve and enhance the inherent characteristics of the area.

All street facade(s) should blend with other buildings via directional expression. When adjacent buildings have a dominant horizontal or vertical expression, this expression should be carried over and reflected.

The landscape plan should be sensitive to the individual building, its occupants and their needs. Further, the landscape treatment should be visually compatible with the buildings and environment with which it is visually related.

Signage should be visually compatible with the character of the environment in which it is visually related in terms of scale, materials, color and texture.