These Design Guidelines help define Wood Dale's vision for development and design character by encouraging high-quality site planning, landscaping, and design. The guidelines also serve as guiding principles for defining the physical form of development beyond basic use and building bulk regulations. These standards do not mandate or endorse one particular style of design, but rather communicate the character and quality through which buildings can contribute to Wood Dale's quality of place.

New developments and major remodeling projects in the City's commercial districts (TCB, C-1, C-2, and C-2a) and industrial districts (I-1 and TCC and TIO) will be reviewed according to these design guidelines as part of this Chapter's site plan review process with final approval by the City Council. (Ord. O-22-017, 5-19-2022; amd. Ord. O-24-032, 10-3-2024)

Future developments, including new commercial and mixed-use subdivisions, will be evaluated for consistency with these Design Guidelines. Individual single-family homes will not be subject to the guidelines unless they are part of a subdivision that was developed under these Design Guidelines. The review will occur as part of the administrative review process for building permits, even when no other zoning approvals are required. If a PUD, Special Use or other zoning approval is being considered, the Design Guidelines will be applied as administrative review, and incorporated into the zoning process. Therefore, these Design Guidelines are a useful tool for:

   A.   The Public: Members of the community who have an interest in its built environment and development decisions within the City.

   B.   Local Elected and Appointed Officials and City Staff: Officials whose decisions influence the character and quality of the City’s built and natural environments.

   C.   Business and Property Owners: Those who invest in Wood Dale and support its economic development and resilience.

   D.   Design + Development Professionals: Persons who help bring life to the City’s vision by designing developments, redevelopments and property improvements. (Ord. O-22-017, 5-19-2022)

   A.   Design Districts.

      1.   Different Design Guidelines apply in the commercial and industrial districts, given their different contexts which define the design elements most appropriate there. The Design Guidelines for each district will help property owners and designers consider a site’s location, relationship to the surrounding areas, and unique characteristics as they contemplate new developments. Design Guidelines are applied in the following Districts:

      2.   Commercial Districts: Town Center Business District (TCB); Neighborhood Commercial District (C-1); Corridor Commercial District (C-2); Southeast Irving Park Corridor Commercial District (C-2a).

      3.   Industrial Districts: Industrial/Business Park Districts (I-1); Thorndale Corridor Overlay District (TCC); Thorndale Interchange Overlay District (TIO).

   B.   Design Elements: Three Design Elements are applied to each of the Design Districts. These points relate to major components of any development and define the place being created. The objectives to be achieved in applying these elements are described here. A Glossary of terms related to design and design elements can be found at the end of this document.

      1.   Design Element: Site Planning: Site planning addresses the arrangement and design of buildings, accessory structures, parking and drive areas, bicycle and pedestrian mobility, and supporting facilities. Site Planning Design Guidelines help to establish a functional and pleasing environment through a mixture of urban design elements to ensure buildings, paths, roadways, and public spaces are beneficial for all users.

         a.   Objectives:

            (1)   Combine and coordinate various site elements.

            (2)   Design blocks and multiple building developments logically and efficiently.

            (3)   Install screening between uses or activities that may be incompatible as needed to mitigate impacts between differing uses (for example residential next to commercial uses).

            (4)   Create interactive areas by including outdoor furniture, plazas, pocket parks, wayfinding signage, art, informational kiosks, landscaping, etc. when possible.

            (5)   Use lighting to assure safety and as an aesthetic design element.

      2.   Design Element: Landscaping: Plant material enhances a property by creating visual interest, highlighting architecture and site features, offering shade, promoting desirable environmental benefits, screening unattractive functions from public view and providing buffers between properties.

         a.   Objectives:

            (1)   Use landscape features to create visual interest, break up appearance of blank walls, and enliven unexciting building views.

            (2)   Apply vegetation to soften views of and within parking lots and other vehicle areas.

            (3)   Complement landscaped areas with streetscape amenities (awnings, bike racks, furniture, art, lighting, signs).

            (4)   Employ an environmentally sustainable landscape palette in support of stormwater management practices, as well as more efficient ongoing maintenance.

            (5)   Complement and be additive to landscape purpose, applicability, and requirements defined in the City Code.

      3.   Design Element: Building Design + Form: Architectural elements define development through its scale, context, texture, materials, and color. These characteristics articulate the quality and spirit of the space by advancing its overall appearance, relationship to the street and sidewalk, and respect for surrounding structures and activities.

         a.   Objectives:

            (1)   Develop attractive new buildings that present a diversity of architectural styles and respect existing character within the Design District.

            (2)   Enhance property by highlighting primary site and building features.

            (3)   Create a cohesive and pleasant character by mitigating potentially adverse impacts between different uses and establishing logical transitions between buildings.

            (4)   Improve developments by considering and prioritizing pedestrian use and mitigating potential impact of vehicles and impervious surfaces. (Ord. O-22-017, 5-19-2022; amd. Ord. O-24-032, 10-3-2024)

Commercial corridors in Wood Dale provide a range of retail, dining, and service business that serve community residents and surrounding communities. The Design Guidelines below define a development standard that enhances the day-to-day function and experience for employees and visitors along the corridors.

   A.   District Design Objectives:

      1.   Inviting commercial corridors and business areas where retail, service and office developments are attractive, distinctive and easy to access for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

      2.   Enhanced commercial vitality, economic growth, and support for businesses, through thoughtfully developed physical surroundings.

      3.   Safe and efficient auto access, as well as bicycle and pedestrian movement within and between developments.

   B.   Design Guidelines: Site Planning:

      1.   Size and orient buildings to create a positive visitor experience in terms of safety, views, and access within and beyond the site, and walkability.

      2.   Provide seating, waste receptacles, resting spaces, walking areas, bike paths and parking, and other amenities that create a comfortable and familiar environment.

      3.   Design walls, fences and accessory structures to be compatible with the design, character, and style of the overall development.

      4.   Minimize visibility and impact of loading docks and storage areas by locating them away from the primary building access and out of view from roadways and main drives.

      5.   Install lighting to minimize glare by using recessed or cut off fixtures.

      6.   Design signage in accordance with sign code and to provide information clearly and legibly to pedestrians and motorists without dominating the site, architecture or character of the building, block, or corridor.

      7.   Design parking lots with a logical layout configuration, easily identifiable traffic circulation, and clearly identifiable paths for pedestrians to the front door of stores.

   C.   Design Guidelines: Landscaping.

      1.   Install a variety of weather resistant and environmentally appropriate landscaping to create visual interest, highlight pedestrian paths, and accent buildings.

      2.   Use landscaping to highlight a building entry, walkway or other feature.

      3.   Apply foundation landscaping to enhance building appearance.

      4.   Install perimeter landscaping to screen parking lots from view of passing traffic.

      5.   Install landscape areas of refuge for pedestrians in parking lots; these areas can also be used to minimize water runoff and provide additional outdoor amenity areas.

      6.   Include at least one shade tree and living weather resistant and environmentally appropriate ground cover in landscape islands - mulch or stone are discouraged but may be acceptable in areas where ground cover planting survival is unlikely.

      7.   Install landscaping strips between parking rows, where feasible.

      8.   Break up view of large building surfaces facing the public right-of-way or main drive aisles using landscaping features.   Use perimeter landscaping to screen paring lots     

      9.   Select landscape treatments to provide seasonal plantings and color variety throughout at least 3 seasons.

      10.   Disperse trees and plantings throughout the parking lot to maximize shade and visual relief.

      11.   Use native vegetation for perimeter landscaping, foundation landscaping, and parking islands to reduce maintenance costs and contribute to environmental sustainability.

      12.   Minimize large open parking areas by incorporating enhanced landscaping or architectural design elements (like garden walls) to parking lot interiors and perimeters when parking is provided between buildings and adjacent roadways.

   D.   Design Guidelines: Building Design.

      1.   Minimize unattractive views of large balance walls with changes in color or building materials, placement of windows, placement of building detailed.

      2.   Building elevations facing a street shall have windows on each floor elevation.

      3.   The main entrance shall be street-facing.

      4.   Buildings on corner lots shall extend architectural features and details on each street frontage.

      5.   Use moldings, awnings, roof lines, cornices, windowsills, lintels or vertical-horizontal expression lines to create more visual interest in buildings.

      6.   Use durable primary materials such as stone, steel, masonry, and textured concrete on visible facades. Durable primary materials shall constitute at least fifty percent (50%) of elevations excluding openings for windows and doors and associated trim.

      7.   Use different building materials that do not clash in color or finish; a logical and attractive family (palate) of colors should be applied. Material that provides highlight colors may be appropriate. Apply setbacks of building facades that are varied and add dimension and depth to site.

      8.   Renovate facades on older centers with durable materials that present a modern character and attractive appearance.

      9.   Design masonry buildings with brick sizes in keeping with the building scale. Larger utility bricks or concrete masonry units (CMUs) are not appropriate on smaller square footage buildings, but can be appropriate on “big box” or other larger structures if applied with banding and texturing that breaks up the appearance of large facades.

      10.   Design rear elevations of buildings visible from public rights of way or residential areas to reflect the design character of the building’s front elevation.

      11.   Design awnings and signs to be consistent in character, size, and profile along a building façade.

      12.   Screen views of ground/roof mounted mechanical equipment from adjoining properties and the public right-of-way with landscaping or building elements.

      13.   Service entries are prohibited on street facades.

      14.   Use lighting to highlight architectural elements and increase overall pedestrian and vehicular safety. Lighting should not produce glare or areas of excessive brightness out of character with the overall site nor project light into the sky.

      15.   Avoid using plain (flat grey and untextured) CMU blocks which are not acceptable under these Design Guidelines. CMU blocks with a color or split face finish, or both, are acceptable. (Ord. O-22-017, 5-19-2022; amd. Ord. O-22-030, 11-17-2022)

Wood Dale’s industrial and business park uses support a variety of manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, logistics, and office uses. While this Design District includes a range of buildings with varying functions, these guidelines define an attractive and cohesive business environment that unifies and enhances the area.

   A.   Design District Objectives:

      1.   Safe, functional, and cohesive business park environment that promotes economic expansion in Wood Dale.

      2.   Attractive building and landscaping design to create inviting and aesthetically pleasing industrial parks.

      3.   Site design to minimize unattractive often monotonous common with larger scale buildings.

   B.   Design Guidelines: Site Planning:

      1.   Orient buildings to minimize views of loading, mechanical and storage areas from rights of way.

      2.   Design building access, visibility, connections, and circulation to create safe and efficient travel through and beyond the site for trucks, passenger vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians.

      3.   Encourage shared parking facilities.

      4.   Incorporate signage to label visitor and vehicular movement between buildings and parking areas of multiple building developments.

   C.   Design Guidelines: Landscaping.

      1.   Incorporate landscaping to mitigate views of large blank walls common with large industrial buildings.

      2.   Locate landscaping to highlight main entrances to industrial buildings.

      3.   Apply foundation landscaping to enhance building appearance.

      4.   Install landscaping to soften views of parking lots from rights of way and to highlight pedestrian paths to and from main and employee entrances of buildings.

      5.   Utilize native vegetation for perimeter landscaping, site foundation, and parking islands to reduce maintenance costs and contribute to environmental sustainability.

   D.   Design Guidelines: Building Design.

      1.   Avoid large expanses of undifferentiated blank surfaces and focus on façade diversity, pattern, texture, color and detail that contributes to visual interest:

         a.   Use architectural elements or creative color variation for vertical and horizontal relief over large areas as an effective way to break up a building façade.

         b.   Use functional elements - such as windows and vents - to break up building façades.

         c.   Use color banding to break up long stretches of building facades.

      2.   Light pathways, entryways, exits, service areas, and other frequent visitor access points to increase safety and use cut off light fixtures to minimize glare.

      3.   Building elevations facing a street shall have windows on each floor elevation.

      4.   The main entrance shall be street-facing.

      5.   Enhance building entry areas to be easily identifiable.

      6.   Buildings on corner lots shall extend architectural features and details on each street frontage.

      7.   Service entries are prohibited on street facades.

      8.   Minimize visibility of loading docks from adjacent roadways. Where docks must face roadways, landscaping or other intermittent screening can be used to limit such views. (Ord. O-22-017, 5-19-2022)

 

(Ord. O-22-017, 5-19-2022)

Photo Credits: All photos by Teska Associates unless otherwise noted.