DESIGN STANDARDS
503 DESIGN STANDARDS The following design standards apply to new construction, including additions to existing structures, and substantial repair or rehabilitation of the exterior façade of an existing structure. In the case of repair or rehabilitation, only those standards that relate to the specific actions taken apply. The permitting authority may waive these design standards through Development Plan Review.
A. C-2 District Design Standards The following design standards apply to new and existing non-residential structures, including mixeduse development. Residential dwellings, except for multi-family and mixed-use development, are not subject to these standards, but rather the principal use standards for that particular dwelling type, as indicated in Section 1202.
1. Façade
a. Building facades shall not contain blank wall areas that exceed 25 linear feet, measured parallel to the street. Building facades that are 100 linear feet or more shall include a repeating architectural pattern with two or more of the following elements: color change, texture change, material change, or a wall articulation change such as a reveal, pilaster, or projecting rib.
b. Awnings shall be constructed of metal, canvas, or fire-resistant acrylic. Use of plastic and vinyl are prohibited.
c. Dome and waterfall awning types are prohibited, with the exception of a dome awning over the building entrance only. The use of one continuous awning across more than one building is prohibited.
2. Building Entry
a. All buildings shall have an orientation to and pedestrian entrance from the sidewalk along the primary building frontage. Entrances shall be visually distinctive from the remaining portions of the façade along which they are located. (Figure 5-1)
b. A ground floor building entrance shall not be recessed more than six feet from the required front setback, and shall not be wider than eight feet. Such a recess is considered to meet any required minimum build-to percentage. (Figure 5-1)
3. Fenestration
a. Ground floor facades shall contain a total area of transparency of 50% or more of the wall area of the ground floor, measured between two and nine feet above the adjacent grade. This requirement shall not apply to the portions of building façades that front on side lot lines on corner lots. For existing structures originally designed for retail use on the ground floor, the ground floor shall maintain the original storefront design and is not subject to the ground floor transparency minimum. For multi-family dwellings or residential portions of mixed use buildings there shall be a total area of transparency of 15% or more of the wall area of the ground floor.
b. Ground floor and upper story windows on facades in new and existing buildings shall be composed of glass with a visible light transmittance (VLT) of at least 50% and a maximum exterior reflectivity of no more than 12%. The use of opaque materials such as brick, metal, or sheet rock to cover or fill a window opening is prohibited.
c. For windows on the ground floor of a building, the bottom of the window frame shall be located no higher than two feet above the adjacent grade. This provision shall not apply to windows for residential uses or the portions of building façades that front on side lot lines on corner lots.
d. Each upper story façade of a mixed-use building shall provide areas of transparency equal to at least 10% of the wall area of the story. See Section 1202.K for fenestration requirements for exclusively multi-family buildings.
e. External roll down security window guards are prohibited.
4. Roof
a. Parapet walls along the roof shall feature three-dimensional cornice treatments or other shadow-creating details.
b. Green roof, blue roof, and white roof designs are encouraged.
c. Reflective surfaces that produce glare are prohibited, except for solar panels or white roofs intended to radiate absorbed or non-reflected solar energy and reduce heat transfer to the building.
5. Building Materials
a. The following building materials are prohibited on any façade: i. Plain concrete block ii. Glass block iii. Exposed aggregate (rough finish) concrete wall panels iv. T-111 composite plywood siding v. Plastic vi. Vinyl (excluding cellular vinyl trim) is prohibited on first-story façades b. The following building materials are prohibited on any façade; however, such materials may be used as decorative or detail elements for up to 25% of the façade.
i. Corrugated metal ii. Cellular vinyl trim c. Exterior insulating finish systems (EIFS) is permitted on the ground floor by waiver. An application for waiver under this subsection shall be approved provided that the following conditions are satisfied: i. Only EIFS that include an integral air and moisture barrier is permitted.
ii. So that it is impact resistant, for areas up to 8 feet above grade, the EIFS shall include a base mesh layer weighing a minimum 20 oz./sq. yd., followed by a second mesh layer weighing a minimum of 4 oz./sq. yd. For all areas exposed to direct impact higher than 8 feet above grade (such as balconies), the use of a single layer of reinforcing mesh with a minimum weight of 12 oz./sq. yd. is required.
iii. The material shall be an aesthetically-appropriate facsimile of stone, brick, stucco, metal panel, or other traditional building material.
iv. Removal or covering of historic features in order to install EIFS shall be prohibited.
6. Build-To Percentage
a. Front Setback The required build-to percentage is 60% of the front lot line.
b. Corner Side Setback The required build-to percentage is 40% of the corner side lot line.
7. Multi-Tenant Retail Centers Multi-tenant retail centers in C-2 Districts shall comply with the following additional design standards.
a. The site shall be designed so that there is safe pedestrian access to the center from the public right-of-way and safe pedestrian circulation within the development.
b. A cohesive character is required through the use of coordinated hardscape treatment (special paving materials, lighting, street furniture, etc.) and landscaping.
8. Ground Floor Uses For a building that fronts on a Main Street in a C-2 District, residential and parking uses are prohibited on the ground floor of the building within 20 feet of the Main Street. Lobbies and common spaces associated with residences are permitted within this area. This requirement shall be considered a design standard, and not a use regulation. The following streets are Main Streets: Atwells Ave, Broadway, Westminster St., Washington St., Cranston St., Elmwood Ave., Broad St., North Main St., South Main St., Wickenden St., Thayer St., Hope St., Wayland Ave., Branch Ave., Charles St., Brook St. between Cushing St. and Waterman St., Angel St. between Thayer St. and Brook St., Waterman St. between Thayer St. and Brook St., and Chalkstone Ave.
B. C-3 District Design Standards The following design standards apply to new and existing non-residential structures, including mixeduse development. Residential dwellings are not subject to these standards, but rather the principal use standards for that particular dwelling type, as indicated in Section 1202, 1. Façade a. All facades shall have at least two of the following architectural features to avoid the appearance of blank walls: change in plane, reveals, windows and openings, and changes in color, texture and/or material to add visual interest to the building elevation.
b. Awnings shall be constructed of metal, canvas, or fire-resistant acrylic. Use of plastic and vinyl are prohibited.
c. Dome and waterfall awning types are prohibited, with the exception of a dome awning over the building entrance only. Use of one continuous awning across more than one building is prohibited.
2. Fenestration
a. Ground floor façades shall contain a total area of transparency of 50% or more of the wall area of the ground floor, measured between two and nine feet above the adjacent grade. This requirement shall not apply to the portions of building façades that front on side lot lines on corner lots. For existing structures originally designed for retail use on the ground floor, the ground floor shall maintain the original storefront design and is not subject to the ground floor transparency minimum. For multi-family dwellings or residential portions of mixed-use buildings there shall be a total area of transparency of 15% or more of the wall area of the ground floor.
b. Ground floor and upper story windows in new and existing buildings shall be composed of glass with visible light transmittance (VLT) of at least 50% and a maximum exterior reflectivity of no more than 12%. The use of opaque materials such as brick, metal, or sheet rock to cover or fill a window opening is prohibited.
c. Each upper story façade shall provide areas of transparency equal to at least 10% of the wall area of the story.
d. Solid surface roll down security window guards are prohibited.
3. Roof
a. Green roof, blue roof, and white roof designs are encouraged.
b. Reflective surfaces that produce glare are prohibited, except for solar panels and white roofs intended to radiate absorbed or non-reflected solar energy and reduce heat transfer to the building.
4. Building Materials
a. The following building materials are prohibited on any façade: i. Plain concrete block ii. Glass block iii. Exposed aggregate (rough finish) concrete wall panels iv. T-111 composite plywood siding v. Plastic vi. Vinyl (excluding cellular vinyl trim) is prohibited on first-story façades b. The following building materials are prohibited on any façade; however, such materials may be used as decorative or detail elements for up to 25% of the façade.
i. Corrugated metal ii. Cellular vinyl trim c. Exterior insulating finish systems (EIFS) is permitted on the ground floor by waiver from the City Plan Commission. An application for waiver under this subsection shall be approved provided that the following conditions are satisfied: i. Only EIFS that include an integral air and moisture barrier is permitted.
ii. So that it is impact resistant, for areas up to 8 feet above grade, the EIFS shall include a base mesh layer weighing a minimum 20 oz./sq. yd., followed by a second mesh layer weighing a minimum of 4 oz./sq. yd. For all areas exposed to direct impact higher than 8 feet above grade (such as balconies), the use of a single layer of reinforcing mesh with a minimum weight of 12 oz./sq. yd is required.
iii. The material shall be an aesthetically-appropriate facsimile of stone, brick, stucco, metal panel, or other traditional building material.
iv. Removal or covering of historic features in order to install EIFS shall be prohibited.
5. Multi-Tenant Retail Centers Multi-tenant retail centers in C-3 Districts shall comply with the following additional design standards. (Figure 5-2). For multi-tenant retail centers, these design standards take precedence over the front setback requirements listed in Table 5-1
a. When a multi-tenant retail center is situated behind a large parking lot, a street presence for the shopping center shall be created by locating part of the center or an outlot building within 0 to 10 feet of the lot line at the primary street corner or the shopping center entrance. When a center’s frontage on the primary street exceeds 250 feet, outlot buildings shall be built to within 0 feet to 10 feet of the front lot line for at least 25% of the frontage.
b. If outlot buildings are part of a multi-tenant retail center, outlot buildings shall define the street frontage by placement within 0 feet to 10 feet of the lot line at the primary street with showcase windows and entrances oriented toward the street and the interior parking lot.
c. The primary facade shall be oriented toward the street with entrances facing or clearly visible from the primary street. Main entrances to the buildings shall be well-defined.
d. The site shall be designed so that there is safe pedestrian access to the center from the public right-of-way and safe pedestrian circulation within the development.
e. A cohesive character is required through the use of coordinated hardscape treatment (special paving materials, lighting, street furniture, etc.) and landscaping.
f. All façades of an outlot structure shall comply with the building material regulations of item 4 above.