[Added 5-6-1987 by Ord. No. 87-11]
A.
Intent.
(1)
The purpose of this code and these criteria is to
establish a checklist of those items that affect the physical aspect
of the Lakefront District's environment. Pertinent to appearance is
the design of the site, buildings and structures, planting, signs,
street hardware, and miscellaneous other objects that are observed
by the public.
(2)
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 City, preserve taxable
values, and promote public health, safety, and welfare.
B.
Objectives. To implement the intent of this code,
the following objectives must be considered:
(1)
To establish a positive and compatible relationship
with the character of the physical environment of downtown Geneva.
(2)
To promote a strong sense of internal unity and organizational
coherency within the Lakefront District site planning and architectural
details.
(3)
To capitalize upon and celebrate the relationship
of new development to the lake, particularly in terms of visual connections
and access to the water's edge.
(4)
To enhance the quality of experience of public spaces
in the Lakefront District through attention to the visual character
of new development adjacent to public ways.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Facilities incidental to the principal structures on a site,
including garages and carports, storage facilities, swimming pools
and other recreation improvements and satellite signal receiving equipment.
The outward visible aspect.
Sympathetic, or fitting, to the context of the site and the
whole community.
The visible, functional objects accessory to and part of
buildings.
The basic aesthetic idea of a building, or group of buildings
or structures, including the site and landscape development, that
produces the architectural character.
A prominent or significant part or element of a building,
structure, or site.
The characteristic form and detail, as of buildings of a
particular historic period, or school of architectural thought.
Having qualities that arouse interest and pleasure in the
observer.
A raised form of earth to provide screening or to improve
the aesthetic character.
The City of Geneva.
The Appearance Code of the Lakefront District Planned Unit
Development Ordinance.
Unity of composition between design elements of a building
or a group of buildings and the landscape development.
Harmony in the appearance of two or more external design
features in the same vicinity.
The protection and care that prevent destruction or deterioration
of historical or otherwise significant structures, buildings, or natural
resources.
An essential and visible part of the exterior of a building.
The general arrangement of any portion of a building, sign,
landscaping, or structure and including the kind, color, and texture
of the materials of such portion, and the types of roof, windows,
doors, lights, attached or ground signs, or other fixtures appurtenant
to such portions as will be open to public view from any street, place
or way.
A letter, illustration, symbol, figure, insignia, or other
device employed to express and illustrate a message or part thereof.
A quality that represents an appropriate and congruent arrangement
of parts, as in an arrangement of varied architectural and landscape
elements.
Plant materials, topography, and other natural physical elements
combined in relation to one another and to man-made structures.
Accepted principles and criteria of validity in the solution
of the problem of design.
Equipment, devices, and accessories, the use of which relates
to water supply, drainage, heating, ventilating, air conditioning,
and similar purposes.
Trees, shrubs, vines, ground covers, grass, perennials, annuals,
and bulbs.
Balanced relationship of parts of a building, landscape,
structures, or buildings to each other and to the whole.
Proportional relationship of the size of parts to one another
and to the human figure.
A multi-stemmed woody plant other than a tree.
A structural or landscape device to interrupt long vistas
and create visual interest in a site development.
Man-made objects other than buildings that are part of the
streetscape. Examples are lampposts, utility poles, traffic lights,
traffic signs, benches, litter containers, planting containers, letter
boxes, and fire hydrants.
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.
Anything constructed or erected, the use of which requires
permanent or temporary location on or in the ground.
A structure or enclosure relating to mechanical or electrical
services to a building or development.
Devices such as poles, crossarms, transformers and vaults,
gas pressure regulating assemblies, hydrants, and buffalo boxes that
are used for water, gas, oil, sewer, and electrical services to a
building or a project.
Any device, including wire, pipe, and conduit, which carries
gas, water, electricity, oil, and communications into a building or
development.
A.
Relationship of buildings to sites.
(1)
The site shall be planned to accomplish a desirable
transition from buildings to the lake and to the streetscape and to
provide for adequate planting, safe 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
to minimize views from public walkways, streets, drives and park areas.
(4)
Without restricting the permissible limits of the
applicable zoning district, the height and scale of each building
shall be compatible with its site and existing (or anticipated) adjoining
buildings.
(5)
Buildings should be sited to capitalize on views of
the lake while at the same time preserving visual access to the lake
from Routes 5 and 20 as much as practicable.
(6)
Building siting should consider building massing with
respect to the existing skyline of the City as viewed from the lake
and from the opposite shore.
(7)
Newly installed utility services, and service revisions
necessitated by exterior alterations, shall be underground.
B.
Relationship of buildings and site to adjoining area.
(1)
Adjacent buildings of significantly different architectural
styles should be made compatible by such means as screens, sight breaks,
and plant materials.
(2)
Attractive landscape transition to adjoining properties
should be provided.
(3)
Harmony in texture, lines, and masses is required.
Monotonous repetition of forms and materials shall be avoided.
C.
Landscape and site treatment. Landscape elements included
in these criteria consist of all forms of planting and vegetation,
ground forms, rock groupings, water patterns, and all visible construction
except buildings and utilitarian structures.
(1)
Where natural or existing topographic patterns contribute
to beauty and utility of a development, they shall be preserved and
developed. Modification to topography is encouraged where it contributes
to attractive spatial and architectural composition.
(2)
Grades of walks, parking spaces, terraces, and other
paved areas shall provide an inviting and stable appearance for walking
and, where seating is provided, for sitting.
(3)
Landscape planting shall be provided to enhance architectural
features, strengthen vistas and important axes, and provide shade.
Spectacular effects shall be reserved for special focal points.
(4)
Unity of site design shall be achieved by repetition
of certain plant varieties and forms, paving materials, and site furniture,
and by correlation with adjacent developments.
(5)
Plant material shall be selected for interest in its
structure, texture, and color and for its ultimate growth. Plants
that are indigenous to the area and others that will be hardy, harmonious
to the design, and of well-grown form shall be used.
(6)
In locations where plants will be susceptible to injury
by pedestrian or motor traffic, they shall be protected by appropriate
curbs or other devices.
(7)
Interior parking areas and traffic ways shall be enhanced
with landscaped spaces containing trees or tree groupings for shade
and to add visual interest, except the public right-of-way of Routes
5 and 20.
(8)
Where building sites limit planting space, the placement
of trees in walkways or paved areas is encouraged.
(9)
Screening of service yards and other places that tend
to be unsightly shall be accomplished by use of walls, fencing, planting,
or combinations of these. Screening shall be equally effective in
winter and summer.
(10)
In areas where general planting will not prosper,
such as the north side of buildings, other materials such as fences,
walls, and pavings of wood, brick, stone, gravel, and cobbles shall
be used. Carefully selected plants shall be combined with such materials
where possible.
(11)
Exterior lighting shall enhance the building
design and relate in form, height, and style to lighting in adjacent
public spaces. Building-mounted fixtures shall be of a design and
size compatible with the building and shall be directed to minimize
glare when viewed from adjacent areas. Illumination and lamping standards
are as follows:
(12)
Pedestrian pavements shall be of durable quality
and shall relate to the general palette of building materials in the
downtown area. In planned commercial developments, a minimum of 20%
of the total area of pedestrian pavements used in entry courts and
sitting areas shall be devoted to brick or other acceptable unit masonry
materials, preferably used in a decorative or focal manner. Asphalt
pedestrian pavements shall not be constructed in planned commercial
or planned residential developments.
(13)
Site furniture in the form of benches, litter
containers, bollards, and other pedestrian-scale features shall be
selected on the basis of stylistic relationship to furniture used
in adjacent public spaces and development parcels and in the downtown
area. Generally, furniture which incorporates a combination of cast
iron and hardwood materials is preferred.
D.
Building design.
(1)
Architectural style is not restricted. Evaluation
of the appearance of a project by the Planning Board and other advisory
authorities shall be based on the quality of its design, relationship
to surroundings, and consistency with the character of downtown.
(2)
Buildings shall be of such scale and form so as to
be in harmonious conformance with permanent neighboring development
within the Lakefront District.
(3)
Materials required.
(a)
Materials shall have visually interesting architectural
character and shall be selected for harmony with adjoining buildings.
(b)
Materials shall be selected for suitability
to the type of buildings and the design in which they are used. Buildings
shall have similar materials, or those that are visually harmonious
in color and texture, used for all building walls and other exterior
building components wholly or partly visible from public ways.
(c)
Materials shall be of durable quality and shall
be detailed so as to provide long-term service.
(d)
In any design in which the structural frame
is exposed to view, the structural materials shall be compatible within
themselves and harmonious with their surroundings.
(e)
Materials shall be of low reflective or specular
quality.
(f)
In planned commercial developments, brick veneer
and masonry materials are preferred.
(g)
In planned residential developments, a mixture
of brick or masonry materials and wood is preferred.
(h)
Exposed concrete block, split-faced block, aluminum
or vinyl siding should be limited. No exposed texture "111" plywood
is permitted.
(4)
Building components, such as windows, doors, eaves,
and parapets, shall have proportions and detailing consistent with
adjacent buildings and with the general visual themes in the downtown
area.
(5)
Colors shall be harmonious with the lakefront environment
and shall use only compatible accents. Darker color values in earthtone
neutrals are preferred for all extensive color fields. It is preferred
that accents be in the same hue range as the general building color
but of lighter value or increased intensity.
(6)
Mechanical equipment or other utility hardware on
the roof, ground, or buildings shall be screened from public view
with materials harmonious with the building, or it shall be so located
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 should be avoided. Variation of detail, form, and siting
shall be used to provide visual interest. In multiple-building projects,
variable siting of individual buildings may be used to prevent a monotonous
appearance.
E.
Signs. This section is intended to provide general design guidelines for signage in addition to the requirements of the sections of Article III, Lakefront District Planned Unit Development, dealing with sign controls.
(1)
Every sign shall have good scale and proportion in
its design and in its visual relationship to buildings and surroundings.
(2)
Every sign shall be designed as an integral architectural
element of the building and site to which it principally relates.
(3)
The colors, materials, and lighting of every sign
shall be restrained and harmonious with the building and site to which
it principally relates.
(4)
The number of graphic elements on a sign shall be
held to the minimum needed to convey the sign's major message and
shall be composed in proportion to the area of the sign face.
(5)
Each sign shall be compatible with signs on adjoining
premises and shall not compete for attention.
(6)
Identification signs and corporation logos shall conform
to the criteria for all other signs.
F.
Accessory structures.
(1)
Accessory structures shall be designed to be part
of the architectural concept of design and landscape. Materials shall
be compatible with buildings, scale shall be appropriate, and colors
shall be in harmony with buildings and surroundings.
(2)
Lighting in connection with accessory structures shall
meet the criteria applicable to site, landscape, buildings and signs.
G.
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, should be included in
the design. Configurations that tend to catch and accumulate debris,
leaves, trash, dirt, and rubbish should be avoided.
(4)
All driveways, parking lots, and walkways shall be
designed to facilitate snow removal. Provisions should be made for
on-site snow storage.
H.
Submittal requirements.
(1)
The requirements cited below are intended to provide more detail to the general requirements for preliminary site plan submission in Article III, Lakefront District Planned Unit Development.
(2)
All exhibits required for the permanent review file
must be able to be reduced to legal size (8 1/2 inches by 14
inches) by folding or photo reduction. However, larger mounting boards,
material samples, or other exhibits not meeting this criteria may
be used for presentations to the Planning Board. An adequate number
of color photographs are required to illustrate the site, including
buildings and other existing features. Photos may also be used to
illustrate installations on other sites that are similar to the applicant's
proposal.
(b)
Architectural drawings. Complete color-rendered
elevations drawn to scale of all proposed construction and related
elevations of any existing structures are required. A minimum of two
section elevations through the major site features and one perspective
sketch are required with the intent of demonstrating spatial and scale
relationships. Site details should be included to the extent practicable
to the scale of the drawing.
(c)
Material samples. Material samples and product
literature are required for all major exposed materials and site features.
(d)
Sign submission. The location, dimensional setbacks,
and functional types of all signs shall be shown on the site plans.
In addition, the following submission requirements apply according
to sign type:
[1]
Ground signs. Provide an elevation and detailed
drawings of each face of the proposed sign showing the size and layout
of all letters and graphics; sign and frame materials and color; foundation
and planter box details, as appropriate; lighting details; and an
electrical wiring diagram.
[2]
Wall signs and awning or canopy signs. Provide
an elevation and detailed drawings as for ground signs, substituting
wall anchorage details for foundation design, and including an elevation
drawn to scale of the entire building wall to which the sign is to
be fixed, correctly locating the sign. If the facade is not continuous,
depict adjoining buildings and any relevant signs.
[3]
Window signs. Provide an elevation drawn to
scale of the entire building wall in which the window is situated,
including any other awning or canopy signs or wall signs.
(e)
Lighting submissions. A scaled drawing is required
of all proposed lighting standards and fixtures showing all size specifications;
information on lighting intensity (number of watts, isofootcandle
diagram, etc.); materials and colors; and ground or wall anchorage
details.
