A. 
It is the purpose of this Article to promote the health, safety, comfort and general welfare of the community and to eliminate blight and promote the character and appearances and to conserve and improve the property values of the Village, the attractiveness of whose residential and business areas is the mainstay of the community, by providing procedures for an architectural review of those business, commercial, industrial and residential structures henceforth erected, reconstructed, altered or remodeled in the Village of Suffern, and thereby:
(1) 
To encourage good qualities of exterior building design and good appearances to the sites and surroundings.
(2) 
To permit originality and resourcefulness in building design and good appearances which are appropriate to the sites and surroundings.
(3) 
To prevent such design and appearances as are offensive to the visual sensibilities even when the design conforms to existing design of surrounding structures.
B. 
The Village Board hereby finds that structures which are visually offensive or inappropriate by reason of poor qualities or exterior design, monotonous similarity or striking visual discord in relation to their sites and surroundings mar the appearances of their areas, impair their use, enjoyment and desirability and reduce the values of properties, are detrimental to the characters of neighborhoods, prevent the most appropriate development and utilization of land and therefore adversely affect the functioning, economic stability, prosperity, health, safety and general welfare of the entire community.
A. 
This article shall not apply to single-family or two-family detached residential structures or additions or alterations thereto.
B. 
The requirements of this article shall apply to a building permit for the construction of a new building or other structure or an alteration or addition to any building or other structure affecting the exterior of said building or structure where the cost of such a new building or structure or alteration or addition to a building or structure is estimated to be $5,000 or more by the Building Inspector. The requirements shall also apply to solar energy collectors and microwave dishes, regardless of cost. The Building Inspector may, in his discretion, refer to the Planning Board any other application for a building permit.
A. 
Relationship of buildings to the site.
(1) 
The site shall be planned to accomplish a desirable transition with 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 so as to screen parking areas from view of public ways.
(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) 
Newly installed utility services and service revisions necessitated by exterior alterations shall be underground.
(6) 
All structures in the PO-15 and PO-40, MR-50 and PLI Zoning Districts shall be oriented in a manner which minimizes visibility of the structure from the street or highway in order to avoid long continuous frontages visible from the street or highway.
[Added 10-20-1997 by L.L. No. 7-1997]
B. 
Relationship of buildings and site to adjoining area.
(1) 
Adjacent buildings of different architectural styles shall be made compatible by such means as screens, screen breaks and materials.
(2) 
Attractive landscape transition to adjoining properties shall be provided.
(3) 
Harmony in texture, lines and masses is required. Monotony shall be avoided.
C. 
Landscape and site treatment. Landscape elements included in these criteria consist of all forms of plantings 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 the beauty and utility of a development, they shall be preserved and developed. Modifications to topography will be permitted where they contribute to good appearance.
(2) 
Grades of walks, parking spaces, terraces and other paved areas shall provide an inviting and stable appearance for walking and, if seating is provided, for sitting.
(3) 
Landscape treatment shall be provided to enhance architectural features, strengthen vistas and provide shade. Spectacular effects shall be reserved for special locations only.
(4) 
Unity of design shall be achieved by repetition of certain plant varieties and other materials 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 good appearance 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, tree guards or other devices.
(7) 
Parking areas and traffic ways shall be enhanced with landscaped spaces containing trees or tree groupings.
(8) 
Where building sites limit planting, the placement of trees in parkways or paved areas is encouraged.
(9) 
Screening of service yards, dumpster locations 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, 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, when used, shall enhance the building design and the adjoining landscape. Lighting standards and building fixtures shall be of a design and size compatible with the building and adjacent areas. Lighting shall be restrained in design and excessive brightness avoided.
D. 
Building design.
(1) 
Architectural style is not restricted. Evaluation of the appearance of a project shall be based on the quality of the design and materials and relationship to surroundings.
(2) 
Buildings shall have good scale and be in harmonious conformance with permanent neighboring development.
(a) 
Materials shall have a good architectural character and shall be selected for harmony of the building with its components and 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 the same materials, or those that are architecturally harmonious, used for all building walls and other exterior building components wholly or partly visible from public facilities and ways.
(c) 
Materials shall be of durable quality.
(d) 
In any design in which the structural frame is exposed to view, the structural materials shall be compatible with themselves and harmonious with their surroundings.
(3) 
Building components, such as windows, doors, eaves and parapets, shall have good proportions and relationships to one another.
(4) 
Colors shall be harmonious and shall use only compatible accents.
(5) 
Mechanical equipment or other utility hardware on roof, ground or buildings shall be screened from public view with materials harmonious to the building or they shall be located as not to be visible from any public ways.
(6) 
Exterior lighting shall be part of the architectural concept. Fixtures, standards and all exposed accessories shall be harmonious with building design.
(7) 
Refuse and waste removal areas, service yards, storage yards and exterior work areas shall be screened from view of public ways, using materials harmonious to the building.
(8) 
Monotony of design in single or multiple building projects shall be avoided. Variation of detail, form and siting shall be used to provide visual interest. In multiple building projects, variable siting or individual buildings may be used to prevent a monotonous appearance.
E. 
Miscellaneous structures and street hardware.
(1) 
Miscellaneous structures and street hardware shall be designed to be part of the architectural concept of design and landscape. Materials shall be compatible with buildings, scale shall be in harmony with buildings and surroundings and proportions shall be attractive.
(2) 
Lighting in connection with miscellaneous structures and street hardware shall meet the criteria applicable to site, landscape and buildings.
F. 
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 shall be included in the design. Configurations that tend to catch and accumulate debris, leaves, trash, dirt and rubbish shall be avoided.
A. 
The Planning Board shall restrict its considerations to a reasonable and professional review of the proposal and plans, leaving full responsibility for the design and development to the applicant. Such Board shall not design or assist in the design of any buildings or structures submitted for approval.
B. 
The Planning Board shall not unduly restrict new or innovative building types, materials or methods.
C. 
In its endeavor to improve the quality of design, the Planning Board shall consider cost as one factor, along with design, in its efforts to achieve the objectives of this Article.