[Added 8-8-2011 by L.L. No. 2-2011]
These design standards shall apply to all parcels zoned Industrial
and Light Industrial.
A.
Municipal interest in regulating the design of individual nonresidential
buildings and sites is determined in part by the extent to which they
affect the public realm and the high-quality character desired by
the community.
B.
The municipality therefore has a responsibility to maintain a high-quality
public realm and character. These Industrial and Light Industrial
design standards were prepared and adopted in pursuit of those goals.
C.
The intent of these industrial and light industrial design standards
is to protect the municipality's character and to preserve a high-quality
built environment.
D.
Therefore, all design aspects of any new and existing construction
and/or development shall be undertaken with sensitivity to the character,
fabric, and design of adjacent neighborhoods.
E.
The intent of these design standards is to:
(1)
Provide standards for the determination of the entity charged
with the responsibility for design review in the Village of Medina,
in order to minimize decisions based on individual preferences in
the review and approval process;
(2)
Establish clear and easily understood design criteria to guide
property owners and their tenants in the appropriate design of new
construction and building alterations in the commercial districts;
(3)
Foster attractive building and site designs with enduring aesthetic
appeal;
(4)
Foster designs that have continuity with the better design traditions
and values of the community;
(5)
Foster designs which are likely to evoke feelings of pride in
one's community;
(6)
Foster the aesthetic appeal of spaces around and between buildings
for the visual enjoyment of the public;
(7)
Foster designs that are sensitive to the character of adjacent
residential neighborhoods; and
(8)
To seek aesthetic continuity on contiguous parcels which can
be viewed from public rights-of-way.
A.
Building design.
(1)
It is intended that a basic harmony of architecture shall prevail
among the buildings while allowing for individual expression of taste.
(2)
The face of each building that fronts a street shall be constructed
entirely of masonry material such as brick or precast concrete or
shall have this material a minimum of 1/3 the height of the building
in a continuous band from the ground up to maintain a high quality
of construction and appearance and to provide interesting and tasteful
exteriors. R-Wall and other like materials are allowed only with the
approval of the Planning Board. The remaining exterior walls of the
buildings are to be constructed of masonry, concrete, metal panel,
or other suitable material, as approved by the Planning Board. Brick
should generally be of a uniform size and texture on building facades.
Concrete masonry units shall be broken-faced brick with marble or
granite aggregate.
(3)
Colors to be used on the exterior building materials should
be intrinsic to the material, or factory applied. Nonreflective earth
tone colors such as tans, browns, reds and grays that recede into
the landscape are preferred. The contrast between brick and mortar
should be moderate to low.
(4)
For areas zoned Light Industrial, vertical roof projections
such as towers, vents, stacks or roof-mounted equipment shall be avoided.
Any penetrations that must be made through the roof (e.g., mechanical
equipment, skylights) must be effectively screened from public view,
in an architecturally compatible manner. The manner of screening must
be approved in writing by the Planning Board before construction.
B.
Site layout and materials.
(1)
Building setbacks shall be as required by the Village of Medina
Zoning Regulations.
(2)
Parking shall be provided at a minimum ratio of two permanently
paved, off-street passenger car parking space for each 1,000 square
feet of light manufacturing or warehouse building area and 3 1/3
spaces per 1,000 square feet of office building area, or as required
by stricter provisions of the Village of Medina Zoning Regulations.
(3)
All parking areas shall be screened from the public right-of-way
by planting, berming, opaque fencing or a combination approved by
the Planning Board prior to construction. If fencing is used, it shall
be of wood, left natural or stained a dark color and a minimum of
three feet in height. No parking or other vehicular surface will be
closer than 20 feet to a building line except in the case of an automobile
dropoff, a loading area or vehicular entry into the building. Parking
is not permitted on any street or at any place other than the paved
parking spaces provided. Each owner and lessee shall be responsible
for compliance by his or her respective employees and visitors.
(4)
All parking lots, driveways and walks shall be surfaced with
bituminous material, concrete or unit pavers and shall meet or exceed
minimum Village of Medina requirements for parking areas.
(5)
Service areas must be located at the side or rear of the building
and effectively screened from the public right-of-way in a manner
approved by the Planning Board prior to construction. No articles,
goods, materials, storage tanks, refuse containers or like equipment
shall be kept in the open or exposed to public view.
(6)
If permitted by local zoning laws and if it shall become necessary
to store or keep such materials or equipment in the open, such open
storage shall only be in the rear yard and shall be screened from
view in a manner approved in writing by the Planning Board.
(7)
Said screen shall be either dense planting or a solid enclosure
and of a height at least equal to that of the materials or equipment
being stored, but in no event less than six feet in height. Screening
of parking, loading and service areas shall consist of tree and shrub
plantings, earthen berms, fences, walls, or any combination of these
methods so as to establish an effective visual screen.
(8)
When fences or walls are used for screening, trees and other
plant materials (shrubs, vines, ground covers, perennials) shall also
be used. They should be planted no closer than five feet to the edge
of pavement.
(9)
Developments shall provide sufficient buffering and screening
located in the required minimum rear and side yards for the vehicle
use areas. Buffering and screening may consist of trees and shrubs
existing on the site prior to development. Supplemental plantings
may be required in addition to existing vegetation as determined by
the Planning Board to improve the screening properties of the buffer.
C.
Landscape standards.
(1)
One of the most important elements in the design of any site
plan in the Village of Medina is the selection, organization and use
of planting. Plant materials shall be used to provide continuity by
establishing a hierarchy or organization to soften the edges of the
buildings and to screen parking areas. All areas not covered by building,
parking or walkways are to be landscaped according to the guidelines
outlined here. All landscaping must also comply with the requirements
of the Village of Medina.
(2)
The Municipal Tree Board shall provide advice, counsel, and
recommendations to the Planning Board with regard to any site plan
and/or site plan review of which tree plantings are a part, including
but not limited to the review of proposed tree plantings and landscaping;
and recommendations for appropriate tree size, placement, and species
in accordance with all applicable sections of this article.
(3)
All plant species should be chosen to ensure a horticulturally
manageable development. A range of plant materials, species, and cultivars
shall be used to hedge against losses through disease, insect infestation,
and/or lack of diversity.
(4)
The plant materials used in other areas, access drives, parking
and related land areas shall complement the plantings used on adjacent
parcels.
(5)
The primary emphasis of the landscape treatment shall be on
trees. Shrubbery, hedges, grass and other vegetation may be used to
complement the use of trees but shall not be the sole contribution
to the landscape treatment.
(6)
The parcel owner or lessee shall plant entry drives and the
parcel owner shall plant parking islands a variety of appropriate
species of shade tree for the entry drive and for the parking medians
at 40 feet on center. Parking areas shall be broken by planting medians
every three bays, with a double planting island at the end of each
bay. The median shall have a minimum width of 10 feet, with appropriate
trees planted no closer than 15 feet and no further than 35 feet on
center.
(7)
All interior landscaped areas shall have a minimum planting
soil depth of three feet or more to allow trees to achieve their envisaged
design size. All interior landscaped areas shall be free from all
forms of construction debris and foreign material within the planting
area.
(8)
Adequate soil area and depth should be specified to allow trees
to achieve their envisaged design size. At least 600 cubic feet (for
example 10 feet by 20 feet by three feet) shall be specified for each
large shade tree. If trees are grouped in a contiguous soil area,
400 cubic feet of soil per tree may be used instead.
(9)
Where an open area of soil is insufficient to allow for these
soil volumes, a combination of structural soil under pavement and
open soil in a planting bed shall be used to achieve this. Information
regarding proper use structural soil will be found at: http://www.hort.cornell.edu/uhi/outreach/csc/index.html.
(10)
Installation of all islands and medians shall have six-inch-high
concrete curbing as a minimum to protect plant materials from damage.
(11)
The dimensions of all islands and medians shall be measured
from the landscaped side of the curb.
(12)
The use of ornamental trees and shrubs is encouraged as accents
at the building entry along walkways and in lawn area to add interest,
act as a focal point, or to soften the lines of the building.
(13)
The use of plastic or other types of artificial plantings or
vegetation is prohibited.
(14)
All landscape plant material shall meet the American Standard
for nursery stock quality, must be No. 1 or heavy specimen quality
grade, and shall be obtained from a reputable nursery. Spring planting
is recommended and preferable. Attention shall be paid to deciduous
tree plantings that are a fall planting risk.
(15)
The following shall apply:
(a)
Deciduous trees: two- to two-and-one-half-inch DBA caliper in size,
large deciduous multistem form twelve-foot minimum height above finished
grade, small deciduous multistem form ten-foot minimum height above
finished grade.
(b)
Ornamental deciduous trees: two-inch DBA caliper in size ornamental
deciduous multistem form eight-foot minimum height above finished
grade.
(c)
Evergreen (conifer): six- to eight-foot minimum height above finished
grade.
(d)
Evergreen (ornamental): twenty-four- to forty-eight-inch minimum
height above finished grade.
(e)
Broadleaf evergreens: twenty-four- to forty-eight-inch minimum height
above finished grade.
(f)
Deciduous shrubs: two- to three-gallon.
(g)
Herbaceous perennials: two- to three-gallon.
(h)
Ornamental grass: two- to three-gallon.
(i)
Ground cover: two-year two-inch pot.
(16)
The Board may require larger plant sizes, such as twelve-to-fourteen-foot-high
conifers and deciduous trees, to mitigate expected visual conditions
that, in its view, may be inherent in the proposed location, design
or use of the site.
(17)
The Planning Board reserves the right to reject any plant material
that is not in compliance with the above specifications and criteria.
(18)
No landscaping or grading shall be undertaken except in accordance
with a landscape plan first approved by the Planning Board in writing.
All landscaping shown on a landscape or site plan submitted to the
Planning Board in connection with another building or other improvements
to be constructed shall be completed within 30 days after the completion
of such building or improvement, subject only to reasonable seasonal
delay, as approved in advance by the Planning Board.
D.
Landscape maintenance.
(1)
Each parcel owner shall be responsible for maintenance of all
landscape and buildings within the parcel boundaries. This includes
the open space to the rear of the parcel, as well as for the street
trees along the spine road.
(2)
All planting, including lawns, shall be watered regularly during
the initial period of establishment and thereafter to maintain them
in healthy condition.
(3)
Lawns shall be well maintained, cut and trimmed.
(4)
All landscaped areas required and/or permitted by these regulations
shall be maintained and preserved according to the approved landscape
plan. Landscaped areas shall be kept free of trash, litter, weeds,
and other such materials. Leaves shall be removed from walks, parking
lots, plant beds and lawn areas during the fall season.
(5)
Planting beds/tree sites should be appropriately mulched with
two to three inches of organic mulch. Mulch shall not be mounded against
tree trunks.
(6)
Trees and shrubs shall be pruned as necessary to remove dead
branches and keep the plants in neat and vigorous condition.
(7)
Leaves shall be removed from walks, parking lots, plant beds
and lawn areas during the fall season.
(8)
Plant materials which die or are not maintained in a healthy
and growing condition shall be replaced within the next growing season
with the same approved species/cultivars and appropriate required
grade and size. In no case shall dead plant material be allowed to
remain more than one growing season.
(9)
All trees shall be planted in accordance with the methods illustrated
by the planting details required to be shown on the approved landscape
plan. Trees not planted in accordance with these methods shall be
replanted in accordance with the methods illustrated in the details,
or the method of planting otherwise corrected so as to be acceptable
to the municipality prior to the issuance of a final certificate of
occupancy or certificate of compliance.
(10)
Where tree stakes and guy wires are used, they shall be removed
from newly planted trees 12 months after planting.
E.
Signage.
(1)
Sign design is the art of informing visitors while not overwhelming
them; additionally it respects the streetscape and does not detract
from the place being created. Signage shall contribute to and enhance
the unique character of the municipality and shall reflect sensitivity
to the character of adjacent residential neighborhoods.
(2)
The use of monument signs is preferred and strongly encouraged.
Monument-type signs shall not exceed six feet above the surrounding
grade, and shall have a base consistent with the primary building
material and a minimum of 50 square feet of year-round landscaping
around all sides of the monument sign.
(3)
Sign graphics and lighting shall be designed to allow for clear
communication but shall otherwise not be over lighted. Signs with
exterior illumination shall not glare into vehicular or pedestrian
traffic areas, and shall not glare to off-site locations.
(4)
Signs with interior illumination shall have only sign letters
and logos lighted, not sign backgrounds. This concept applies to all
site and building signage, including traffic entrance and exit signs,
if lighted.
(5)
Exterior signage lighting is subject to review and approval
of the Planning Board.
(6)
Building-mounted signs with interior illumination shall not
have exposed cabinets or transformer raceways, but shall, for example,
have channel-style letters with transformers and raceways concealed
behind building facades.
(7)
Building design shall not serve to communicate or reflect the
corporate identity or product marketed. Corporate identity and product
marketed shall be communicated by signage, not by building color or
architecture. Use of neon is prohibited as exterior building ornamentation
or as part of signage.
(8)
The Board reserves the right to require substantial design alterations
to corporate branding designs that it deems to be inconsistent with
the design guidelines or is otherwise inappropriate to the general
aesthetic character of the neighborhood.
(9)
All signs shall comply with all requirements of the Village
of Medina Zoning Regulations.
F.
Lighting.
(1)
Pedestrian walkway lighting shall be appropriate in style with
the design character of the space. The bottom of pedestrian walkway
fixture lenses is expected to be 14 feet above the surrounding grade.
Raised concrete pole bases should be adjusted in height based on the
style of pole base.
(2)
Traditional-style light poles that are not located in an area
that exposes the fixtures to potential vehicular impact shall not
have any raised base. They shall be set at the surrounding walk elevation.
It is expected that special attention will be taken to select and
coordinate a pole and fixture color that matches site furniture and
accessory colors.
(3)
Pack lights, wall pack lights and similar lights that primarily
shine perpendicular to (away from) a building's elevation shall not
be permitted on any building elevation. The use of cutoff and full
cutoff wall packs shall be permitted where appropriate. Decorative
wall lights that shine parallel to (up or down) a building's elevation
are subject to review and approval by the Planning Board.
(4)
All outdoor lighting shall be directed, reflected or shielded
so as not to be of excessive brightness or cause glare hazardous to
pedestrians or drivers, create a nuisance or unreasonably interfere
with a neighboring property. Light spillage shall not exceed 0.2 fc
when adjacent to a commercial district or 0.1 fc when adjacent to
a residential district or existing residential use. Photometrical
illustrations of proposed lighting shall be provided and are subject
to review and approval of the Planning Board.
(5)
Pole heights shall correspond in scale to the parcel, building
and parking lot size as well as the surrounding area. On smaller parcels
pole height should be limited in height to correspond to the human
scale of the site. A guideline of a twenty-five-foot maximum within
parking lots and fifteen-foot maximum within nonvehicular pedestrian
areas shall be observed.
(6)
In large commercial centers with large building footprints,
parcels and parking lots, the pole heights can be higher to reduce
the number of poles needed to adequately light the site. However,
the Board may require lower light pole heights in larger parking areas
where it deems the character of the project's design or the character
of the neighborhood would be adversely affected by higher pole heights.
(7)
The following shall be prohibited:
(a)
Low-pressure sodium and mercury vapor light sources;
(b)
Cobra-headed-type fixtures having dished or drop lenses or refractors
which house other than incandescent sources;
(c)
Search lights or other high-intensity narrow-beam fixtures;
(d)
Lighting fixtures that have flashing, rotating, moving, pulsing
or alternating colored sources.
Enforcement of the provisions within this article shall be the
responsibility of the Code Enforcement Officer.
