Purpose. It is the intent of this section to provide detailed review
of exterior alterations made to nonresidential structures to enhance
the natural and aesthetic qualities of the B-1 District to conserve
the value of land and buildings, and to protect the district and its
surrounding neighborhoods.
Design Review Board. For the purposes of this section, the Design
Review Board shall be appointed by the Planning Board and the Select
Board to consist of five Town residents as follows:
Applicability. The Design Review Board shall review requests for
sign permits, new construction, or any other exterior alterations
or modifications to a nonresidential building within the Business
One District. It shall evaluate such requests based on the design
criteria of this section. All requests must be submitted to the Design
Review Board prior to applications to a special permit granting authority
or building permit.
Five copies of a certified plot plan at a minimum scale of one inch
equals 40 feet and a maximum scale of one inch equals 20 feet. The
site plan shall contain:
Process. A written determination must be made within 30 days after
the filing of the application or such further time as the applicant
may in writing allow. Its findings, along with any restrictions and/or
conditions, shall be submitted in writing to the special permit granting
authority or Building Commissioner. These comments may also be incorporated
in the recommendations of the Planning Board to the special permit
granting authority. All decisions and reports of the Design Review
Board shall be advisory only.
The architectural and design features are in harmony with the
prevailing character and scale of buildings in the neighborhood and
Town (such as but not limited to: building materials, screening, breaks
in roof and wall lines, roof pitch, adequate light, air, circulation
and spacing between buildings, details, massing).
The character of the site is preserved (such as but not limited
to: protection of historical and natural resources and existing terrain,
minimization of grade changes, tree and soil removal).
Vehicular and pedestrian movement within the site are convenient
and safe (such as but not limited to: traffic patterns, circulation,
and location of driveway openings, parking, loading, access by emergency
vehicles, and visibility of and identity of street address numbers).
External emissions from the site are minimized or eliminated
(such as but not limited to: erosion, surface water runoff, pollution,
sewage, disposal of refuse.)
Design review guidelines. The Planning Board shall publish and make available to the public on request a booklet of guidelines based on the specific design criteria cited in Subsection F to effectuate the purposes of this section.