The following recommended guidelines should be considered in the design of new construction, additions and exterior alterations. Some of these features may be required by other sections of this chapter in specific cases. The provisions in §
319-29 should also be used as recommended guidelines in districts where a provision is not required.
A. Site compatibility.
(1) See buffer yard requirements in §
319-63, including provisions addressing eye-level views through plantings for security purposes along a street.
(2) Vehicle parking and any garage doors should be placed to the rear
of buildings as opposed to between buildings and the street. A rear
or side alley should be used for garage or parking access when feasible
for dwellings. Where rear parking is not practical, then parking should
be provided to the side of a building. Where a residential driveway
needs to enter from the front, the garage should be set back further
from the street than the front facade of a principal residential building,
and the driveway should be as narrow as practical through the front
yard. If a residential driveway is necessary in the front of a lot,
the curb cut should be a maximum of 10 feet wide, except 20 feet may
be necessary for a driveway serving multiple units or that serves
side-by-side parking spaces.
(3) Shared parking among property owners and businesses is encouraged
where adequate parking spaces exist for shared usage.
(4) Landscaping, low walls that have the appearance of brick, or similar
features should be used to buffer parking lots from streets, provided
that there is still sufficient views into the parking area at eye
level (approximately four feet to five feet) for security purposes.
(5) Various signs on a property should be coordinated. Internally illuminated
signs of box-type construction with a plastic face should be avoided.
Signs should not cover architectural details. Awnings that extend
at a straight angle from a building are encouraged to provide continuity
along a block front and weather protection. Awnings should be used
to reduce the visibility of roll-down security gate mechanisms. The
front panel of an awning may be used for a sign, but the sign image
should be integrated with the awning and the awning should have the
appearance of a fabric-type material.
(6) Adequate lighting shall be provided for security, but in a manner
that does not generate glare. In historic areas, traditional styles
of light poles should be used, with a maximum height of 20 feet. The
unfiltered luminaire itself (such as in a floodlight) should not be
directly visible from a street or sidewalk.
(7) Chain-link metal fences should be avoided in the front yard. Picket
or ornamental fences are encouraged. Solid wooden or vinyl plank fences
should be placed in rear and side yards only. Highway-style metal
guide rails should not be used.
(8) New utilities should be placed underground. Where that is not practical,
they should be placed in less visible parts of the site. For example,
new utility lines should be extended from the rear of the property
instead of the front. New utility meters should be hidden from view
from the street frontage.
(9) See trash dumpster screening and location standards in §
319-66.
(10)
Where new sidewalks are constructed, consideration should be
given to using pervious pavers between the main concrete sidewalk
and the curb.
B. Building compatibility.
(1) New construction should have a front yard setback that is similar
to adjacent older buildings, where there is a predominant setback
of less than 30 feet from the street.
(2) Awnings should be used to add visual interest and to provide cover
during rainy weather.
(3) Modern additions and features should be placed towards the rear of
an historic building.
(4) New construction should have rooflines that are similar to adjacent
older buildings. Flat roofs should be avoided, except when a decorative
cornice is used. Where a pitched roof is not practical, then the roof
should at least appear to have angles and a pitch when viewed from
the street.
(5) Where existing older buildings have a certain spacing of windows
and doors, similar spacing, and similar sizes of windows and doors,
should be continued in new construction. Blank walls without door
and window openings should be avoided along a street.
(6) Particularly where most buildings along a block have front porches,
a front porch should be incorporated into new construction. Existing
older front porches should be maintained and not be enclosed.
(7) Tractor-trailer truck loading docks are discouraged from being visible
from a street.
(8) Where allowed by the Borough, an applicant should consider offering
the option in a building of a "live work unit," such as a building
that encourages a person to work on the first floor and live in the
upper stories.
(9) Standard "franchise brand" facades should be modified in such a way
as to become compatible with the character of historic areas.
(10)
Every effort should be made to rehabilitate and reuse older
buildings that have historic architecture. If a building cannot feasibly
be reused, then consideration should be given to building a new building
behind a significant restored facade.
(11)
Along streets in other districts where two-or-more story buildings
are common, single-story buildings should be avoided, unless they
have the appearance of a two-story building when viewed from the front
along the street.
(12)
Overly garish or day-glow colors should be avoided on commercial
buildings. Colors should highlight architectural details and character,
and be compatible with the neighborhood context.
(13)
Buildings should avoid long, monotonous, uninterrupted walls.
Instead, there should be variations in a front facade, such as changes
in building setbacks, colors, details, materials or rooflines.
(14)
Commercial HVAC systems should be screened from view from the
front of a lot using walls, fencing, roof elements or landscaping.
Variation in New Construction
Make a new long building appear to be comprised of smaller buildings
by varying colors, cornices, awnings and details.
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(15)
Noisy or odor-producing ventilation equipment (such as fast-food
restaurant exhaust fans) should be placed as far away from dwellings
as is feasible.
C. Pedestrian safety and orientation.
(1) Pedestrian crosswalks should be provided along arterial street corridors
using materials and colors that visually distinguish the crosswalk
from the street surface and that include some texture. A method should
be used that is durable, instead of simply being adhered to the top
of the asphalt.
(2) Pedestrian traffic should be separated from major vehicle routes.
Developments should be designed in such a way as to be inviting for
pedestrian traffic and to provide convenient walking routes from any
public transit stops.
(3) Individual buildings and pedestrian entrances and parking areas should
be laid out to promote pedestrian access among different uses, and
to provide pedestrian connections towards bus and rail stops.
(4) Pedestrian-related uses and features providing visual interest and
vitality for pedestrians are encouraged along main streets. Storefronts,
pedestrian entrances and display windows should relate to the street,
rather than be focused directly towards a parking lot. Large parking
lots, blank building faces and non-pedestrian-related uses are discouraged
along major pedestrian streets.
(5) Concrete sidewalks should be used for the main route used by wheelchairs
and most unmotored pedestrians. Pervious pavers should be used to
add decorative elements along the curb, and to allow water and air
to reach street trees, where they may be approved by Borough Council.
Pervious Paving Strip Use
Use pervious pavers in areas that are not the primary wheelchair
and pedestrian pathway.
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(6) Where there will be a major pedestrian crossing of a busy street,
a pedestrian and wheelchair refuge island should be considered, so
that they only have to cross one direction of traffic at a time.
Street Crossing Refuge Island
Along wide streets, consider construction of a refuge island
for bicyclists and pedestrians, so that they do not need to cross
all lanes of traffic at one time.
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(7) Sight distance requirements are addressed in §
319-63. Signs should also be considered to warn pedestrians and motorists of areas where there are limited sight distances.
Sight Distance Remedy
Where an alley or parking lot entrance cannot be designed with
adequate sight distances of pedestrians, warning signs should be used
for both pedestrians and motorists.
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