Design standards are intended to enhance and improve the exterior
appearance of new proposed development and redevelopment to:
A.
Protect and enhance Saco's cultural, architectural, natural, historic,
and visual character.
B.
Preserve and cultivate a desirable and attractive environment for
those who live in, work in, and visit the community.
C.
Prevent the decline of business districts and neighborhoods.
D.
Enhance building quality.
E.
Encourage building design that maintains and enhances the character
and continuity of Saco's built environment and public realm.
F.
Promote a high-quality, human-scaled pedestrian environment.
A.
Proposed development or redevelopment requiring a site plan review
under this chapter.
B.
Where proposed development or redevelopment subject to site plan
review includes an existing building, such as an addition or partial
remodeling or expansion, these design standards shall apply only to
new construction.
C.
Exemptions.
(1)
Building construction or remodeling projects that are subject
to covenants in City industrial or business parks.
(2)
Properties in the Historic Preservation Overlay District that
are subject to design review by the Historic Preservation Commission.
(3)
Design elements of projects that are part of a master planned
development for which a Master Plan has been approved by the Planning
Board, provided that specific design elements are addressed in the
plan.
A.
All proposed development or redevelopment requiring site plan review
under this chapter shall comply with the following design guidelines
to the greatest extent practicable. Applicants proposing development
that deviates from these standards shall provide sufficient information
to demonstrate how circumstances of a specific application merit an
alternative design. The Planning Board should require mitigating strategies
that lessen the visual impact of development that does not adhere
to these standards.
B.
Landscaping. Landscaping will be provided along buffer areas to soften
abutting uses, along parking areas and to break up large parking areas,
and shall be in conformance with Zoning Ordinance provisions.[1] Diverse species with complimentary textures, form, and
color should be used to enhance visual appeal of the project as well
as to increase the success of plant establishment and survival. Species
shall be native, salt tolerant, resistant to deer browsing, and hardy.
Plants that enhance habitat for pollinators and other wildlife are
encouraged. Projects should integrate rain gardens and other aesthetically
pleasing stormwater best management practices into the site design.
A landscape maintenance plan is required.
C.
Highly reflective building materials that cause glare and divert
heat should not be used.
D.
Commercial, multifamily residential, and mixed-use proposed development.
(1)
Continuity, connectivity, and compatibility. Building scale
and massing should reflect and complement existing development. Buildings
shall be designed with a complex massing that includes varying rooflines,
projections, recesses, or smaller additions to a main building. Transition
between old and new structures through setbacks, buffers, landscaping,
and other screening shall preserve residential privacy and sense of
light and air between buildings.
(2)
Height. The height of a building shall be visually compatible
with the heights of structures on neighboring sites and minimize shading
and other negative impacts on neighboring properties and on the street.
(3)
Length of walls. A wall shall not extend a length greater than
15 feet on the first floor and 25 feet on the second floor and above
without an architectural feature, such as a window, dormer, recessed
corner, pilaster, cornice, porch or visually compatible door.
(4)
Exterior materials. Exterior materials should be of high quality,
and compatible with the established neighborhood character.
(5)
Roof. The shape and proportion of the roof shall lend visual
interest and reduce the apparent size of new structures. Preference
shall be given to pitched roofs. Flat roofs should be offset by detailed
architectural elements in the upper portion of the building facade.
The roof design shall screen or camouflage rooftop protrusions to
minimize the appearance of utility infrastructure, antennas, and other
rooftop installations.
(6)
Fenestration. Windows and doors should be visually compatible
with the architectural style of the building. On walls that face the
public right-of-way, these openings should create pedestrian interest
and promote safety through "eyes on the street." Architectural details,
such as awnings or roofs for shelter, recessing, decorative lighting,
trim or railings, shall be used to identify front entrances.
(7)
Circulation. Pedestrian walkways should connect the front entrance,
parking areas, and public sidewalks. Bicycle racks are encouraged.
(8)
Parking. Parking lots should be designed to reduce the amount
of impervious surface area to the maximum extent practicable. Design
techniques that reduce urban heat island, such as shading or use of
materials with higher solar reflective index, are encouraged. The
design should ensure adequate area for emergency responders to maneuver
their vehicles.
(9)
Private-public realm interface. Architectural elements, such
as stoops and porches, should be integrated into the site design to
establish a human-scale environment, enhance pedestrian experience,
and encourage gathering and street-side activity. Awnings and canopies
are encouraged, and shall be integrated with the building facade,
be human-scaled, and contribute to a consistent pattern through placement,
size, and shape. The design shall be consistent with ADA[2] requirements.
[2]
Editor's Note: See 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.
(10)
Pedestrian access. New or substantially enlarged commercial
and multifamily developments shall provide for safe, convenient pedestrian
access with sidewalks built to City specifications, except where the
Planning Board determines that little pedestrian access is likely.
Multifamily and master planned development proposals shall incorporate
sidewalks along frontage of development.
E.
Industrial development.
(1)
Buildings and grounds shall be designed with a unified aesthetic.
(2)
Flexible design. Buildings shall be designed with longevity,
durability, flexibility, and adaptive reuse in mind. Large buildings
shall have multiple entries to enhance flexibility.
(3)
Relation to nonindustrial uses. Industrial structures located
in proximity to neighborhoods and commercial areas shall be compatible
in scale, massing, and style with existing nonindustrial uses. Height
and massing transitions between industrial and nonindustrial uses
are required. Connectivity between nonindustrial and industrial sites
is required.
(4)
Screening. Attractive fences, decorative gates, landscaping,
and other screening shall be integrated into site design to minimize
visual impact of dumpsters, unsightly uses and nuisances.
(5)
Massing. Long walls shall be broken up by pilasters, offsets
in the alignment of walls, placement of windows, and changes in material,
color or texture. Ground and upper floors shall be differentiated
to add visual interest and reduce the apparent height of structures.
(6)
Pedestrian safety and experience. Sidewalks shall be established
along streets and between buildings and parking areas to provide safe
access for pedestrians. Entry treatments, such as colored concrete,
awnings or canopies, and plantings, shall be utilized to improve entries
and guide pedestrians. Amenities, such as outdoor areas that can be
used for employee gathering, shall be incorporated into site landscaping.
The installation of bike racks and paths, where feasible, is encouraged.
(7)
Loading and circulation. Access drives and parking areas shall
be designed to promote adequate and safe vehicular access and maneuverability
to accommodate delivery vehicles and first responders. Loading zones
should be located to the rear of buildings. Fire lanes are mandatory.[4]
[4]
Editor's Note: Former § 179-5.04, Urban green space,
which immediately followed this section, was repealed 3-18-2024.
