The following standards and guidelines shall apply to all nonresidential,
multiple-family (over four units), and mixed-use development within
the Town.
The purpose of these design guidelines and standards is to describe
the desired future development pattern, form, massing, site layout
and architectural detailing for nonresidential development within
the Town of Manchester. It is important for the Town to have established
design standards that guide development and ensure safe and efficient
circulation in both its rural and small-town development contexts,
from the vast expanse of agricultural lands to denser activity areas
in Port Gibson and near to the Villages of Manchester, Shortsville,
and Clifton Springs. Given the varied character of the Town, there
is a need for clear standards that meet the goals and objectives of
the community while still allowing for flexibility and creativity.
These standards will provide the necessary regulatory guidance and
framework for high-quality development while still allowing flexible
design alternatives.
The purpose of these design guidelines and standards is to preserve
and promote the unique character of the Town by ensuring future development
is consistent with the following objectives:
A.
Create inviting, attractive buildings, sites, open spaces, and streetscapes.
B.
Develop office and industrial parks to resemble a campus-like environment
that incorporates open space and pedestrian amenities where appropriate.
C.
Require that future private development positively contribute to
the public realm and ensure compatibility with surrounding developments
so as not to detract from the overall streetscape and character of
the area.
D.
Utilize good site planning techniques that provide visual interest
and accommodate multimodal travel such as varying building massing,
emphasizing street corners, highlighting points of entry, and integrating
site circulation and access between uses.
E.
Encourage the development of buildings consistent with the goals
of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
F.
Ensure that new development building and site design does not negatively
impact adjacent residential uses, respecting their existing scale
and character.
Site planning standards primarily address the organization of
a project's components. They are intended to address the location
of buildings and site features such as parking lots, open space, and
service areas, as well as the organization of circulation patterns
for vehicles and pedestrians.
A.
Site layout. The layout of all improvements must be designed to generally
follow the existing topography of the site. The layout of roads, walkways
and building footprints must be aligned with existing contours where
practical, with limited connecting streets or walkways aligned perpendicular
to existing slopes.
B.
Sense of entry. Intersections create natural opportunities for gateways,
which can be enhanced through a combination of landscaping, welcome/identity
signage, framed views, and focal points. Signage and focal points,
if included, must be used in ways that complement rather than obstruct
or detract from important views.
C.
Views. The Town's rural viewsheds play an especially large role
in shaping the character of the community. Existing view corridors
should be respected and protected. New construction and landscaping
must take into account how views may be affected. Protecting views
experienced from points of entry to the Town and along major roadways
is important. The Planning Board shall help determine the significance
of a view corridor or viewshed as part of site plan review.
D.
Projects with multiple buildings.
1)
Projects with multiple buildings, such as plazas with out-lot or
outparcel development, shall be sited with pedestrian connections
between structures, parking areas, and adjacent uses.
2)
Multiple structures shall be placed in a fashion that creates a well-organized,
accessible, and functional site. The Town encourages site layouts
that create a unique sense of place and do not result in large parking
lots lacking landscaping or pedestrian accommodations.
A.
Building form and massing.
1)
A single, large, dominant building mass shall be avoided.
2)
No facade shall have a blank, uninterrupted length exceeding 40 feet
without including architectural features such as columns, pilasters,
piers, or changes in plane, in texture or masonry pattern, storefronts
and entry treatments, or equivalent design element that subdivides
the wall into visually interesting proportions (see below).
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3)
Buildings situated at street corners should "wrap" the corner by
continuing facade design elements on all street elevations (see above).
B.
Architectural design.
1)
All structures shall have a visible roofline. Elements that define
the roof and the upper quartile of the facade shall incorporate design
details that provide an added level of articulation to the architectural
expression of the building.
2)
The choice of design elements and their scale, height, proportion,
and mass should draw from design cues provided by the rural character
of the Town.
3)
Buildings designed to advertise or promote a uniform corporate image
in a manner that may render the building undesirable or unable to
reasonably accommodate future uses shall be prohibited.
4)
All buildings shall exhibit a clearly defined base, mid-section,
and crown. This can be accomplished using a combination of architectural
details, materials, textures, and colors (see graphics below).
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C.
Windows.
1)
Windows shall be of a scale, proportion, and coverage appropriate
to the overall style of architecture of the building.
2)
Window openings should be trimmed with an appropriate material (brick,
stone, wood, wood-like, cementitious board, vinyl) to provide added
definition and interest to the overall facade.
3)
All primary facades, or those fronting public streets and rights-of-way,
shall observe a minimum transparency requirement of 30% in the area
between two and eight feet above ground level (see below).
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D.
Doors and entryways.
1)
Doors and entryways shall be of a scale, proportion, and coverage
appropriate to the overall style of architecture of the building.
2)
Commercial and mixed-use buildings shall have a transparent primary
entryway that will be considered as part of the overall transparency
requirement for the building frontage.
3)
Entryways shall be detailed and identifiable by the general public
through the use of decorative trim, moldings, overhangs, and other
defining architectural features such that its purpose as the primary
entrance is evident from the street. The same treatment is encouraged
for all secondary entryways near parking locations.
E.
High Quality Materials.
1)
Along street frontages, all exterior building walls and structures
shall be constructed with durable materials such as masonry, stone,
brick, finishing wood, stucco (EIFS) and glass.
2)
Finishes that are intended or designed to reflect light and glare,
as well as vertical aluminum or metal siding shall not be permitted.
3)
No more than three exterior wall materials should be used on any
one side of a building.
4)
Material changes at the outside corners or in a plane should be avoided.
5)
Concrete finishes or pre-cast concrete panels that are not exposed
aggregate, hammered, embossed, imprinted, sandblasted, or covered
with a cement-based acrylic coating shall not be used as exterior
building materials and shall be prohibited on all exterior walls.
6)
Standard masonry block walls shall be prohibited on exterior walls
containing primary entryways and walls facing a street or drive.
7)
Decorative masonry materials such as split face and textured finished
blocks shall be considered an acceptable alternative to stone, brick,
finishing wood, stucco (EIFS) or glass.
F.
Green infrastructure and building design.
1)
Alternative energy sources, such as rooftop solar panels or shingles,
are encouraged and should be incorporated into the design of the building
so as not to detract from the overall design.
2)
Developers and builders are encouraged to utilize roofing materials
that reflect sunlight (e.g., lighter colors) or incorporate vegetated
roofing on at least 50% of the roof area. Methods such as these decrease
heating and cooling needs on a building by reflecting sunlight rather
than absorbing it.
3)
The Planning Board may approve an increase in the share of lot coverage
for developments that incorporate green roofing materials to their
satisfaction.
A.
Applicability. All nonresidential uses and multiple-family dwellings
shall employ similar building and site design standards to ensure
compatibility with adjacent residential development. These requirements
shall be in addition to the design standards and guidelines of this
article and requirements set forth by this chapter for landscaping,
screening, and buffering of uses.
B.
Requirements. To the maximum extent practicable, nonresidential and
multiple-family development shall incorporate at least two of the
following techniques when developed adjacent to an existing residential
use:
C.
Waiver of requirements. During site plan review, the Planning Board
may waive the requirements of this section if it is determined that
the application of such criteria is not necessary to protect the character
and quality of life of the neighborhood as well as public health,
safety, and welfare.
