The following standards are applicable to all new or amended development in the PCC zone including but not limited to primary and accessory structures, accent features, and architectural art:
(1) Four-Sided Architecture. All sides of a building that are open to public view (including views from adjacent residential dwellings or potential location of residential dwellings) shall receive consistent architectural design consideration.
(2) Building Height. Buildings shall not exceed 80 feet in height, but shall not exceed 35 feet in height where any portion of the building is within 100 feet of a residential zone. Height is measured from the primary finished floor to the highest point of any roof peak, parapet wall or to the top of any architectural feature. Rooftop mechanical equipment, screens, safety railings, and other mechanical elements are not included in building height.
(3) Bulk. Commercial buildings shall be designed with horizontal architectural wall variations at least every 30 to 50 feet in linear width, depending on the size of the project. A horizontal architectural wall variation may include the following:
(b) A horizontal shift of at least 18 inches perpendicular to the primary plane.
(4) Roofline. Commercial buildings shall be designed with vertical height variations of the roofline at least every 50 feet. A vertical height variation of the roofline may include the following:
(a) Changes in vertical height by at least 18 inches change in elevation.
(b) Solid parapet walls, subject to the horizontal variation requirements listed above.
(c) Variation in the rooflines by use of dormer windows, overhangs, arches, stepped roofs, gables or other similar devices.
(5) Exterior Building Materials and Colors.
(a) Exterior building materials shall be considered any materials that make up the exterior of the building and shall be limited to no more than five and no less than two types of materials per building.
(b) Color of exterior building materials (excluding accent colors) shall be limited to no more than five and no less than two major colors per development.
(c) Bright colors, such as neon or fluorescent colors, bright orange or yellow, and primary colors, are only permitted as accent colors as determined by the land use authority.
(d) No more than 75 percent of any building side shall consist of one material or color.
(e) The roof shall not be considered a material or color.
(f) Glass is considered an exterior building material, but not a color. Glass used in windows may be excluded from the limitation on number of exterior materials as found in subsection
(5)(a) of this section at the discretion of the city.
(g) Architectural metal such as corrugated metal or similar material, and "rusted" or otherwise distressed look metal, may be used on exterior building elevations, as an accent not to exceed more than 20 percent of any building side.
(6) Prohibited Materials.
(a) Patterned stucco as a masonry substitute.
(b) Wood as a primary exterior finish material.
(c) Vinyl or aluminum siding.
(d) Uncolored and/or unfinished CMU block except as an accent material.
(e) Precast cement walls for developments are only acceptable if covered by brick, brick veneer, approved stone/rock or an approved masonry component. Such types of walls are also acceptable where allowed/required masonry patterns are integrated into the exterior side of the wall. Exceptions to this may be allowed by the city on side or rear walls in the commercial regional, planned commercial center, and light industrial zones.
(f) Wood, including wood shingles, is not allowed as a roofing material.
(7) Cohesion/Consistency.
(a) New or renovated commercial buildings shall include elements of cohesion and consistency with the adjacent and surrounding commercial buildings as determined by the land use authority. A review by the land use authority may include a review of the approvals and requirements of the original commercial building or original commercial center.
(i) In an existing center or development for which a site plan was previously approved, a new or renovated commercial building plan shall include and identify at least two major elements of consistency with the surrounding approved center, including primary materials and architectural features.
(ii) New or renovated standalone buildings (not previously part of an approved center or development) shall include and identify at least one major element of consistency with adjacent and surrounding commercial buildings.
(8) Mechanical Equipment.
(a) All mechanical equipment shall be located or screened so as to shield visibility of such equipment. Screening methods and materials must be approved by the land use authority as part of site plan approval.
(b) Wing walls, screens, or other enclosures shall be integrated into the building and landscaping of the site, whether located on the ground or roof.
(c) Rooftops of buildings shall be free of any mechanical equipment unless completely screened from all horizontal points of view, as seen from six feet high at the property lines, or as otherwise determined by the land use authority.
(d) Screening materials shall conform to the color scheme and materials of the primary building.
(e) All attached exterior utility boxes and equipment, roof drains, conduits and piping, maintenance stairs and ladders, and other similar elements shall be painted or otherwise treated to be consistent with underlying/adjacent material colors.
(Code 1997 § 12-290-030; Ord. 08-19 § 1; Ord. 19-17 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. 20-20 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. 25-12 § 1 (Exh. A))