The design review board, in granting or denying approval of a permit in accordance with this chapter, should consider the following criteria. This list is intended to serve as a guide for prospective developers of representative Old World Bavarian design features which have proven effective on commercial buildings in the city. The following design elements shall be incorporated, as applicable, in design proposals brought before the Leavenworth design review board to implement the Old World Bavarian Alpine theme in the city of Leavenworth. A minimum of three decorative design details (in addition to structural elements) shall be included on a building or structure. Decorative design details include, but are not limited to, painted trim, decorative fascia, window treatments, balconies, and murals.
A. Typical building shapes and streetscapes, see Portfolio Chapter A.
1. Buildings are square, rectangular, and/or combinations thereof.
2. Projecting window bays, ecker or sections of balcony may be added.
3. Adjoining Structures. Consideration of where structures join or how rooflines meet or overhang should be considered.
4. Nontraditional buildings or market-type buildings pose special challenges to this design theme. They must, however, include traditional Bavarian design elements and materials.
B. Roofs, see Portfolio Chapter B.
1. Low-Pitched Roof. The single most defining shape of Bavarian Alpine architecture is the low-pitched roof with expansive overhangs, regardless of building size. An alpine roof is designed to hold snow for insulation and safety.
2. Expansive Overhangs. The overhangs deal with ice buildup and help keep the area right next to the structure free of snow.
3. Primary roofs have a pitch of 3:12 to 6:12. On occasion, there will be projects that warrant steeper or lower pitches; these will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
4. Roof overhangs are expansive on the front and sides and usually require rafter and lookout beams. Typical overhangs are 24 inches or more on the sides and 36 inches or more at the front with the back reflecting either the side or front. "Expansive" shall be determined by the design review board based on the building size and overall design to balance the building. For example, larger buildings will have larger overhangs. Large: four feet on sides, and six feet or more on front overhangs are encouraged and increase the appeal of a building's roof aesthetic.
5. Lookout or rafter beams shall be scrolled and/or have decorative faceplates (pfettenbretter). The scrolling shall be traditional Rococo, Baroque or folk designs. Lookout beams shall not extend beyond the fascia.
6. Face plates (pfettenbretter) shall be behind the fascia.
7. Pitched Roof Materials.
a. Tile, simulated tile, standing seam metal, high-profile asphalt shingles, composite wood-appearance shake/shingles or heavy shakes (when approved by the fire district) are acceptable. Copper as a roof or as an accent roof is also typical. "High-profile" means the depth of the shingle overlay or the distance from the top of a shingle or layer to the top of the overlaying shingle or layer. For highly visible areas, high-profile asphalt roofing shall have a depth of at least one-quarter inch.
b. Acceptable colors for standing seam metal are clay red (to mimic terra-cotta tile), brown, green (to mimic oxidized copper) or gray. Acceptable colors for tile or asphalt shingle are red, gray, or brown earth tones (to mimic wood shingles).
c. Unacceptable materials include galvanized metal, overlap metal, plain shingles, and profileless (less than one-quarter-inch) asphalt shingles.
8. Fascia shall be scrolled or multiple profile. Other designs from Bavaria may be approved by the board. "Multiple profile" means a minimum of three layers of wood with each overlapping layer being shorter than the previous. Differing depth of each layer is also common. If a scrolled layer is incorporated, a minimum of three layers shall be used, not including the drip edge. Scrolling shall be traditional Rococo, Baroque or folk designs.
9. When snow guards are used or intended to be used, they shall be included in the overall design review approval. Preferred styles are turned logs, tab style to match the roof or bar style but not bent ("v" shaped) metal.
10. If roof rafters are exposed (open soffit), the underside of the roof covering shall be one of the following materials to mimic traditional Bavarian exterior: resawn woods, tongue and groove boards (beveled or plain), plywood mimicking solid wood, solid wood, or exterior finish sheathing. Additional fire protection measures may be required by the fire and building codes.
C. Walls, see Portfolio Chapter C. Wall treatments shall consist of the following:
1. Stucco or stucco-like material. Stucco should have minimal or concealed expansion joints, which will be emphasized during project review;
2. Wood, typically the whole building or on the upper level of a first-level stucco base building;
3. A combination of stucco for the first floor and wood for additional floors;
4. Slate, stacked stone or other rectangular rock/stone (not river rock) is usually at the foundation;
5. Unacceptable materials or methods are (see Portfolio Chapter K):
b. Stucco board, or panelized preapplied stucco, except that the use of cementitious panel may be allowed for adjoining buildings, and when the walls being covered with cementitious panel will not be generally visible;
c. Half timbering (generally defined as one-half round or timber frame with panel infill);
d. Concrete block (cracked or plain). If concrete block is used, it shall be stuccoed.
6. Retaining walls, landscaping structures, permanent or semi-permanent (because of size and/or weight) landscape planters, landscaping planter sign bases, and similar structures may be constructed of stucco, landscaping timbers, stacked stone, irregularly shaped rock, large boulders, poured concrete, split-faced concrete block landscaping stones, or other new materials as approved by the design review board. Cultured stone that has the appearance of stone, irregularly shaped rock or large boulders is acceptable.
a. Unacceptable material includes railroad ties and round river rock.
7. Fences or fence-type walls may be constructed of decorative metal, wrought iron, wood, stone, stucco, irregularly shaped rock, poured concrete, split-faced concrete block stones, or other new materials as approved by the design review board. Cultured stone that has the appearance of stone, irregularly shaped rock or large boulders is acceptable.
a. Unacceptable materials are round river rock and chain-link fencing, except chain-link may be approved as follows:
i. When required by state or federal law.
ii. When deemed necessary by a public safety official for public safety purposes.
iii. When used for security purposes on property owned and/or leased by a public entity.
iv. When used as temporary construction fencing.
v. At the community development director's discretion, they may require that shielding components be incorporated into the fencing, apply time limits to the installation, and/or apply other conditions as determined necessary to mitigate impacts.
D. Balconies, see Portfolio Chapter D. Balconies are optional. Where architectural balconies not intended for actual use are proposed, they shall have an apparent means of access, i.e., a door or false door, or large window. If balconies are present, they shall contain traditional design elements, such as:
E. Doors and doorways, see Portfolio Chapter E. A handcrafted wood door is preferred.
1. Doors are constructed of wood or materials with a wood-like appearance; however, doors used for utility and/or service entrances (generally not visible from the right-of-way) can be constructed of other materials but shall be colored to blend with adjacent surfaces.
2. Where wood is utilized on the wall surface, the door trim shall be wood. Where stucco is utilized, the stucco shall be wrapped around the inset for the door.
3. Doors frames shall be recessed (not surfaced mounted), preferably three inches or more.
4. Doors, doorways and entryways like vestibules or porticos are often arched. The arched doorway or entryway should be constructed of wood or stucco.
F. Windows, see Portfolio Chapter F. Window treatment options are:
1. White or wood appearance is acceptable if harmonious with surrounding structure;
2. Recessed (preferably three inches), with or without painted decorative trim;
3. Where wood is utilized on the wall surface, the window trim shall be wood or wood appearance. Where stucco is utilized on the wall surface, the recessed window area shall be wrapped in stucco;
4. When shutters are used, they shall be proportional to the window and appear operable. Shutters are desirable when painted trim is not applied;
6. Gridded divisions in the glazing (also known as muntins, simulated grids or divided lites) may be required by the board in proportion to the window size and location. Such grids shall be on the exterior of the window glazing;
7. A minimum of one of the following treatment options, or a combination of options, shall be included:
a. Painted decorative treatments around windows located on stucco walls with Baroque, Rococo, Classical or Bavarian folk art in design;
b. Shutters with or without painted trim;
c. Flower boxes, wood finish or painted;
8. Flush-mounted windows are unacceptable;
9. On occasion, there may be a case for an unadorned window; this will be viewed on a case-by-case basis.
G. Trim, see Portfolio Chapter G. Trim is the least of the design elements, not the focus of the design.
1. Decorative scroll work shall be required on fascia board and/or other trim. In general, scrolling follows traditional or Rococo designs. Design details for scroll work shall be included with the application.
2. Stone can be used in rectangular linear forms for accents. River rock, concrete block (cracked or plain), and irregular stone slabs are unacceptable.
3. Wood shall not be used as trim over stucco.
H. Decorative painting, see Portfolio Chapter H. Designs for murals or art work on exterior walls or around windows and doors shall be presented for design review board approval before application to the building. All murals are subject to design approval by the design review board. Murals may incorporate a sign, or may stand alone. When a sign is incorporated into the mural, then a sign permit and compliance with Chapter
14.10 LMC, Signs, are required.
1. Corner walls may be painted to simulate rectangular stone quoins using a trompe l'oeil style.
2. Three-dimensional painting is encouraged around windows and doors when shutters are not present. Classical as well as Rococo designs should be used.
3. Murals may be of a traditional Bavarian theme. Scenic murals are also acceptable.
4. Mural placement shall be floating rather than framed by trim or other design elements.
5. Murals are accents. The intent is not to cover a complete wall with a mural.
I. Colors, see Portfolio Chapter I. Color selection shall incorporate the following:
1. The predominant stucco color is white or off-white. Pastels are acceptable with white or off- white accents, or stone accents, on stucco trim.
a. Unacceptable – any bold bright colors.
2. Wood trim (including beams, fascia and siding) may be stained with transparent wood-tone stain, or occasionally stained with opaque stain or painted.
3. A paint chip or paint sample shall be submitted with the colored rendering of a design for all colors incorporated in the rendering. This requirement applies to the sign and architectural theme sections of this code. The sign portion of the mural is not exempt from this requirement, although the rest of the mural is.
(Ord. 1157 § 1, 2001; Ord. 1164 § 3, 2001; Ord. 1374 § 1 (Exh. A), 2010; Ord. 1442 § 1 (Att. A), 2013; Ord. 1609 § 1 (Att. A), 2020)