Township of Franklin, NJ Commercial Design Standards

New commercial developments should minimize generic and corporate images, but instead express the architectural elements and forms that best express the values and heritage of the community.

Minimize the dominance of parking surfaces and structures.

Use green space to soften parking lots.

Invite pedestrian access.

Encourage selection of appropriate vegetation and landscaping materials.

Promote safe ingress and egress.

Promote shared access.

Key design elements of commercial project design:

Landscaped and screened parking.

Significant landscape and hardscape elements.

Building locations which provide pedestrian courtyards and common gathering area with coordinated site furniture and lighting.

Visual compatibility with development on adjacent sites.

Visual connections between entrances and associated pedestrian areas of individual buildings.

Building forms and massing with significant wall articulation.

Preservation of natural site features.

Elements that should be avoided:

Poorly defined accesspoints.

Disjointed parking areas, or confusing or unsafe circulation pattern.

Square, box-like structures with large, blank, unarticulated wall surfaces.

Highly reflective surfaces or heavily-tinted glass storefronts.

Metal siding on primary facades.

Mix of unrelated styles.

Strong theme-based architectural styles associated with some chain commercial developments.

(8)

Visible outdoor storage, loading and equipment areas.

(9)

Signage which is redundant or out of scale with building architecture.

§ 112-206.2 Applicability.

[Amended 2-12-2008 by Ord. No. 3737]

The commercial design standards contained herein shall apply to all commercial development, including: retail goods and services stores; eating and drinking establishments; professional, medical and general offices; restaurants; child-care centers; banks; hotels; and other such commercial uses, whether permitted as-of-right or via use variance. The commercial design standards shall not apply to warehouses; laboratories; manufacturing uses; and other such light industrial uses. The commercial design standards shall also not apply to development within the Renaissance Redevelopment Area or the Hamilton Street Business District, which areas have their own design standards.

§ 112-206.3 Definitions.

For the purposes of this article, the following terms are defined:

FOCAL POINT

An architectural feature, which may be visible from the intersecting thoroughfare streets. Examples include a distinctively designed building, clock tower, spire, public art or sculpture, fountains or other water feature, landscape feature, public plazas or landscaped open space.

MULTITENANT BUILDING

When there is only one building in a proposed commercial development that will be occupied by multiple tenants.

PAD SITES

Smaller independent buildings within a larger development.

SINGLE-TENANT BUILDING

Only one building in a proposed commercial development that will be occupied by a single tenant, such building must be oriented toward the primary abutting street.

§ 112-206.4 Building orientation.

Site layout and building orientation:

Buildings or portions of buildings should be oriented on a site to create a strong relationship to adjacent structures, providing visual continuity and compatibility within the overall development.

Linear development is discouraged. However, if it is unavoidable the development should incorporate design elements that significantly mitigate the linear effect.

Varying building setbacks to enhance visual interest along the streetscape is strongly recommended. Parking setbacks from all streets should allow for adequate visual buffering or screening.

Surrounding buildings or wrapping the project perimeter with parking lots, especially along the street front, is strongly discouraged.

Deep setbacks behind large parking lots or vacant land should be avoided; orienting some buildings closer to the street to screen parking in the interior of the site and provide stronger pedestrian connections to buildings is a more favorable alternative.

Multiple buildings in a single development project should be varied in size and mass. A transition from low buildings at the site perimeter to larger and taller structures on interior of site is suggested.

Pad sites:

The location and design of smaller freestanding buildings, or "pads," can create a more inviting appearance in a larger development by visibly reducing the project's scale and by expanding the range of activities and businesses found within a single development.

Pad sites should be clustered together to define street edges and entry points or to enclose and create intriguing places between buildings

Alternatives. An applicant may submit an alternative development pattern, provided such pattern achieves the intent of the above standards and this section.

Focal point required. One or more focal points should be provided within larger scale developments.

§ 112-206.5 Architectural design.

Building composition refers to the overall design of a building, its relationship to neighboring buildings and to the context of the overall development. Architectural design should promote a human scale, create rhythms among neighboring buildings, and encourage individual expression within the context of pedestrian-friendly architecture. Important design considerations include building opening proportions, height to width ratios, and rooflines. The design of new infill projects or the renovation or redevelopment of existing buildings should conform to the following guidelines and standards.

Building relationships and compatibility:

Create commercial developments with a contrast in massing, ensure compatibility with surrounding developments to emphasize important corners and designate points of entry.

Avoid the box-like, bulky appearance of commercial buildings. Use varied materials, textures and/or colors, or provide visual breaks. Standard franchise design elements or corporate architectural design plans for buildings and signs should be modified where necessary to conform to these guidelines to ensure that such elements are unobtrusive and secondary to the overall architectural design.

Building elevations must consider the character of the surrounding architecture and neighborhood, and incorporate design elements to further enhance community character.

Linear strip development, where unavoidable, must incorporate variation in building height, building mass, roof forms and changes in wall planes in the architectural design to mitigate the linear effect. In some instances, a physical separation of one building into two or more buildings may be required. Particular attention should be made to building design when the building is adjacent to residential property or within direct public view of residential property.

Multiple buildings within a development must maintain a consistent style/architectural theme.

Entrances into buildings should be easily identified through the use of building design and detailing by incorporating projected or recessed entryways, higher rooflines and changes in building material or color.

Storefront and facade design. Excellent storefront design enhances the pedestrian experience by creating a visually interesting streetscape, showcasing merchandise, and identifying the mix of goods and services. Such storefront design promotes individual businesses in ways that signs alone do not.

Consistency of materials. Use materials that complement existing buildings when freestanding walls are used to provide security, screening and privacy. Color schemes must tie building elements together, relate separate buildings within the same development to each other, and must be used to enhance the architectural form of a building.

Energy-conserving design. Applicants are encouraged to consider energy-conserving design concepts, including but not limited to the following:

Proper orientation and clustering of buildings to take advantage of the prevailing summer winds and to buffer against adverse winter wind conditions.

Types of material and their insulation characteristics.

The arrangement and design of windows and doors.

Direct solar or photovoltaic energy.

Day-lighting concepts.

Earth sheltering with creative land forming.

Natural ventilation of outdoor, indoor and attic spaces.

§ 112-206.6 Site access and circulation.

A pedestrian network that offers clear circulation paths from the parking areas to building entries creates a friendlier, more inviting image. By creating a safe, continuous network of pedestrian/bicycle pathways within and between developments, pedestrians will feel more inclined to safely walk (rather than drive) between stores.

Internal vehicle circulation:

Internal vehicle circulation patterns must provide a clear and direct path to the principal customer entrance of the primary building, to outlying pad sites, and to each parking area.

In large commercial centers, a clear system of main circulation drives containing few or no parking spaces that directly access the main drives must be established to carry the highest volumes of traffic within the site.

In small commercial centers where traffic volumes are lower and pedestrian-vehicular and vehicular-vehicular conflicts are less likely, more flexibility is available in the location and design of internal drives.

Vehicle connections with adjacent properties:

Accesspoints should provide continuous connections between adjacent nonresidential development parcels.

Common or shared service and delivery access should be provided between adjacent parcels and/or buildings.

On-site truck traffic/loading and circulation. Loading and delivery facilities separate from customer parking and pedestrian areas.

Pedestrian/bicycle access and circulation:

Bicycle parking is required.

Bikeways and pedestrian walkways should be separated and buffered from external and internal automobile circulation within parking lots. Pedestrians should feel comfortable that they are in a clearly defined pathway to the building.

To enhance pedestrian safety and attractiveness of the walkway, internal pedestrian walkways within a parking lot or drive area must be distinguished from the driving surface by use of pavers, bricks, integrally colored, scored concrete, or other acceptable methods as determined by the Township.

Bicycle and pedestrian circulation must be provided from the perimeter of the site to all buildings and all sidewalk areas designated to accommodate pedestrian activity.

Where applicable, planned bus stops must be shown on the plans. Bus stops must be linked with pedestrian circulation system of development.

§ 112-206.7 Parking.

Placing large amounts of parking between the front door of buildings and the adjacent street contributes to an unenthusiastic arrival experience for patrons and creates a detached relationship between the primary building and the street. The scale of parking areas should be reduced by locating a portion of the parking lot out of view, providing clear pedestrian circulation paths and amenity areas within parking areas, and using increased landscaping within parking lots to screen spaces and reduce the overall visual impact of large parking areas. Minimizing the visual and physical dominance of the automobile is paramount for these design standards.

Surface parking lots:

To reduce the scale of parking areas, the total amount of parking provided should be broken up into parking blocks, separated from each other by landscaping, access drives, public streets, pedestrian walkways, or buildings.

Dead-end aisles are discouraged.

Separate parking areas from buildings by either a raised concrete walkway, pedestrian plaza or landscaped strip.

Avoid head-in parking off of major drive aisles, which causes hazardous backing movements. Handicap parking is exempt.

Avoid aligning all travel lanes in parking lots in long straight configurations

Parking structures and parking beneath buildings. The appearance of parking structures, whether freestanding or attached, should relate to the buildings they serve, and contribute to the character of the development. The incorporation of parking structures in a commercial development is encouraged in order to minimize site coverage.

Provide convenient pedestrian connections between parking structures and main buildings.

Separate vehicular access to parking structures from access to general surface parking lots and clearly identify the access with signs.

§ 112-206.8 Site amenities.

Site amenities and pedestrian-scale features, such as outdoor plazas, street furniture, playgrounds, statuary and sidewalk cafes in commercial developments, offer attractive spaces for customer and visitor interaction and create an inviting image for both customers and employees. Such amenities can vary widely in size, in type, and in degree. Buildings, trees, walls, topography, and other site features within a commercial development should be oriented and arranged to surround the gathering places and lend a human scale. The use of site amenities can also provide pedestrian spaces at the entry to buildings, which can break up the expanses of parking, improve the overall development quality, and contribute to the character of an area. Site amenities may also qualify as a green/open space transition area.

Minimum area devoted to site amenities.

New commercial developments with a parking ratio of less than five spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor areas must provide a minimum of 10 square feet of site amenities, open areas, and public gathering places for each 10 parking spaces.

New commercial developments with a parking ratio of five per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area or greater must provide a minimum of 15 square feet of site amenities, open areas, and public gathering places for each 10 parking spaces.

Site amenities should be located close to and provide convenient access to the building on site in order to encourage frequent use.

Allowed site amenities.

Site amenities may consist of any of the following:

Patio or plaza with seating area;

Mini-parks, squares, or greens;

Well-designed bus stops, if applicable;

(d)

Customer walkways or pass-through containing window displays;

Water feature;

Clock tower;

Public art; and/or

Any other similar, deliberately shaped area and/or focal feature that, in the municipality's judgment, adequately enhances such development and serves as a gathering place.

Furnish spaces with pedestrian amenities such as benches, landscaping, and/or recreational areas. These outdoor spaces must be functional and must not appear as left-over spaces

Provide seating that is useable year-round. Position seating such that it is buffered from exposed areas and takes advantage of sunny locations.

All common amenities within industrial developments must be owned and maintained by the developer or by an organization established for such purposes.

Where feasible, create a sense of enclosure for outdoor seating areas.

Aggregation allowed.

In commercial developments containing more than one building, the required area may be aggregated into one larger space, provided such space is within easy walking distance of the major tenant(s) in the development and any transit stops.

Any such amenity/area must have direct access to the public sidewalk network.

The amenity/area must be constructed of materials that are similar in quality to the principal materials of the primary buildings and landscape.

§ 112-206.9 Landscape design.

Landscaping for commercial areas will enhance the aesthetics and create a pedestrian-friendly environment. Landscaping also performs the task of breaking up the mass of commercial buildings, softening architectural materials and providing screening of service structures and loading areas. Besides defining building and parking area entrances, sound landscape design serves functional purposes as well by providing shade, screening and climate control. Landscaping the corridors along perimeter streets and internal driveways should provide a visually cohesive design.

Parking lot landscaping.

Interior parking lot landscaping:

Use parking lot landscaping to minimize the expansive appearance of parking lots, provide shaded parking areas, and mitigate any negative acoustic impacts of motor vehicles.

Provide trees and other landscape screening to shield large parking areas from adjacent lots.

Large parking lots are encouraged to provide landscaped islands and walkways, which help to break up the visual expanse of blacktop and encourage safe pedestrian travel areas. The interior of all uncovered parking block spaces must be landscaped.

Perimeter parking area landscaping:

Provide an attractive, shaded environment along street edges that gives visual relief from continuous hard street edges, provides a visual cohesion along streets, helps buffer automobile traffic, focuses views for both pedestrians and motorists, and increases the sense of neighborhood scale and character;

A low continuous landscaped hedge;

A low decorative masonry wall in combination with landscaping.

Entryway landscaping announces and highlights entries into the development for the visiting public.

Building setback areas along thoroughfare, collector, or residential streets, or along private drives, must be landscaped;

Articulate building facades with landscaped seating areas to provide visual interest and pedestrian-friendly places;

Landscaping at street intersections and driveway corners must "pull back" to open view lines into the site and to create corner features and should not interfere with required sight triangles.

Special attention should be paid to preserving use of natural features and vegetation which are significant because of unique character, history, size, variety and/or growth habits.

Site furnishings include benches, waste receptacles, planters, railings and bollards. Visual consistency of these elements is desired throughout each development. All components of outdoor site furniture should be low maintenance, highly durable and resistant to vandalism, graffiti and theft.

Use outdoor seating that is comfortable, attractive, durable and easy to maintain

Locate benches at major building entryways, drop-off areas, transit stops, pedestrian courtyards and plazas;

Locate benches in areas that receive direct sunlight in the winter, are sheltered from winds and shaded in the summer;

(d)

Where seating is fixed, provide a variety of arrangements (both linear and grouped) which accommodate two to six persons.

Crime prevention. Integrate site-planning principles, such as easy surveillance of common areas and walkways, into the design of new commercial developments to lessen the likelihood of crime within the development. Commercial development site planning should integrate the principles of "Crime Prevention through Environmental Design," (CPTED). These principles include:

Territoriality. Space within the development and along the edges should be well defined and delineated to create a sense of ownership, such that intruders stand out. This may be accomplished through the use of pavement treatments, landscaping, art, signage, screening, fencing, and similar techniques.

Natural surveillance. Create an environment where it is possible for people engaged in their normal behavior to observe the spaces around them. Maximize a space's visibility through thoughtful design of building orientation, window placement, entrances and exits, landscaping of trees and shrubs, and other physical obstructions. Utilize nighttime illumination of parking lots, walkways, entrances, stairwells, and related areas that promote an environment in which natural surveillance is possible.

Access control. Access control may include, but is not limited to, use of fences, walls, landscaping, and lighting to prevent or discourage public access to or from dark or unmonitored areas. In addition, sidewalks, pavement, lighting, and landscaping areas should be used to guide the public to and from primary development entrances and exits.

Activity support. Create activity support by placing new or existing activities in an area so that individuals engaged in a particular activity become part of the natural surveillance of other areas.

Service, delivery and storage areas.

Locate loading docks, outside storage, and service areas in areas of low visibility such as at the side, rear (non-street side of buildings).

No areas for outdoor storage, trash collection or compaction, loading, or other such uses must be located within 20 feet of any public street, public sidewalk, or internal pedestrian walkway.

Loading docks, truck parking, outdoor storage, trash collection, trash compaction, and other service functions must be incorporated into the overall design of the building and landscaping so that the visual and acoustic impacts of these functions are fully contained and out of view from adjacent properties and public streets. Screening materials must be the same as, or of equal quality to, the materials used for the primary building and landscaping.

Mechanical equipment screening. All mechanical equipment, whether on the roof, sides of the building, or mounted on the ground, should be screened from public view. Screening should be architecturally integrated with the building through materials, color, texture, shape, size, and with design features, such as facade parapets. Mechanical/utility screening must be an integral part of the building structure and architecture and not give the appearance of being "tacked on" to the exterior surfaces. The building parapet must be the primary means of screening roof top equipment.

§ 112-206.10 Lighting.

Prominent lighting fixtures and layout patterns contribute to unified exterior lighting design of commercial developments in addition to promoting safe vehicular and pedestrian access to and within a development.

Pedestrian walkway lighting.

Pedestrian-level, bollard lighting, ground-mounted lighting, or other low, glare-controlled fixtures mounted on building or landscape walls must be used to light pedestrian walkways.

Accent lighting on buildings is encouraged as a security feature.

Every attempt should be made to consider the impacts the additional lighting will have on the surrounding environment. Off-site glare onto adjacent properties or right-of-way is not permitted and over-lighting areas and high contrast between properties should be avoided. Concealment of the light source should be a design consideration.

Storefront lighting. Building facades should be highlighted through "up" lights or accent lights placed on the facade, or through gooseneck lights mounted on the building facade to highlight facade features and signs. Accent lighting of buildings and landscape to highlight features and elements is encouraged, such as the use of indirect lighting, cove lighting, "wall washing," rim or eaves lighting, and overhead down lighting.

Direct storefront lighting onto the facade or the sidewalk immediately in front of the store.

Lighting should be shielded to prevent glare on adjacent properties.

Display windows should be accented by using lights placed inside the building.

All lighting fixtures should be compatible with the architectural design of the building.

Exterior site lighting. Exterior light fixtures should be compatible and relate to the architectural character of the buildings on a site. Site lighting should be provided at the minimum level to accommodate safe pedestrian and vehicle movements, without causing any off-site glare.

Poles and fixtures should be designed to be architecturally compatible with structures and lighting on adjacent properties.

Illuminate all intersections with perimeter public roads with similar poles and fixtures used internal to the development.

Parking lot lighting should be unobtrusive and provide safe light for orderly functions.