The proposed commercial design standards ordinance addresses 10 design areas, as listed below. The measures promoting or discouraging the various features addressed in the ordinance vary based on the size of the building and the kind of roadway on which it is located. The most strict restrictions are on large developments, big boxes, and national chain retailers.
(design element: encouraged / discouraged)
Development orientation: Buildings built up to street / Buildings located behind parking lot
Connectivity: Streets laid out in grids / Megablocks that feed onto a few big arterials
Parking: Less, structured, and hidden / Seas of asphalt
Landscape: More native and shady plants; sidewalk awnings / Unbroken expanses of non-native plants or parking
Land use: Vertical mixed-use; easy pedestrian access / Drive-through facilities; big boxes
Exterior lighting: “Fully shielded” (doesn’t glare when viewed from side) / Fixtures that creates glare and “light pollution” in the night sky
Signs: Hanging or “monument” signs; signs designed by artists / Pole signs
Compatibility (i.e., keeping commercial buildings from disturbing neighborhood homes): Trash and utilities screened from public view / Visible trash and utilities
Stormwater management: “Attractive” stormwater facilities / Chain-link fences around retention ponds
Building design: 50% glazing on facades, trees, green building materials and techniques / Concrete, vinyl siding, huge blank walls without windows, branded “prototype” architecture
This article appears in “The AC” Gen Y Magazine Debuts.