Executive Summary
Uptown Design Guidelines
BACKGROUND
In the spring of 2001 the Town of Normal Council adopted the Uptown Renewal Plan developed by Farr Associates. The action signaled the Council’s commitment to improving all aspects of the Uptown. A major goal of the plan has been to improve the Uptown’s overall appearance.
In order to meet this goal, the Uptown Renewal Plan recommended that the Town pursue two actions. First, the Town must adopt strict standards requiring that existing buildings be better maintained both for safety and appearance. Second, the Town must adopt design standards for new construction in the Uptown that raise the bar in the market for what is acceptable. The design standards set forth in the attached ordinance satisfy both of these needs.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS
The new Uptown design ordinance applies to all exterior building renovation, new construction and other exterior alterations to property located within the B-2 Central Business District. Prior to proceeding with any exterior rehabilitation, alteration, or new construction, a property owner must obtain a Certificate of Compliance, which signifies that the project complies with all relevant design standards in the ordinance. The newly created, 5-member Design Review Commission will review the plans and issue certificates. An expedited review process is available for projects costing less than $3,000, for projects involving repair or rehabilitation using like materials, and for emergencies in which the repair is not a permanent and significant alteration to the appearance of the building exterior.
The application procedure for a Certificate of Compliance requires the submission of very detailed information, such as illustrations of the site before and after the project, adjacent land uses, landscape details, a lighting plan, a sign plan, and detailed elevation drawings of all sides of the proposed construction or rehabilitation project.
The design standards attempt to address all key elements of exterior building design. Key design standards for new construction are as follows:
- New construction must be built to the front and side yard lines in order to create a seamless wall of facades.
- Entryways must be recessed and have strong design elements consistent with overall façade design.
- Windows must cover 50-75% of the storefront and 30-50% of the upper façade. Storefront windows must be vertically oriented and must begin between two and three feet above the sidewalk.
- A well-defined cornice or fascia must be located at the top of the storefront and at the roofline.
- Roof styles are not limited; however, roofs must be concealed by a parapet.
- Mechanical equipment must be located on the roof or in the rear yard. Such equipment must be located on the roof of corner buildings.
- Side and rear faces of buildings visible to the public must incorporate architectural elements that tie the building faces together.
- Anti-monotony rules prohibit blank wall lengths in excess of 15 feet.
- Colors are limited to those in historical lines of paint.
- Prohibited and permitted building materials are listed.
- Awnings and canopies may not have interior lighting except at the entryway and must be segmented if longer than 25 feet. They may not cover more than 25% of the storefront windows. A list of prohibited materials is included.
- Exterior lighting fixtures must be architecturally consistent with the building façade and are limited to mounting on the first floor. Certain types of light are prohibited, and light levels have a maximum intensity. Building owners must light their display windows until 2a.m.
- Sign materials are limited and signs are generally limited to the storefront. Only wall signs and projecting signs are permitted. Interior lighting of signs is prohibited. Signs may not obscure more than 25% of the storefront window area.
- All new buildings must be between two and six stories tall and may not be more than two stories taller than adjacent buildings, with an exception for buildings around the roundabout.
- Both street-facing sides of corner buildings will be treated like storefront facades.
Renovation of existing structures may not violate any of the design standards established for new construction. In addition, the ordinance recommends that building owners restore windows to their original openings, remove nonoriginal surface materials from the original façade, and restore piers to their original status.
New parking lot landscaping requirements apply to all parking lots in the Uptown. Existing lots must be in compliance by January 1, 2006. All parking lots must be screened from public streets and sidewalks, public open spaces, and adjacent properties with one of a variety of vegetative and nonvegetative screens. If fences are used for screening purposes, they must be ornamental. Minimum plant sizes are listed.
All property in the Central Business District must follow maintenance standards set forth in the design ordinance. All exterior façade materials must be maintained in a sound and attractive condition; all deteriorating materials must be removed. Peeling surfaces must be repainted or refinished. Permanent boarding of windows is prohibited.
Business owners in the Central Business District may temporarily place items on the sidewalk, directly next to the building, as long as the items do not unreasonably interfere with pedestrian traffic, do not block the entryway, and are not prone to toppling or blowing away. These items may only remain on the public sidewalk during business hours.
Finally, the ordinance requires that all new construction with more than 7,500 square feet at the ground level comply with at least the “Certified” level established in the U.S. Green Building Council LEED standards. These standards require high-performance technologies and environmentally sensitive design techniques in order to promote high-quality, long-lived buildings and healthy indoor environments.
The attached ordinance is the result of extensive staff research of design standards used in successful downtowns across the country. In addition, key local groups, such as the Uptown Advisory Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission, assisted with the review and revision of the ordinance. After incorporating suggestions from these groups, staff presented a final design ordinance to the Planning Commission at its regular meeting on February 7, 2002. The commission carried the ordinance over until its regular meeting on March 7, 2002, at which time the commission unanimously recommended the ordinance to the Town Council. Staff recommends that the Council pass the design ordinance as submitted.