A. Integrate with surrounding area: To the extent possible and where land use and street patterns allow, integrate project with adjacent areas to provide easy pedestrian and vehicular access. New developments will be reviewed with respect to their response to the physical characteristics of the site and the contextual influences of the surrounding area. Drive-through uses shall be located to minimize conflicts with pedestrian routes and overall vehicular circulation and adequate stacking for the intended use shall be provided (minimum of 11 vehicles). Where practical, provide pedestrian and vehicular connections to/from existing commercial uses. Applicants shall submit a photographic or computer-generated, full-color illustration showing the proposed development (in at least four different views) as it would appear if constructed as proposed. The proposed development and landscaping, as well as the immediately surrounding buildings and landscaping, must be shown.

B. Create a pedestrian-oriented environment: Create a pedestrian-oriented environment within projects with usable outdoor areas. Provide safe walkways separated from vehicles and protected from weather through the use of covered walkways, arcades or other methods that may serve the same purpose. Minimize the use of driveways and parking aisles for walk routes. Where pedestrian paths cross vehicular routes, provide a change in paving materials, textures or colors to emphasize the conflict points. Create continuous pedestrian activity in an uninterrupted sequence by minimizing gaps between buildings. Entries that face onto outdoor dining opportunities and storefront windows that attract pedestrian activity are encouraged.

C. Provide reasonable parking and vehicular circulation: Provide parking that creates reasonable walking distances to buildings, but not directly abut buildings. Preference will be given to layouts where parking areas are divided from one another by landscaping. Where possible, vary the direction of parking aisles or angle them to the street. To reduce impeding overall traffic flow, parking spaces shall not directly access major entry drives, unless no other drive serves the property. On large lots, traffic calming devices are encouraged to enhance safety. Parking lots and future parking structures shall be located to the rear of buildings whenever reasonable. Adjacent parking lots shall be designed so that vehicles can travel from one private lot to the other (reciprocal access) without having to enter the street.

D. Avoid monotony: Projects with more than one building or with a single building over 20,000 SF in size shall create different angles of buildings to the street to avoid monotony in site design unless other architectural treatments can achieve the desired result. Avoid leveling large areas, as natural contouring is preferred.

E. Separate uses: Physical separation of loading/delivery/service uses from other uses is suggested. Loading and storage facilities shall be located at the rear or side of buildings and screened from public view. Design solutions should minimize visual impacts of uses and provide an attractive appearance. Loading areas should not detract from the aesthetic quality of the surroundings, even in parking areas or at the rear of buildings.

F. Create attractive appearance: Create attractive appearance by emphasizing the views of landscaping and buildings and by minimizing the view of parking areas and vehicles. Locate delivery areas and support services (trash receptacles and ground-mounted equipment) in screened and less visible places. Provide long-term storage of shopping carts either within the tenant space or adjacent to it, behind decorative screening walls exceeding the height of the carts. Provide parking lot shopping cart corrals using durable, decorative materials that compliment the building design; avoid using striped parking spaces for corrals. Open space areas shall be clustered into larger, more meaningful areas rather than equally distributing them into smaller individual areas of lesser significance.

G. Identify outdoor sales areas: Permanent outdoor sales along sidewalks, in parking areas and landscaped zones are discouraged. However, when the activity such as walk-up ATM’s, propane sales, vending machines, outdoor dining and seasonal sales are essential to the business, the locations shall be identified as part of the site plan.