A. Provide landscaping features: Along streets, provide substantial landscaping features with special planting and hardscape treatment to enhance the appearance from the street. Emphasize entry drives with landscaped medians, sculptures or other similar treatments that maintains site visibility for vehicular traffic. Provide special accent planting around freestanding signs. Abide by the landscaping requirements in the Town’s Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances, wherein the minimum quantity and types of plantings are outlined.

B. Encourage pedestrian use: Provide outdoor seating areas with summer shade, trash receptacles and other features to encourage pedestrian use. Orient outdoor seating areas for winter sun and include seasonal plantings. Incorporate a mix of structures such as colonnades, canopies or trellis structures in combination with desert varieties of canopy shade trees.

C. Provide for water conservation: Select plant materials that are suited for our desert environment; xeriscape should be considered for planting areas. Drought-tolerant trees, shrubs and groundcovers shall be used as required in this Ordinance. Use a combination of plants for yearlong color and interest. Retain natural vegetation and incorporate it into the project whenever practical. Any proposed water features should be located in pedestrian areas.

D. Integrate visual relief: In large parking areas, provide canopy trees for shade and visual relief. Provide significant plantings adjacent to buildings to accent building features. Use landscape treatments to enhance the screening of outdoor storage and mechanical equipment areas. Screen the paved areas of vehicle-intense uses, such as service stations and convenience stores, from streets and major public use areas with a three (3) foot high wall (with accompanying vegetation) or a dense vegetative buffer.

E. Provide textured walls: All masonry walls intended for screening functions shall have an architectural texture, color and finish compatible with the primary building.

F. Provide storm water detention: Design retention areas to meet technical requirements, as approved by the Town Engineer, while still providing attractive landscaped areas with a natural appearance.

G. Integrate signage: Locate freestanding signs on low planter walls or design monument signs to incorporate distinctive elements of the architectural style or theme of the development. Façade sign materials shall be compatible with the design of the face of the façade where they are placed. Signs shall not interfere with an already established pattern of sign locations in relation to where other adjacent buildings have placed their signs. Directional signs shall be harmonious with the area. Provide building signage that is proportional to the scale of the tenant façade and consistent with the overall architecture. Sign colors should compliment the colors used on the structures and the project as a whole; contrast is an important influence on the legibility of signs. Provide signage plans showing the proposed locations and materials of all signs. Master signage plans are encouraged for multi-tenant developments. All signage shall comply with the provisions of Chapter 6 of this Zoning Ordinance.

H. Provide appropriate lighting: Lighting should enhance the architecture of a project, comply with Chapter 8 of this Ordinance, be functional and not be offensive to its viewers or to adjacent properties. Lighting practices, including indirect lighting to minimize light pollution, glare and light trespass are strongly encouraged. Provide a complete site lighting plan including security lighting; include information on all specific light fixtures as well as locations and illumination levels in accordance with the provisions of this Zoning Ordinance.

I. Public art requirement: All development proposals subject to design review under this chapter shall be required to comply with the “Percent for Public Art Requirement for Development,” as set forth in the Town of Fountain Hills Public Art Master Plan, adopted March 3, 2020, and as may be thereafter amended, prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. (20-09, Amended, 06/16/2020)