General Design Guidelines

Jackson Zoning Ordinance § 706.12-B
in effect
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706.12.1 –B Building Location and Orientation: Facades with principal entrances shall be oriented to the project’s primary street or to an active pedestrian or public zone within the site. For multi-tenant buildings, at least 50% of the entrances shall be oriented to the primary street or pedestrian or public zone. Facades with principal customer entrances may be turned perpendicular to the primary street if they provide a direct pedestrian connection from a public sidewalk to the major customer entrance without interruption by vehicular traffic. The primary street for a development is Highway 80, or other arterial or collector streets that fronts the development. When the development has two primary streets, the site plan shall determine orientation. Developments at inters shall identify or emphasize their corners with significant landscaping or similar public feature. A clearly delineated pathway or route should connect all principal building or business entrances to any sidewalks or trails on streets adjacent to the project. 706.12.2 –B Pedestrian Access: Developments shall provide a continuous walkway connection at least 5 feet in width from the public sidewalk to the customer entrances of all principal buildings on the site. Developments adjacent to multi-use trails shall provide a direct connection from the trail to the development’s internal pedestrian circulation system. For trails that are proposed in the City’s comprehensive plan, trail master plan, or other adopted City document but are not yet constructed, the development plan shall make provisions for a connection to the trail, and shall be responsible for constructing the connection when the trail becomes available. Multi-building developments shall provide clear and safe walkways at least 5 feet in width that connect all buildings on the site. Buildings not intended for routine customer access or intended solely for drive-up services are excluded from this requirement. Where the required walkways specified in this cross drives, parking aisles, or other vehicular ways, the crosswalks shall be distinguished from driving surfaces by the use of durable, low-maintenance surface materials such as concrete or brick pavers; scored, colored concrete; or painted concrete. Pedestrian connections to adjacent developments should be provided. 706.12.3 –B Vehicular Access: Developments should make maximum use of internal cross-easements and shared access points when possible. Main driveways and drive aisles shall provide a continuous system that connects to the main site entrance. Commercial developments are encouraged to provide means of access to residential areas that avoid requiring residents to use arterial streets for short-distance trips. Such connections must be designed to avoid channeling commercial traffic onto residential streets outside of comprehensively planned, mixed use projects. When possible, shared service and delivery access should be provided between adjacent parcels and buildings. 706.12.4–B Parking: Parking shall be grouped into parking blocks that are divided by pedestrian paths, landscaping, or buildings. A maximum of 400 parking stalls may be located in any one parking block. 706.12.5–B Signs: 1. Attached signs shall be located above the building entrance, storefront opening, or at other locations that are compatible with the architectural features of the building. 2. All lots abutting designated arterial or collector streets shall use monument or ground signs, except that commercial uses within 660 feet of the Interstates 20 and 220 rights- of-way. There shall be one pole sign per premises. These pole signs where permitted shall have a maximum height of 50 feet. 3. A landscaped base area shall be provided for monument or ground signs appropriate to the mass and height of the sign. All areas within 5 feet of the base of any sign shall be landscaped. The landscaped area may include trees, shrubs, flowering perennials, ornamental tall grass, fountains, water features, decorative stonework, planters, sculpture, decorative paving, turf grass, loose stone, and mulch. 706.12.6 –B Screening: Developments shall provide year-round screening of outdoor storage, utility meters, HVAC equipment, trash collection and processing. Utility meters, HVAC, and Trash collection and processing shall be screened to its full vertical height. Outdoor storage shall provide 75% of the vertical plane of this feature up to a height of 8 feet. Trash enclosure gates shall furnish a steel frame with decorative steel or wood covering, or another design acceptable to the Planning Director. Chain-link fencing with inlaid wood or metal slats shall not be considered acceptable. Screening shall be integrated into the overall design of buildings and landscaping and fully contain the visual impact of these service functions from adjacent public streets and neighboring properties. 706.12.7–B Lighting: All lighting used to illuminate an off-street parking area, sign or other structure shall be arranged so as to deflect light away from any adjoining residential property through fixture type and location. When lighting is mounted to the underside of canopies, these lights shall be recessed so that the visible light source is no lower than the plane of the underside of the canopy. The maximum height of lighting standards shall be 45 feet, unless the City grants a specific exception as part of the application approval process. Exterior lighting of buildings shall be limited to low-level incandescent spotlights, floodlights, and similar illuminating devices hooded in such a manner that the direct beam of any light sources will not glare upon adjacent property or public streets. The City may approve exceptions to these requirements for sports and athletic field lighting, flagpole lighting, public street lighting, temporary lighting for seasonal/holiday or special events, and lighting used for public safety. 706.12.8–B Mass and Scale for Buildings over 40,000 Square Feet: Variations in the vertical plane of the building shall be incorporated into the mass of the building at significant entrances or along walls that front plazas or other significant pedestrian features. Methods of variation may include towers, pediments, or façade articulations or variations; changes in the horizontal plane; or enhancements in color and materials, consistent with the overall design of the building. Primary building facades shall meet one of the following guidelines: Facades greater than 100 feet shall incorporate projections or recesses in the wall plane. Facades greater than 100 feet shall display a pattern of color change, texture change, material change, or expression of structural bays with an offset of at least 12 inches from the ruling plane of the facade. The City of Jackson may waive these guidelines if the applicant demonstrates an alternative building design that in the Board’s opinion provides visual interest and scale to the building. The Site Plan Review Committee shall review and provide recommendations concerning application to waive these guidelines. 706.12.9 –B Architectural Elements: Front facades facing a primary street shall have visible, clearly defined customer entrances that include at least three of the following elements: canopies or porticos, overhangs, recesses or projections, arcades, raised cornice parapets over the entrance door, distinctive roof forms, arches, outdoor patios or plazas, display windows, or integral planters. Front facades shall utilize variations in color, horizontal planes, materials, patterns, height, or other techniques to provide visual interest and scale to buildings. All rear and side facades abutting an arterial or collector shall use a simplified expression of the materials and design used on the front façade. 706.12.10 – B Building Materials: Permitted exterior building materials shall be high quality, durable materials that include, but are not limited to, brick; native or manufactured stone (Renaissance stone or similar masonry materials); integrally colored, burnished, split faced, rock faced, textured, or glazed concrete masonry units; pre-finished architectural metal panel systems; quality metals such as copper; high quality pre-stressed concrete systems; and drainable (water managed) Exterior Insulated Form System (EIFS). Materials on all sides of the building shall be compatible with materials on the front façade. These guidelines are not intended to inhibit creativity and innovation in building design. The Architectural Review Committee may permit the use of other materials, if the applicant demonstrates that the use of such materials will result in a building that gives a sense of quality and permanence. 706.12.11 – B Roof Forms: Buildings with flat or slightly sloped roofs to drain shall incorporate parapets on all facades that face a public street or residential district. Variations in parapet height and articulation of cornice lines may be used to add interest. Roof forms shall be designed to express various building functions or features, such as entrances. Visible roof materials shall include clay or concrete tile, split shakes, tern metal, architectural grade asphalt shingles, architectural metals, copper, natural or synthetic slate, or similar durable materials.
706.12-B | Corpus