ORDINANCE 186-07
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING AND SUPPLEMENTING
THE REVISED GENERAL ORDINANCES OF THE
TOWNSHIP OF UPPER FREEHOLD 2005
(CODE OF UPPER FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP) TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING COMMERCIAL DESIGN STANDARDS.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MAYOR AND TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE of Upper Freehold Township in the County of Monmouth and State of New Jersey that the Revised General Ordinances of the Township of Upper Freehold 2005 and also cited as the "Code" be and the same are hereby amended and supplemented to adopt an Ordinance establishing Commercial Design Standards.
ADD:
35-520 COMMERCIAL DESIGN STANDARDS.
Application of Commercial Design Standards.
A development application and/or an application for a construction permit, including new construction, additions or changes to existing façades, for all non-residential uses in VN Village Neighborhood, CC Community Commercial and HD Highway Development zoning districts shall comply with the provisions set forth in this section of Chapter 35 of the Land Use Regulations. Architectural drawings showing a plan view of each floor and an elevation view of each façade shall be provided as part of the development application and/or for a construction permit. The architectural drawings shall detail the design of the façades including, but not limited to, color, texture and materials.
In a development application, waivers of the Design Standards set forth herein may be requested from the appropriate authority. Said waivers will be determined by the appropriate authority in accordance with the intent and purpose of this ordinance (see 35-520.K. infra) in accordance with the New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law.
Definitions
The following words and terms shall have the meanings as indicated:
Appropriate Authority: The entity or individual reviewing and either granting or denying the development application: Upper Freehold Township Planning Board; Upper Freehold Township Zoning Board; Construction Official.
Coping: The cap of a parapet or wall.
Cornice: The decorative portion of a building located where the building wall meets the roof. The cornice often camouflages the gutter and supports the roof overhang.
Dormer: A roofed projection that extends from a sloping roof and contains a vertical window.
Façade: The outer wall of the structure.
Finish Materials: Any smooth surfaced wood, painted or stained and unpainted copper, lead or brass. Other bare metal, unpainted galvanized metal, rough sawn wood, and bare pressure-treated wood are not considered finish materials.
Gable: The triangular portion of a building wall that is formed by two slopes of a roof.
Half-Flounder: A type of building that has a roof that slopes from one side of the building to the other, as opposed to sloping to the front or back.
Intermediate Façade: Architectural elevations of a building that meet one or more of the following criteria:
Side elevation that faces an alley.
The section of a side elevation of a building that is in front of the building line of adjacent structures.
Mansard: A steeply sloped roof that allows for more usable room in an attic story. Usually a mansard roof is used to mask the third story of a building so that the building appears to have only two stories capped with a roof. The mansard roof may be used to make a building look taller or more impressive. Dormers are often incorporated into a mansard roof to provide light and ventilation for the attic story.
Mass: The visual displacement of space based on a building’s height, width and depth comprising the three-dimensional impact of a structure.
Parapet: The portion of walls that project above the roof and are typically found on buildings with flat, gabled, half-flounder or mansard roofs.
Public Façade: The architectural elevations of a building that fronts on a public street, including sections of the elevation that are recessed.
Ratio of Solid to Void: The percentage of openings in a wall to a solid wall. Openings include doors, windows and incised porches and vestibules.
Scale: The perceived size of a building relative to the height and width of adjacent structures, and the perceived size of an element of a building relative to known architectural element, for example, the size of a door relative to a window.
Site
1. Alignment of Buildings.
a. New construction and additions shall have façades parallel and/or perpendicular to the façade(s) of adjacent buildings on the same parcel of land or adjacent parcel(s) of land.
b. In the event that new construction or addition is to be located between two existing buildings on the same parcel of land or adjacent parcels of land with different alignments to the street or in the event that there are no adjacent buildings, the alignment of the new construction or addition shall be similar to the more prevalent alignment within the block and/or adjacent blocks.
c. In the event that many new buildings are to be located on a block that is completely undeveloped, all new buildings shall have a common alignment. Along curves buildings shall be positioned in a radial fashion.
2. Setback.
a. New construction shall have the same setback as adjacent buildings, but under no circumstances should the new buildings violate the setback requirements of the zoning district in which the new buildings are located.
b. In the event that new construction is to be located between two existing buildings on the same parcel of land or adjacent parcels of land with different setbacks to the street, or in the event that there are no adjacent buildings, the building setback that is more prevalent within the block on the same side of the street shall be used.
c. In the event that new construction is to be located on a block that is completely undeveloped, the setback that is most prevalent within adjacent blocks or across the street shall be used.
d. In the event that many new buildings are to be located on a block that is completely undeveloped, all new buildings shall have a common setback.
3. Every building shall have a public façade.
4. A sidewalk shall be provided along all public streets and shall align with adjacent sidewalks.
5. All façades shall be set back at least ten feet (10’) unless otherwise permitted to be closer in a specific commercial zoning district.
Mass
The mass of new construction shall be comparable to the mass of adjacent buildings or to the common overall building mass within the block and on the same side of the street.
Scale
6. New construction shall comply with the Township Ordinance regulating height. Interior floor lines should appear to be at levels similar to those of adjacent buildings.
7. The proportion of new construction and additions should be comparable to those of adjacent buildings.
Ratio of Solid to Void
The total area of windows and doors in the public façade of new construction and additions should not be less than ten percent (10%) and no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the total area of the façade.
Façades, Public and Intermediate
8. The building façade should be segmented with architectural details to include overhangs, recesses, projections, moldings, canopies or porticos, raised cornice parapets, and other similar features. Buildings façades shall not be more than one hundred (100) feet in length without having three (3) or more architectural details described above.
9. Architectural details can be used to create the appearance of segmented buildings where smaller buildings are infeasible.
10. Building façades that include a repeating pattern should include no less than three (3) of the design elements listed below. At least one (1) of these elements shall repeat horizontally, and all elements shall repeat at intervals of no more than thirty (30) feet either horizontally or vertically.
a. Color change.
b. Texture change.
c. Material module change.
11. The foregoing regulations for façades shall not apply to existing structures whose exterior is not being altered.
12. Façade finish materials should be reflective of the historic context and architectural vernacular in Upper Freehold Township and should consist of one of the following:
a. Kiln-fired brick, two-and-two-thirds inches by eight inches by four inches (2-2/3" x 8" x 4") nominal, or brick size based on a model example. Brick shall be laid in a running bond, or in a pattern that is predominant within the block.
b. Scored stucco.
c. Ornamental brick, stone or replica stone lintels, cornices, sills and decorative bands or panels.
d. Clapboard siding that is wooden or cement-based, which replicates wood. Vinyl and aluminum siding should emulate clapboard.
e. Board-and-batten siding that is wooden. Plywood or plywood-type siding should emulate board-and-batten siding.
f. Architectural-design concrete blocks that are tinted and/or textured, and unfinished flat-surfaced concrete blocks are strongly discouraged.
13. Building color should be reflective of the historic context and architectural vernacular in Upper Freehold Township and should be non-reflective. Metallic, fluorescent, and other high-intensity colors shall be prohibited. Building trim and accent areas may feature brighter colors including primary colors.
14. Clear and non-reflective panes of glass shall be used in windows, transoms and doors.
15. Neon light tubing shall not be used to outline windows, signs, roofs and façades, nor shall it be used as an architectural detail.
16. Gutters and downspouts shall be provided in the following manner:
a. New gutters and downspouts shall be similar in location, shape, detail and size of the original or model example submitted for approval.
b. If no original location is evident, gutters shall return around corners to side façades and downspouts shall be located on side façades.
c. New gutters and downspouts shall be of one of the following materials:
(1) Copper, painted or allowed to oxidize.
(2) Galvanized metal, painted.
(3) Aluminum finished as a non-reflective surface whether factory-applied or painted.
d. Plastic gutters and downspouts are strongly discouraged.
17. Visible false fronts of façades are strongly discouraged.
Roofs
18. Roof planes visible from the public view (public and intermediate façades) shall be uninterrupted with openings such as individual skylights, vents, pipes, mechanical equipment and other appurtenances. Such roof top openings shall not be visible from the public view.
19. Visible roofing material shall be limited to the following:
a. Slate.
b. Synthetic slate.
c. Asphalt or fiberglass shingles, standard three tab design of two hundred thirty-five (235) pounds per square minimum construction.
d. Standing seam, copper or pre-finished sheet metal roofing.
e. Plate or structural glass.
f. Wood shingles or composition shingles resembling wood shingles or shakes.
20. Roofs finished with roll roofing or roofing felt shall not be visible from the public view (public or intermediate façades).
21. The average height of parapets shall not exceed fifteen percent (15%) of the height of the supporting wall, and such parapets shall not at any point exceed one-third (1/3) of the height of the supporting wall. Such parapets shall feature three-dimensional cornice treatment articulated with sloped silhouette or trim details.
22. Sloping roofs shall not exceed the average height of the supporting walls with an average slope greater than or equal to one (1) foot of vertical rise for every three (3) feet of horizontal run and less than or equal to one (1) foot vertical rise for every one (1) foot of horizontal run.
23. Eaves shall not overhang more than three (3) feet past the supporting walls.
24. Roof-mounted equipment visible from views other than to the public and intermediate façades shall be painted the same color as the roof or shall be screened. Variations in rooflines shall be used to screen the equipment and to provide interest and reduce the scale of large buildings.
25. Excessive articulation of roof form and pitch should be avoided.
26. When appropriate in design, dormers should be provided to complement the architectural style and design of the building and to add interest to the building design.
Windows
27. In addition to the provisions for windows set forth above, windows should have the appearance of being divided when appropriate, for example when the style of architecture requires divided windows.
28. Windows shall not be composed of reflective material.
29. Recessed windows should have visually prominent sills, shutters that are in proportion to the window, or other architecturally pleasing forms of framing.
Entryways
30. Entryways shall be designed to provide orientation and aesthetically pleasing character to the building. Each principal building on a site shall have clearly defined, highly visible public entrances for customers featuring at least three (3) of the following design elements:
a. Awnings or canopies. Awnings shall be consistent, in terms of shape, scale and proportion, with the architectural design of the building to which the awnings are attached. Color and dimensions of awnings may be varied from one storefront to another provided the design of the awnings is consistent with the façade of the building.
b. Porticos.
c. Overhangs.
d. Recesses and projections.
e. Arcades.
f. Raised cornice parapets over doorways.
g. Peaked roof form.
h. Arches.
i. Outdoor patios or integral planters or wing walls that incorporate landscaped areas and places for sitting.
j. Architectural details, such as molding and tile work, which are integrated into the building façade design.
31. In the case of additional individual units of occupied spaces, for example stores, shops and offices, in a principal building, each individual unit shall have at least one public entrance that conforms to the requirements set forth above.
32. In the case of a principal building facing two public streets, the front of the building with an opposing rear yard shall be considered the main entrance to the building that shall have a public entrance that conforms to the requirements set forth above.
Architectural Style
It is the intent of Chapter 35 of the Land Use Regulations to encourage new development and the construction of new buildings and additions to reflect the architectural vernacular extant in the Township of Upper Freehold and not to promote the replication of the existing built form of the Township of Upper Freehold, but to allow imaginative design that is respectful of the areas and neighborhoods of the Township of Upper Freehold.
All applicants shall provide information describing the architectural style(s) of buildings that exist on adjacent properties and within the surrounding area where buildings exist. The required information shall identify the period of architecture and the basic architectural elements that contribute toward the identity and definition of said period of architecture and the specific design elements of the existing buildings within the vicinity of the proposed development and/or building(s). Written description of the required information supplemented with graphic presentation including, but not limited to, photographs, drawings, sketches, etc., shall be provided to the Township review board to establish architectural styles that apply to the proposed buildings and/or additions and to determine whether the design of the proposed buildings and/or additions are consistent with the style and design of existing buildings on adjacent properties and within the surrounding area. Applicants are encouraged to preserve historically significant design elements, styles and features of buildings and structures, with the provision that colors and trim details may be updated on a case-by-case basis.
Signs
33. In the case when signage is proposed, all development applications and/or construction applications shall include drawings showing proposed signage including, but not limited to, plans and elevations. The drawings shall show the proposed signage and its relationship to the architectural design of the building and façade design. The proposed signage shall complement and enhance the architectural style of the proposed building(s).
34. In the case of two or more businesses located in a building, individual façade-mounted signs identifying the businesses shall be designed to create a common alignment reflected in location, height, shape and proportion across the façade of the building.
35. All proposed signage shall comply with the relevant provisions for VN Village Neighborhood, CC Community Commercial and HD Highway Development zoning districts and the Design Standards for signs set forth in Chapter 35 of the Land Use Regulations.
Fences
36. In the case when fences are proposed, all development applications and/or construction applications shall include drawings showing proposed fencing including, but not limited to, plans and elevations. The drawings shall show the proposed fencing and its relationship to the architectural design of the building and façade design. The proposed fencing shall complement and enhance the architectural style of the proposed building(s).
37. All proposed fencing shall comply with the relevant provisions for VN Village Neighborhood, CC Community Commercial and HD Highway Development zoning districts and the Design Standards for fences set forth in Chapter 35 of the Land Use Regulations.
Walls
38. In the case when walls are proposed, all development applications and/or construction applications shall include drawings showing proposed walls including, but not limited to, plans and elevations. The drawings shall show the proposed walls and their relationship to the architectural design of the building and façade design. The proposed walls shall complement and enhance the architectural style of the proposed building(s).
39. All proposed walls shall comply with the relevant provisions for VN Village Neighborhood, CC Community Commercial and HD Highway Development zoning districts and the Design Standards for walls set forth in Chapter 35 of the Land Use Regulations.
40. Wall outline, shadow lines, materials and other design elements shall be developed to a level of detail adequate to support the design of the wall proposed.
Sidewalks and Walkways
41. Sidewalks shall be provided along the full length of the building along the public façade that provides access to the main entryway and along any façade abutting a public parking area. Such sidewalks shall be located at least five (5) feet from the façade of the building to provide sufficient space for landscape planting beds.
42. All pedestrian walkways that cross onsite driving aisles and access drives shall be distinguished from the vehicular driving surface by providing durable surface materials such as pavers, bricks or textured and colored concrete.
43. Shade trees shall be planted thirty feet (30’) on center along all onsite pedestrian walkways.
44. All proposed sidewalks and walkways shall comply with the Design Standards for sidewalks set forth in Chapter 35 for the Land Use Regulations.
Public Spaces
45. All developments in the CC Community Commercial and HD Highway Development zoning districts shall provide public spaces with at least two (2) of the following onsite improvements:
a. Patio and/or seating area that is landscaped.
b. Pedestrian plaza with benches that is landscaped.
c. Outdoor playground area.
d. Ornamental gardens and/or water feature.
e. Other focal features or amenities deemed appropriate by the appropriate authority to enhance the pedestrian experience and the aesthetics of the site.
46. Patios, seating areas, plazas and similar areas shall be gently sloping with a grade of three percent (3%) or less. Such public spaces may be stepped or terraced.
Lighting
47. Onsite lighting shall comply with the Design Standards for lighting set forth in Chapter 35 for the Land Use Regulations with the following exceptions:
a. Parking lot lighting shall have a mounting height no greater than eighteen feet (18’).
b. Pedestrian lighting located along sidewalks, patios, plazas and other public pedestrian areas shall have a mounting height no greater than twelve feet (12’).
48. Lighting fixtures and standards shall complement the architectural style of the building(s) that is (are) the subject of a development application and/or an application for a construction permit.
49. Highway type lighting, which is typically referred to as "cobra head" lighting, and commercial and industrial type lighting, which is typically referred to as "shoe box" lighting, shall be prohibited.
50. Design details and specifications shall be submitted as part of the application for approval.
If the provisions of any section, subsection, paragraph, subdivision or clause of this Ordinance shall be adjudged invalid by a Court of competent jurisdiction, such Order or Judgment shall not affect or invalidate the remainder of any Section, subsection, paragraph, subdivision or clause of this Ordinance or any other Ordinance which is referred to herein by reference and to this end, the provisions of this section, subsection, paragraph, subdivision or clause of this Ordinance are hereby declared to be severable.
This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon its passage and publication according to law.
Approved on First Reading: June 7, 2007
Approved, Passed & Adopted: July 12, 2007
DATED: _______________________
ATTEST:
_________________________________ ___________________________________
Barbara L. Bascom, RMC/CMC Stephen J. Fleischacker, Mayor
Administrator/Clerk