HomeMy Public PortalAbout596 Ordinance Regarding Exterior Building Materials in the Uptown Hamel Zoning DistrictsCITY OF MEDINA
ORDINANCE NO.596
AN ORDINANCE REGARDING EXTERIOR BUILDING MATERIALS IN THE
UPTOWN HAMEL ZONING DISTRICTS;
AMENDING CHAPTER 8 OF THE CITY CODE
The City Council of the City of Medina ordains as follows:
SECTION I. Section 834.1.07 Subd. 1(g) of the code of ordinances of the city of Medina is
amended by deleting the stricken language and adding the underlined language as follows:
Section 834.1.07. Design and Development Standards. Design and developments standards
are established for this district to achieve an attractive, liveable and viable town center consistent
with the purpose of this district and to assure that land uses, buildings and functions are
compatible within the district. Additional standards may be identified during the review and
approval process, due to the particular characteristics of each site, the proposed development of
the site, and the uses on adjacent property. The plans and proposed use of a property shall
conform to the design and development standards prior to approval of a construction or land use
permit. The applicant or owner shall supply plans and data necessary to demonstrate such
conformance.
Subd. 1. Buildings - Architectural Standards:
(a) General. All new buildings, structures, expansions, remodeling, and development
plans shall conform to these design standards and be compatible and
complementary to the buildings proposed to be retained downtown. Elements of
compatibility include, but are not limited to: building height, form, mass and
bulk, fenestration, exterior material appearance, color, exterior material durability,
detailing, setbacks, landscaping, exterior lighting and site improvements.
(b) Building - Street. Building design shall make the street visually more interesting,
functionally more enjoyable and useful and economically more viable. Buildings,
porches, and plaza spaces shall be designed to bring the building and its activity
more in contact with the street.
(c) New Building and Major Expansions. New buildings and major expansions of
existing buildings should be compatible with adjacent and nearby buildings.
Buildings shall be designed and oriented consistent with this ordinance, proposed
use of the property, uses on adjacent properties and nearby amenities. Buildings
shall be designed and oriented so as not to detract from one another or vistas.
Views from the residential areas should be protected. Where these views exist,
partial loss of the view may be an unintended but justified result when
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development takes place consistent with other provisions of this ordinance.
Entrances shall be placed for easy access from the street. Utilities shall be placed
underground and meters and transformers shall be hidden from view.
(d) Integrate — Coordinate. New buildings, structures, remodeling and expansion shall be
integrated and coordinated with development on abutting property. Elements for
integration and coordination include, but are not limited to, sidewalk and
pedestrian ways and their continuity; site lighting; site access; building
orientation; building entrances; and utilitarian functions which are to be totally
screened from view or which are contained within the building and which include
loading, trash, and mechanical and electrical equipment.
(e) Porches (Overhangs — Canopies — Arcades). Porches, which overhang into walks, are
one of Uptown Hamel's trademarks. These features should be preserved,
enhanced, and improved. New commercial structures on Hamel Road and Sioux
Drive are expected to be designed and constructed with these features. New
porches, arcades or similar structures which overhang or extend into the right-of-
way may be allowed by the city through approval of the plan, but must be
supported in a way which does not obstruct the traveled portion of the right-of-
way. The property owner may be required to obtain a license from the city or to
execute an agreement with the city governing its use, maintenance and other
factors.
Porch/Overhang/Canopy/Arcade Design criteria/guidelines are as follows:
i. Height: If projecting into the public right-of-way, a pedestrian clearance of
at least eight feet and a height consistent with the architecture of the
building shall be provided.
ii. Width: At least six feet.
iii. Columns: Shall be traditional in design and made from durable materials
such as finished anodized metal, wrought iron or wood in a color
compatible with the building. Wood columns must be cedar or redwood
lumber, at least six inches by six inches, which may be stained or painted.
Columns are not allowed to be affixed to the ground within the right-of-
way.
iv. Roof: Shall be durable and meet the wind and snow loads required by
code. Slopes should be to the street and away from pedestrians.
(f) Height. New building heights shall not exceed three stories, except as described
herein. Along all street frontages and park property lines, building heights
exceeding two stories shall have the third story set back at least six feet from the
front line of the building, and the fourth story shall be set back 12 feet from the
front line of the building. Basement levels shall not be considered a story, so long
as more than 50 percent of the basement structure is below grade at the average of
all areas around the building. Total building height shall not exceed 50 feet,
except structures such as belfries, chimneys, flues, monuments, cupolas and
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domes which do not contain living space, are permitted, provided they are not
higher than 10 feet above the height of the building. In the case that the distance
from grade to the eave (or top corner of a flat roof) of a structure exceeds 30 feet,
additional fire suppression apparatuses may be required by the city. A fourth
story may be allowed if ten percent of residential units are dedicated affordable
housing units.
(g) Materials. Exterior materials shall consist of one or more of the following: natural
brick, stucco, stone, wood, -and -glass, or commercial grade fiber cement lap siding
with a wood appearance which is installed per manufacturer's specifications.
Treated or anodized metal may be used for trim.
(h) Roofs. Roofs may be pitched, mansard, flat, or planted "green roofs." Flat roofs shall
have an architectural treatment (a "cap") of an acceptable design. On pitched
roofs, materials and colors must be compatible with the district. All roof run-off
must drain onto the property that creates the run-off. Rain gardens are
encouraged.
(i) Equipment. Equipment shall not be mounted on the roof unless it can be
demonstrated that there is no other reasonable alternative. If allowed, rooftop
equipment shall be screened using the architectural elements and material from
the building, provided they are consistent with these design standards.
(j) Fenestration — Modulation. Windows and openings shall be generous, especially on
the street side, and their placement and design shall express the pedestrian -
friendly, livability of the town center. To this end, third stories or higher must be
tiered back from the street a minimum of six feet per story. Buildings shall be
modulated a minimum of once per 40 feet in frontage to avoid long, monotonous
building walls. This modulation may include varying building height, building
setback, or building materials/design. At the street level, at least 30 percent of the
facade should be glass in windows and doors.
(k) Landscaping and Setbacks. At least 5 percent of the site shall be plaza or landscaped.
Landscaping shall consist of a combination of: decorative deciduous and
coniferous trees, shrubs, flowers, ground covers and rain gardens. Landscaped
areas and pockets shall be delineated and separated by any of the following:
curbing, decorative fencing, decorative walls, planter boxes, containers, "cut outs"
in a plaza, or by similar means. An approved plaza in which at least 20 percent of
the plaza is open to the ground allowing full penetration of water into the ground
can be counted to meet this requirement. All that part of the site not taken up by
buildings, walks, or plazas or approved parking and loading shall be landscaped.
Grades and drainage must meet city requirements.
(1) Fences and Walls. Fences and walls shall be decorative using a traditional design and
may be used to delineate and separate spaces and to protect topographic change.
Fence material shall be wrought iron, anodized steel or aluminum, or wood.
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Walls shall be made of brick, concrete brick, decorative block, cedar or redwood
or stucco on concrete. Fences and walls shall not be located to prevent desirable
access through areas.
(m) Utilities. All utilities serving the buildings and facilities shall be underground.
(n) Recycling and Trash Facilities. All materials and facilities for recycling and trash
shall be kept inside the principal buildings or within a completely screened area.
If a completely screened area is used it must 1) be architecturally compatible with
and made of the same or better material used on the principal building, and 2)
meet the architectural and development standards of the district.
(o) Hazardous Materials. Provisions for storage of hazardous materials must be included
in the building and be identified on the plans.
(p) Other Materials. All storage of other materials shall be stored inside the building in a
suitable area in accordance with the approved plan.
SECTION II. This ordinance shall become effective upon its adoption and publication.
Adopted by the Medina city council this 15th day of March, 2016.
Bob Mitchell, Mayor
Attest:
Jodi . Gallup, City Clerk
Published in the Crow River News on the 24th day of March, 2016.
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