Additional regulations for the village district
It is intended that the village district regulations should encourage a high quality of architectural and site design to create a unique identity that distinguishes it from other districts in the city. In addition to other requirements of the district, the following regulations shall apply throughout the whole of any village district.
All new developments in the district or exterior changes to existing structures which require the issuance of a building permit as per Rhode Island State Building Code shall be subject to the filing of a development plan for site design and architectural review and approval by the administrative officer to the planning board or may be referred to the planning board at the discretion of either the petitioner or the administrative officer.
The petitioner shall submit a development plan that shall provide all necessary information to demonstrate compliance with the architectural and site design requirement included in this section. In considering compliance with, the administrative officer to the planning board and/or the planning board, shall address each of the following and shall make positive findings regarding each of the following provisions as they apply to the application under review:
1. The project is consistent with section 508.1 site and building performance standards.
2. The proposed development complies with all the requirement contained within section 807.4, signage, and section 701.6B, parking.
3. The proposed development will be compatible with and enhance the use or value of the existing properties within the village district.
4. The proposed development will not be injurious to neighboring properties or the general welfare of the surrounding community.
5. The proposed development will not result in unnecessary adverse impacts on access driveways, on-street parking, sidewalks, and promotes safe automotive and pedestrian access that is in harmony with the surrounding area.
The findings and decision of the administrative officer or the planning board, shall be retained as part of the permanent record of decision and a building permit shall not be issued until an approval letter is provided to the building official by the administrative officer.
508.1 Site and building performance standards for the village district zone.
A. New buildings shall reflect the scale, massing, rhythm, materials and siting of adjacent structures, if the area has a distinct character. A new building shall be sited to reinforce the existing building setbacks, which help to define the streetscape edge. If new construction must be placed farther back than existing structures, then vegetation shall be planted to continue and reinforce the established street edge.
B. One-story buildings shall not be permitted to have flat roofs. Buildings with two or more stories may have flat roofs, provided that all visibly exposed walls have an articulated cornice that projects horizontally from the vertical building plane. Non-flat roof lines are encouraged to be varied, depending on the length of the building. For purposes of this section only, the height of a building shall be measured from the average grade of the lot to the mid point of a peaked roof or the largest portion of a flat roof.
C. The principle structure on a lot shall be oriented such that the front facade and main entrance of the structure face the street.
D. Main entrances shall be clearly visible from the street, and be accompanied with signage as permitted in this ordinance, and windows that provide adequate and appropriate visual access to the interior commercial and activity areas.
E. Along with the main building entrance, one additional entrance will be required for building facades that are longer than 70 feet and facing a street. An additional entrance shall be required for each additional 50 feet thereafter. Additionally, single colors or materials covering street front facade walls that are higher than four feet above the street elevation shall not exceed 50 feet in width. Where street front building facade exceeds 50 feet in width, the facades shall vary either in color or material.
F. New buildings shall be sided with wood shingles, clapboard, brick, stone, stucco, cementious siding or premium vinyl siding with a nominal thickness of .125 or greater. Vinyl siding shall be applied to minimize visible seams, with trim details as appropriate. The use of concrete block as an exterior finish is prohibited.
G. Public areas, such as yards, play areas and other private and public opens spaces shall be defined with walks, plantings, walls, fences and other elements that are compatible with existing materials and spatial qualities.
H. Building equipment (HVAC equipment) and service areas shall be located away from the street. Building equipment must be screened from public view and the view of adjacent residential areas. Similarly, all outdoor storage areas shall be completely screened from public view and the view of adjacent residential areas, and shall conform to the architectural elements of these guidelines.
(Ord. No. O-12-6, § I(Exh. A), 1-19-12)