17.112.030 Building design standards applicable in the MB-I and MB-II zoning districts.
(1) Architectural style is not to be restricted; however, styles representative of the building styles that have been used throughout the history of Stanwood are strongly encouraged. Additionally, architectural styles representative of commercial buildings that existed in western Washington communities from 1890 through the 1920s are also encouraged. The evaluation of the exterior appearance and design of any new development or renovation to an existing building shall be based on its relationship to the surrounding environment (including, but not limited to, roof pitch, window and entry treatment, cornices, lighting fixtures and other detailing). Restoration of existing deteriorated structures built prior to 1950 is encouraged.
(2) New buildings shall be built as close to the street as possible, leaving only enough room for sidewalks, street furniture, approved parking (per SMC 17.105.110(2)(c) in MB-II zone only), architecturally integrated design features (as approved by the planning director), and landscaping (except for buildings on corner lots, as set forth in subsection (3) of this section).
(a) The materials on any exterior wall shall be varied. In addition, walls shall be vertically articulated every 100 feet at a minimum to provide visual interest. The minimum depth of articulation shall be four feet. See Chapter 17.105 SMC for additional standards related to the placement of parking.
(b) No blank walls greater than 300 square feet shall be visible. Such blank walls shall be treated with windows, light fixtures, trellises, ironwork, artwork or other building detail described in subsection (8) of this section to break up the mass.
(c) Buildings adjacent to public streets shall provide at least one public pedestrian walkway that connects to the street.
(d) Buildings must convey a visually distinct base and top. Roof parapets and eaves must vary in height to avoid long, straight lines at the maximum building heights.
(e) Buildings with facades longer than 50 feet must be divided into “modules” that are expressed three dimensionally throughout the building facade. Modules should vary in width.
(3) Building Corners. All new buildings located on properties at the intersection of two public streets shall employ one or more of the following design elements or treatments to the building corner facing the intersection:
(a) Corner Setback. At least 100 square feet of sidewalk area or pedestrian-oriented open space (in addition to the otherwise required building setback) shall be provided to achieve a 10-foot-wide sidewalk (see illustrations contained within these standards). Upper stories may or may not be set back from the corner.
(b) Corner Entrance to Courtyard, Building Lobby, Atrium or Pedestrian Walkway. New buildings may satisfy the building corner requirements by providing a direct walkway or entry from the building corner to:
(i) A store or an interior building atrium or lobby;
(ii) An exterior courtyard or pedestrian-oriented open space; or
(iii) A pedestrian walkway at least 10 feet wide that connects to other buildings, streets, parking areas or public features (see illustrations contained within these standards).
(c) Corner Architectural Element. New buildings may satisfy the building corner requirements by including one or more of the following elements that are symmetrical about an axis running diagonally from the corner of the building and bisecting the angle formed by the two building exterior walls.
(i) Bay window or turret;
(ii) Roof deck or balconies on upper stories;
(iii) Building core setback notch or curved exterior surfaces; or
(iv) Sculpture or artwork (either bas-relief or figurative or distinctive use of materials).
(4) Building materials used on exterior walls and roofing shall be durable and in design harmony with any adjoining or adjacent structures.
(a) Metal siding, metal screening, plastic, plywood, sheet wood products or fiberglass shall not be used to cover over existing exterior walls. Wood shall not be used to cover over existing brick or cast stone masonry.
(b) If metal siding is used to cover more than 25 percent of a new building’s exterior walls, such siding must have a matte finish in a neutral or earth tone shade such as buff, gray, beige, tan, cream, white or “dulled” color such as barn red, blue gray or burgundy. If metal siding is to be used to cover more than 25 percent of the exterior walls, the building design must include:
(i) Visible window and door trim painted or finished in a complementary color; and
(ii) Corner edge trim that covers exposed edges of the sheet metal panels.
(c) If concrete blocks, tilt-up, poured concrete or precast concrete are used for walls that are visible from a public street, the construction must be treated in one or more of the following ways:
(i) Use textured blocks with surfaces such as “split-face” or “grooved”; or
(ii) Use other masonry types such as brick, glass block or tile in conjunction with concrete blocks. No open-faced concrete block shall be permitted on any building.
(d) The following building materials on all multifamily residential and permitted nonresidential buildings are prohibited where they would be visible from a public street:
(i) Corrugated fiberglass;
(ii) Mica plaster;
(iii) Asbestos shingles;
(iv) Nonanodized aluminum frames;
(v) Chain-link fencing (except for temporary purposes such as a construction site);
(vi) Sheet panel siding (except with batten as approved by the planning director).
(5) All projections and mechanical details such as louvers, exposed flashing, flues, vents, gutters and downspouts, but excluding wood stove vents or pipes, are to be recognized as architectural features and are to be treated to match the color of the adjacent material or a complementary color approved by the planning director.
(a) Gutters and downspouts must be concealed unless they are designed as continuous architectural features. Exposed gutters used as architectural features shall be colored to match the roof trim or exterior wall (unless copper is used). Exposed downspouts must either match the color or be complementary to the exterior wall to which they are attached (unless copper is used).
(b) All flashing and sheet metal shall be colored to match the surface to which they are attached.
(c) All vents, stacks and pipes shall be colored to match the roof or exterior wall from which they project and are to be grouped so as to minimize the effect of roof penetrations.
(d) All antennas are restricted to the attic or interior of the building. Satellite dish antennas more than three feet in diameter are prohibited. (Antennas required in the performance of public safety or other governmental services are exempt.)
(e) Skylights are to be designed as integral parts of the roof to which they have been installed. Skylight glazing must be clear, solar bronze or gray. White or reflective glazing is prohibited. Skylight framing material must be bronze anodized or colored to match the roof on which the skylight has been installed.
(f) Solar heating panels shall be an integral part of the design of the roof.
(6) Mechanical or HVAC equipment or other utility hardware shall be located in the rear of the building and shall not be installed at ground level along any portion of a building facing a public or internal street and shall be located so as not to be visible from any public ways or adjacent residential areas. Where such limitation is not possible to accomplish because of topography or other unique natural feature, the facilities shall be screened from public view with material that is harmonious with the building. Chain link fencing with slats is not an acceptable screen.
(7) Solid waste disposal and storage areas, construction equipment and exterior work areas shall be screened from view from public streets with materials that are harmonious with adjacent buildings and shall not be located within 20 feet of any public or private street, public sidewalk, or internal pedestrian way. Chain link fencing with slats is not an acceptable screen. This requirement shall also apply to all existing such uses within three years of the adoption of these standards.
(8) Building Details. All new buildings shall include at least three of the following elements on the exterior walls. All major remodeling or renovation projects shall incorporate at least two of the following on the exterior walls that face a public street:
(a) Buildings may provide an ornamental molding, entablature, frieze, or other roofline features visible from the ground level. If the decoration is linear molding, the band must be at least eight inches wide (see illustrations contained within these standards).
(b) Buildings may provide a decorative molding or framing around all ground floor windows and doors located on exterior walls facing or adjacent to all public streets. The molding or trim may have a traditional, contemporary, geometric, or sculptural design (see illustrations contained within these standards).
(c) Buildings may include decorative railing, grillwork, or other similar elements. To be considered “decorative,” these elements must include some use of material, geometric pattern, configuration, embellishment, or workmanship that exceeds the normal functional requirements for that element (see illustrations contained within these standards).
(d) Buildings may provide one or more decorative light fixtures. To qualify as a decorative light fixture, the light must meet one or more of the following criteria:
(i) Have a diffuse visible light source that is nonglaring;
(ii) Have a decorative shade or mounting that includes some use of material, configuration, shape, embellishment, or detail that exceeds the normal functioning requirement for the light mounting. If the decorative light is a one-of-a-kind or custom built, then one light shall satisfy this requirement. Otherwise, at least one light for every 30 linear feet of building frontage parallel to the street shall be provided.
(e) Buildings may provide any of the following decorative materials to all exterior walls visible from public streets:
(i) Decorative masonry patterns (other than a running bond pattern);
(ii) Multicolored masonry units such as brick, tile, stone, or cast stone installed in a geometric pattern;
(iii) Decorative bands of masonry such as a soldier course of brick or multicolored ceramic tile band. The masonry bands may be in conjunction with materials such as concrete or stucco;
(iv) Individualized patterns or continuous wood details such as fancy butt shingles in a geometric pattern, decorative moldings, brackets, eave trim, or lattice work.
(f) Buildings may provide decorative unit paving with at least 50 square feet of multicolored tile, paver blocks, bricks, or other paving in a decorative pattern at the designated front entry into the building.
(g) Buildings may provide a piece of public artwork which may be either freestanding or attached to the structure. It may be in the form of a mosaic tile mural, bas-relief sculpture, water sculpture, fountain, freestanding sculpture, art in pavement, or other similar artwork. Painted murals or graphics on signs or awnings do not qualify as public artwork. All artwork used to satisfy this condition shall be approved by the planning director.
(h) All proposed methods of providing the required building details are subject to the approval of the planning director. Existing buildings that are to receive major renovation or remodeling and which meet the standards listed in subsections (8)(a) through (8)(g) of this section may be counted toward satisfying these requirements.
(9) Additional Design Criteria.
(a) When safety concerns or architectural design of the original structure warrant, false and/or “add-on” exterior walls to buildings shall be removed whenever an application is made to renovate such buildings to expose the original architectural detail of the structure.
(b) New building construction should attempt to replicate those architectural styles that are representative of the building styles that have been used throughout Stanwood’s history.
(c) Building elements that must be replaced should be of the same size, proportion and material (if possible) as the original.
(d) Shutters, if utilized, should be sized to appear that they could work. (It should be noted that shutters were seldom used on 19th and early 20th century buildings.)
(e) Storm windows should reflect the appearance and detail of the inner window as closely as possible.
(f) The relationship of the width to the height of new structures should be consistent with that of any existing adjacent buildings. If the site proposed to be developed is large, a variety of design techniques can be used to reduce the potential impact of the mass of exterior walls, including the breaking down of said walls into a number of smaller bays (see illustrations contained within these standards).
(g) Each establishment on a site shall have at least one clearly defined, highly visible customer entrance including no less than three of the following features:
(i) Canopies or porticos;
(ii) Overhangs;
(iii) Recesses/projections;
(iv) Arcades;
(v) Raised cornices/parapets over the door;
(vi) Peaked roof forms;
(vii) Arches;
(viii) Outdoor patios;
(ix) Display windows;
(x) Architectural details such as tile work and moldings which are integrated into the building structure and design;
(xi) Integral planters or wing walls that incorporate landscaped areas and/or places for sitting.
(h) All outdoor lighting shall be sized and directed to avoid adverse impact and spillover onto adjacent properties and utilize cutoff shields or otherwise be designed to conceal the light source from adjoining uses and the streets. Upward directed lighting is prohibited. Outside parking lot lighting shall be designed to minimize glare and spillover onto adjacent properties. Building and aesthetic lighting must be shielded to prevent direct glare and/or light trespass. The maximum height of light poles in parking lots abutting residential zones shall not exceed 18 feet. (Ord. 1335 § 6, 2013; Ord. 1164 § 4, 2004; Ord. 1110 § 3, 2002; Ord. 950, 1996).