Council to consider commercial-design ordinance at meeting
Posted on Monday, May 26, 2008
BENTONVILLE - The first city-wide commercial-design standards ordinance will go before the Bentonville City Council on Tuesday night.
On May 20, the Bentonville Planning Commission voted 6-0 to approve the ordinance, which would provide the commission with a list of enforceable commercialdesign standards that, for years, have not existed outside the city's downtown area.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Community Development Building, 305 S. W. A St.
The ordinance applies to new commercial development and renovation or expansion projects affecting 50 percent or more of an existing building. Standards must be adhered to unless the commission grants a waiver.
Industrial areas are the only ones exempt from the proposed ordinance.
The ordinance comes from three months of work by a committee that drew up a set of standards intended to improve the overall quality of commercial development with surrounding land uses and to enhance pedestrian safety and walkability.
The proposed commercial-design standards ordinance would require new developments to incorporate more brick, architectural concrete panels, textured concrete block, natural stone and architectural steel or stone panels into their exterior designs.
Such exterior materials as wood, masonite, aluminum, steel siding, sheet metal, stucco and vinyl would be ruled out other than for trimming purposes.
The ordinance addresses everything from color, compatibility and scale to wall articulation and facades. For example, commercial buildings would be required to utilize primarily muted, neutral or earth-tone colors.
This regulation, however, is not intended to prohibit brighter colors from use in specifically approved architectural detailing.
For larger structures, varying wall articulations would be required in order to avoid long, uninterrupted or blank walls.
Compatibility and size standards are key ingredients of the new ordinance. All commercial structures would have to be designed in a manner that's compatible with other structures in the surrounding vicinity.
The exterior design - including roof style, color, materials, architectural form and detailing - must be consistent with all buildings in a common commercial development.
The height and scale of new buildings, as well as building setbacks and lot sizes, would be required to fit in with those of existing structures.
Developers would be required to incorporate no fewer than three architectural details - including canopies, awnings, recesses, peaked roof forms, arches, display windows, accent materials, tile, moldings and more.
Projects would also be encouraged to include patio seating, pedestrian plazas with benches, mini parks, public art, water features, clock towers or any combination of such amenities.
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