Those land uses designated as requiring site plan review in
the land use matrix (Appendix A) must comply with the requirements in this division along
with the corresponding procedures in Article 5.
The Village Board makes the following legislative findings regarding
site design requirements:
A. The design and layout of a site, including principal and accessory
buildings, parking areas and access drives, building service areas,
docking and loading areas, and other elements, can have a substantial
and long-lasting effect on the utility of the subject property and
on surrounding properties and the overall character of the Village.
B. The standards in this division are intended to provide meaningful
guidance to property owners, design professionals, and public officials.
C. The standards in this division are intended to promote the public
health, safety, and welfare and are reasonably related to the public
purpose of achieving an attractive, functional, and prosperous community.
Development subject to review under this division must adhere
to the following design principles along with other requirements that
may apply:
A. The location and orientation of all buildings shall meet the individual
lot size, width, setback and yard requirements set forth in the applicable
zoning district regulations.
B. Buildings and other improvements must be arranged on a site and in
a configuration that does not impede traffic accessibility and circulation
to/from adjacent streets and adjoining sites developed with similar
nonresidential uses.
C. Individual building pads or parcels intended for freestanding uses
separate from the primary building shall be arranged to provide and/or
accommodate readily accessible cross-access from within and across
parking areas to enhance on site circulation.
D. Buildings shall be arranged to reduce visibility of service areas
from public streets, customer parking areas, and adjacent properties.
E. Service yards and facilities, including storage areas (if permitted)
and docking and loading facilities, shall be easily accessible by
service vehicles, separated from the primary parking access and circulation
functions, centrally located to serve multiple establishments and
tenants (if any), and integrated into the overall design of the buildings
and landscaping features so the visual and acoustic impacts of these
functions are located out of view from public streets and adjacent
agricultural and residential zoned areas through the use of architectural
extensions of buildings, walls, fences, landscaping features and plantings,
or a combination thereof.
F. Existing natural resources and topographic features of a site should
be preserved where such features contribute to the beauty and utility
of a development site.
G. Buildings and other improvements should be located to take advantage
of a site's natural topography and drainage, existing vegetation
and other natural features. Modifications to such features may be
permitted when required for safety purposes, or, where modification
contributes to and furthers the visual appearance, function, and utility
of the site.
H. No building or sign shall be permitted to be sited on the property
in a manner which would unnecessarily destroy or substantially damage
the natural beauty and aesthetics of the area, particularly insofar
as it would adversely affect values incident to ownership of land
in the area; or which would unnecessarily have an adverse effect on
the beauty and general enjoyment of existing structures on adjoining
properties.
I. Utility services shall be underground to reduce visual clutter unless
otherwise approved by the Village Board.
J. A building shall be arranged on the site so as not to impede traffic
accessibility and circulation to or from adjacent streets and adjoining
sites.
K. The front of the building shall be generally parallel to the street
or a public area, such as a courtyard, plaza, or the like.
L. A docking or loading area or a service area for a commercial, institutional,
or industrial building shall be easily accessible to service vehicles,
separated from the on-site parking area, and designed to serve multiple
establishments and tenants, when possible. Such docking or loading
area shall not be readily visible from a public street, an on-site
customer parking area, or an abutting property in a business or residential
district or in an agricultural zoning district that is designated
for future commercial or residential development in an adopted Comprehensive
Plan. Screening from view may be accomplished by i) integrating such
area into the overall design of the building (e.g., inside of the
building or use of architectural extension of a building wall) or
ii) using a fence; a berm; landscaping, above what is otherwise required
in this chapter; other suitable feature; or any combination thereof.
M. Existing natural resources and topographic features on the site shall
be preserved to the greatest extent possible while affording a reasonable
use of the property.
N. The project shall not create any hazard.
O. The project shall be designed to avoid existing hazards, whether
man-made or natural, and if avoidance is not possible, to mitigate
the effects of the hazard to a satisfactory level necessary to protect
the public health, safety, and welfare.
P. Parking areas and pedestrian accessways located on the site shall
be designed to promote safety and efficient traffic flow.
Ground-mounted signs that require approval must be depicted on an approved site plan consistent with Chapter
309 of the Municipal Code.
All development projects authorized by this chapter must comply with the outdoor lighting standards in Chapter
234 of the Municipal Code.
Landscaping and buffers must be depicted on an approved site
plan consistent with Article 13.
On-site parking and loading areas, internal roadways, and pedestrian
routes must be depicted on an approved site plan consistent with Article
14.
Cross-access connections must be provided between adjoining
commercial parcels whenever it is feasible to do so, as determined
by the review authority.
A fire lane, when required by state code, must be depicted on
an approved site plan.