A.
It is the purpose of this Article to promote the health, safety,
comfort and general welfare of the community and to eliminate blight
and promote the character and appearances and to conserve and improve
the property values of the Village, the attractiveness of whose residential
and business areas is the mainstay of the community, by providing
procedures for an architectural review of those business, commercial,
industrial and residential structures henceforth erected, reconstructed,
altered or remodeled in the Village of Suffern, and thereby:
(1)
To encourage good qualities of exterior building design and good
appearances to the sites and surroundings.
(2)
To permit originality and resourcefulness in building design and
good appearances which are appropriate to the sites and surroundings.
(3)
To prevent such design and appearances as are offensive to the visual
sensibilities even when the design conforms to existing design of
surrounding structures.
B.
The Village Board hereby finds that structures which are visually
offensive or inappropriate by reason of poor qualities or exterior
design, monotonous similarity or striking visual discord in relation
to their sites and surroundings mar the appearances of their areas,
impair their use, enjoyment and desirability and reduce the values
of properties, are detrimental to the characters of neighborhoods,
prevent the most appropriate development and utilization of land and
therefore adversely affect the functioning, economic stability, prosperity,
health, safety and general welfare of the entire community.
A.
This article shall not apply to single-family or two-family detached
residential structures or additions or alterations thereto.
B.
The requirements of this article shall apply to a building permit
for the construction of a new building or other structure or an alteration
or addition to any building or other structure affecting the exterior
of said building or structure where the cost of such a new building
or structure or alteration or addition to a building or structure
is estimated to be $5,000 or more by the Building Inspector. The requirements
shall also apply to solar energy collectors and microwave dishes,
regardless of cost. The Building Inspector may, in his discretion,
refer to the Planning Board any other application for a building permit.
A.
Relationship of buildings to the site.
(1)
The site shall be planned to accomplish a desirable transition with
the streetscape and to provide for adequate planting, safe pedestrian
movement and parking areas.
(2)
Site planning in which setbacks and yards are in excess of zoning
restrictions is encouraged to provide an interesting relationship
between buildings.
(3)
Parking areas shall be treated with decorative elements, building
wall extensions, plantings, berms or other innovative means so as
to screen parking areas from view of public ways.
(4)
Without restricting the permissible limits of the applicable zoning
district, the height and scale of each building shall be compatible
with its site and existing or anticipated adjoining buildings.
(5)
Newly installed utility services and service revisions necessitated
by exterior alterations shall be underground.
(6)
All structures in the PO-15 and PO-40, MR-50 and PLI Zoning Districts
shall be oriented in a manner which minimizes visibility of the structure
from the street or highway in order to avoid long continuous frontages
visible from the street or highway.
[Added 10-20-1997 by L.L. No. 7-1997]
B.
Relationship of buildings and site to adjoining area.
C.
Landscape and site treatment. Landscape elements included in these
criteria consist of all forms of plantings and vegetation, ground
forms, rock groupings, water patterns and all visible construction
except buildings and utilitarian structures.
(1)
Where natural or existing topographic patterns contribute to the
beauty and utility of a development, they shall be preserved and developed.
Modifications to topography will be permitted where they contribute
to good appearance.
(2)
Grades of walks, parking spaces, terraces and other paved areas shall
provide an inviting and stable appearance for walking and, if seating
is provided, for sitting.
(3)
Landscape treatment shall be provided to enhance architectural features,
strengthen vistas and provide shade. Spectacular effects shall be
reserved for special locations only.
(4)
Unity of design shall be achieved by repetition of certain plant
varieties and other materials and by correlation with adjacent developments.
(5)
Plant material shall be selected for interest in its structure, texture
and color and for its ultimate growth. Plants that are indigenous
to the area and others that will be hardy, harmonious to the design
and of good appearance shall be used.
(6)
In locations where plants will be susceptible to injury by pedestrian
or motor traffic, they shall be protected by appropriate curbs, tree
guards or other devices.
(7)
Parking areas and traffic ways shall be enhanced with landscaped
spaces containing trees or tree groupings.
(8)
Where building sites limit planting, the placement of trees in parkways
or paved areas is encouraged.
(9)
Screening of service yards, dumpster locations and other places that
tend to be unsightly shall be accomplished by use of walls, fencing,
planting or combinations of these. Screening shall be equally effective
in winter and summer.
(10)
In areas where general planting will not prosper, other materials,
such as fences, walls and pavings of wood, brick, stone, gravel and
cobbles, shall be used. Carefully selected plants shall be combined
with such materials where possible.
(11)
Exterior lighting, when used, shall enhance the building design
and the adjoining landscape. Lighting standards and building fixtures
shall be of a design and size compatible with the building and adjacent
areas. Lighting shall be restrained in design and excessive brightness
avoided.
D.
Building design.
(1)
Architectural style is not restricted. Evaluation of the appearance
of a project shall be based on the quality of the design and materials
and relationship to surroundings.
(2)
Buildings shall have good scale and be in harmonious conformance
with permanent neighboring development.
(a)
Materials shall have a good architectural character and shall
be selected for harmony of the building with its components and with
adjoining buildings.
(b)
Materials shall be selected for suitability to the type of buildings
and the design in which they are used. Buildings shall have the same
materials, or those that are architecturally harmonious, used for
all building walls and other exterior building components wholly or
partly visible from public facilities and ways.
(c)
Materials shall be of durable quality.
(d)
In any design in which the structural frame is exposed to view,
the structural materials shall be compatible with themselves and harmonious
with their surroundings.
(3)
Building components, such as windows, doors, eaves and parapets,
shall have good proportions and relationships to one another.
(4)
Colors shall be harmonious and shall use only compatible accents.
(5)
Mechanical equipment or other utility hardware on roof, ground or
buildings shall be screened from public view with materials harmonious
to the building or they shall be located as not to be visible from
any public ways.
(6)
Exterior lighting shall be part of the architectural concept. Fixtures,
standards and all exposed accessories shall be harmonious with building
design.
(7)
Refuse and waste removal areas, service yards, storage yards and
exterior work areas shall be screened from view of public ways, using
materials harmonious to the building.
(8)
Monotony of design in single or multiple building projects shall
be avoided. Variation of detail, form and siting shall be used to
provide visual interest. In multiple building projects, variable siting
or individual buildings may be used to prevent a monotonous appearance.
E.
Miscellaneous structures and street hardware.
(1)
Miscellaneous structures and street hardware shall be designed to
be part of the architectural concept of design and landscape. Materials
shall be compatible with buildings, scale shall be in harmony with
buildings and surroundings and proportions shall be attractive.
(2)
Lighting in connection with miscellaneous structures and street hardware
shall meet the criteria applicable to site, landscape and buildings.
F.
Maintenance; planning and design factors.
(1)
Continued good appearance depends upon the extent and quality of
maintenance. The choice of materials and their use, together with
the types of finishes and other protective measures, must be conducive
to easy maintenance and upkeep.
(2)
Materials and finishes shall be selected for their durability and
wear as well as for their beauty. Proper measures and devices shall
be incorporated for protection against the elements, neglect, damage
and abuse.
(3)
Provision for washing and cleaning of buildings and structures and
control of dirt and refuse shall be included in the design. Configurations
that tend to catch and accumulate debris, leaves, trash, dirt and
rubbish shall be avoided.
A.
The Planning Board shall restrict its considerations to a reasonable
and professional review of the proposal and plans, leaving full responsibility
for the design and development to the applicant. Such Board shall
not design or assist in the design of any buildings or structures
submitted for approval.
B.
The Planning Board shall not unduly restrict new or innovative building
types, materials or methods.
C.
In its endeavor to improve the quality of design, the Planning Board
shall consider cost as one factor, along with design, in its efforts
to achieve the objectives of this Article.
