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c^s # I <br /> <br />EXTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STANDARDS; <br />CASE OF CITY OF RAMSEY <br /> By: Scan Walther, Community Development Assistant <br /> <br />Background: The Planning and Zoning Commission gave Staff direction to research exterior <br />architectural design standards and review procedures for commercial, office, industrial, <br />warehouse and other similar buildings in non-residential zoning districts. <br /> <br />Attached for your review: <br /> <br />Two articles referring to Tempe, AZ, design standards <br />Summary of communities' requirements <br />Table comparing various submittal requirements <br />Copies of various communities' city codes <br /> <br />Observations: <br /> <br />The exterior building design requirements for the communities included in staff research of <br />exterior architectural building design requirements generally promote the use of non- <br />combustible, non-degradable, and maintenance-free construction materials. The materials <br />generally considered to be superior include brick, stone, glass, stucco, and textured, burnished or <br />rock heed varieties of specialty concrete block, and architecturally preeast textured concrete <br />panels. <br /> <br />Communities generally require that the design of buildings and exterior building materials be <br />designed to be compatible with surrounding land uses. The communities' codes list permitted <br />exterior building materials, and the more restrictive codes forbid "inferior" building materials <br />such as corrugated sheet metal on building exteriors. <br /> <br />The complexity of ordinances regulating exterior design of commercial and industrial structures <br />vary greatly. In Coon Rapids the ordinance simply lists permitted exterior building materials for <br />buildings in each type of business district. In Woodbury, the groups exterior building materials <br />into a hierarchical classification system, then requires developers to use specific m/nimum or <br />maximum varieties and percentages of materials from the various classes depending upon the <br />commercial or industrial building type and use. <br /> <br />Most of the communities did not have a design review board separate from the Planning <br />Commission to review the design of buildings, because they did not wish to create another level <br />of bureaucracy to the development review process. However, it seems to be more common for <br />cities to require detailed building elevations that note building materials, lighting specifications, <br />and screening methods for rooftop equipment and outside waste storage, material and color <br />samples, and color renderings. ~. <br /> <br />More restrictive, detailed, and illustrative city codes regarding exterior architectural design seem <br />to be increasingly used in sensitive areas of ~ommunities. Places of value to communities in <br /> <br /> <br />