§ 270-53.31. Design guidelines.

Where an election has been made to proceed under this article in accordance with § 270-53.21, the following design guidelines shall apply;

A. 

Where applicable, cornices (e.g., building tops or first-story cornices) shall be aligned to generally match the height(s) of those on adjacent buildings.

B. 

Building height transitions or step-downs shall be provided when adjacent to residential or small-scaled uses, as shown in the figure below.

FIGURE 1

BUILDING HEIGHT TRANSITION

C. 

All building entrances, pathways, and other pedestrian areas shall be lit using pedestrian-scale lighting to two footcandles measured at ground level (e.g., wall-mounted lighting, sidewalk lamps, landscape up-lighting, and similar features).

D. 

The building(s) shall have at least one primary entrance facing a street.

E. 

Building entrances shall open directly to the outside; every building shall have at least one entrance that does not require passage through a parking lot or garage to gain public access; corner buildings shall have corner entrances whenever possible.

F. 

Windows shall be provided along at least 60% of the building's facade.

G. 

Pedestrian facilities shall connect the development to adjacent land uses and provide connections through the development to the public street right-of-way.

H. 

Public entrances shall be provided with weather protection (e.g., awnings, canopies, or similar features). During site plan review, consideration shall be given to appropriate pedestrian amenities (e.g., street tree well cutouts, space for outdoor seating, bus waiting areas, trash receptacles, newspaper vending machines, benches, mailboxes, sidewalk displays, public art, and similar features).

I. 

To the extent practicable, all electric, telephone, cable, and similar utility lines servicing a site shall be located underground.

J. 

Parking and vehicle drives shall be located away from building entrances to the maximum extent practicable and generally not between a building entrance and the street.

K. 

Drive-through facilities are prohibited.

L. 

Surface parking shall be oriented behind or to the side of a building when possible, and parking shall not be located on street corners.

M. 

Landscape buffering shall be provided between parking lots and all adjacent sidewalks.

N. 

Credit for on-street parking. The amount of required off-street parking shall be reduced by one off-street parking space for every on-street parking space adjacent to the development. On-street parking shall follow the established configuration of existing on-street parking, subject to Town, county, and NYSDOT standards, except that angled parking may be allowed for some streets, as approved by the Planning Board. The configuration of on-street parking and allowable credit toward off-street parking requirements shall be addressed during site plan review. The Town shall maintain a written record of credits granted for each use.

O. 

Reduce or waive minimum off-street parking standards. The applicant may request a reduction to or waiver of parking standards based on a parking impact study. The study allows the applicant to propose a reduced parking standard based on estimated peak use, reductions due to easy pedestrian accessibility, availability of transit service, likelihood of car pool use, adjacent on-street parking, and potential for shared parking. Shared parking means that multiple uses share one or more parking facilities. Parking demands must peak during different times of the day. The parking study is subject to review and approval or modification by the Planning Board.

P. 

Maximum parking ratio. Surface parking shall not exceed 125% of the minimum parking requirement for the subject land use(s). Exemptions to the standard can be approved through site plan review for developments that provide parking structures or shared parking that is intended to be available for public use.

Q. 

Bicycle parking. Bicycle parking shall be provided in an amount and in location(s) determined by the Planning Board during site plan review.

R. 

The figures below depict a streetscape and neighborhood plan consistent with the aims of the MS/NC District.

FIGURE 2

STREETSCAPE WITH BUILDING ENTRIES, WINDOWS, WEATHER PROTECTION, STREET FURNISHINGS AND TREES