Chapter 18.61
BUILDING DESIGN
Sections:
18.61.030 Architectural scale.
18.61.050 Materials and color.
18.61.060 Mechanical equipment and service areas.
18.61.010 Intent.
It is the intent of this chapter to implement building design elements of the Yelm design guidelines by providing human scale building design that is compatible with Yelm’s historic architectural size and character. (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).
18.61.020 Human scale.
Buildings over three stories or more than 100 feet wide as measured along any facade facing a street shall include at least three of the following elements:
A. One balcony or deck at least six feet deep and 10 feet wide per upper floor on the facades facing streets.
B. Bay windows.
C. One hundred fifty square feet of pedestrian oriented space.
D. Individual windows less than 32 square feet per pane and separated from other windows by a six inch molding.
E. Gable or hipped roof that covers at least one-half of the building’s footprint and has a slope greater or equal to three feet vertical to 12 feet horizontal.
F. A porch or covered entry.
G. Spatially defining building elements that define an occupiable space such as a trellis, overhang, or canopy.
H. A minimum six-foot setback from the face of a building on an upper story.
I. Smaller building elements near the entry of large buildings. (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).
18.61.030 Architectural scale.
Buildings over three stories or up to 5,000 square feet in gross building footprint shall include at least one of the following elements, and buildings over 5,000 square feet in gross building footprint shall include two or more of the following elements along their facades:
A. A minimum 10-foot setback from the face of a building on an upper story. Building facades visible from a public right-of-way or park shall be modulated horizontally every 100 feet, with a minimum depth of six feet. Roof deck or balconies as part of the building modulation shall be a minimum of 60 square feet.
B. Roof lines visible from a public right-of-way or park shall be modulated vertically every 100 feet. Gable, hipped or shed roofs shall have a slope of at least three feet vertical to 12 feet horizontal. Arched, vaulted, dormer or saw-toothed roof lines shall have a change in slope within every 100 foot width.
C. Building facades shall include repeating elements such as distinctive window patterns, porch, patio, alternate dormers, gables, or other roof elements, changing materials, lighting fixtures, trellis, substantial landscaping and/or pedestrian oriented open spaces along the building facade. (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).
18.61.040 Building details.
Buildings facing a public street or park shall be enhanced with at least one of the following elements:
A. Decorated rooflines, such as an ornamental molding, entablature, frieze or other roofline device visible from the ground level.
B. Decorative window and door treatments such as a decorative molding or framing details around all ground floor windows and doors.
C. Decorative railings, grill work or landscape guards.
D. Landscape trellises.
E. Decorative light fixtures with a diffuse visible light source.
F. Decorative building materials.
G. Blank walls visible from the street, parking or adjacent lot shall be treated in one or more of the following ways:
1. Vertical trellis in front of the wall with climbing vines or plant materials.
2. Landscaped planting bed at least five feet wide or raised planter bed at least two feet high and three feet wide in front of the wall, and plant materials that obscure or screen at least 35 percent of the wall’s surface within three years. (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).
18.61.050 Materials and color.
A. The following materials are allowed as described below:
1. Metal siding over 25 percent of a building’s facade must have a matted finish in a neutral or earth tone color, and must include visible window and door trim painted or finished in a complementary color and corner and edge trim that cover exposed edges of the sheet metal panels.
2. Pre-finished metal roofing must have standing seams and muted colors.
3. Concrete block walls, or exposed concrete surfaces that are visible from a public street or park must be architecturally treated by split face or grooved surface, colored mortar, or other masonry types in conjunction with concrete blocks.
4. Architecturally finished vinyl or fiberglass material used for wall surface must not possess sheen.
5. Stucco surfaces must be finished.
6. Terra cotta tile.
7. Clear or lightly tinted glass.
8. Natural copper or bronze.
9. Wood shingles/shakes. Wood siding and wood product panels shall be weather resistant, and all edges and seams covered or trimmed.
10. Architectural polymers and plastics are prohibited for exterior walls.
11. Backlit vinyl or plastic awning illumination is limited to a single fluorescent tube the length of the awning or canopy.
B. The following materials are prohibited:
1. Mirrored glass, corrugated fiberglass, and chain link fencing, when visible from the street (except for temporary purposes such as a construction site).
2. Corrugated roofing or siding, and fiberglass.
3. Galvanized roofing.
4. T-111, fiberboard, and untreated plywood siding.
5. Applied aggregate finishes (“marble-crete”).
6. Mirrored or opaque glass. (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).
18.61.060 Mechanical equipment and service areas.
Roof-mounted mechanical equipment shall be screened so as not to be visible from the street or from the ground level of adjacent properties. Screening shall blend with the architecture of the building. (Ord. 995 § 12 (Exh. A), 2015).