3. Design Guidelines
Review of all site plans and subdivision plats in scenic corridor areas should consider the following particulars. Site Planning and Architectural guidelines are expected to be met for the approval of a subdivision plat or commercial site plan.
Employment/Institutional guidelines are in addition to consideration of Commercial guidelines for employment/institutional site plans in scenic corridor areas. Proposed resort developments are to be evaluated according to General Plan, Specific Plan and overlay district criteria to assure project excellence.
a. Site Planning
i. General
a. Incorporation of natural elements such as boulders, native rock or designing to blend structures with natural washes or existing stands of vegetation is highly desirable.
b. Include subdued lighting for entries, signage and parking areas.
c. Provide pathway links to interior residential neighborhoods or planned recreational trails.
d. Include Integration of structures, pedestrian paths with natural earthforms.
e. Parking or maneuvering should not be located in required minimum setback.
f. Structures should be used to screen access or frontage roadways parallel to scenic corridors. Earthen berms should comply with adopted rainwater harvesting requirements.
ii. Residential
The following site design expectations are to be met for the approval of any subdivision plat or site plan:
a. Street patterns and/or landscaping are to be provided consistent with safe traffic visibility and design practice to screen views of rights-of-way perpendicular to scenic corridors.
b. Walls enclosing individual lots, residential clusters, or multi-family structures are to be located at the setback line of perimeter landscaped buffer areas or maintained setback tracts.
c. Pathway linkages are to be provided within the development and connecting with pathways, trails, or bike lanes paralleling the scenic corridor.
d. Except where specific view corridor preservation is intended, curvilinear street patterns and/or landscaping are to be provided to screen views of rights-of-way perpendicular to Oracle Road consistent with safe traffic visibility and design practice.
e. Maintain views from residences to mountain vistas, major washes, and native vegetation.
f. Provide structure spacing to permit views and focus on stands of vegetation.
g. Utilize subdued or managed lighting.
h. In sloped areas provide screening of structural support piers.
i. Provide shared roadway access.
iii. Commercial
a. Rear and side setbacks adjacent to residential districts should include berms and/or walls, augmented with landscaping achieving opaque screening to a height of not less than 8 feet. Berming shall comply with Town landscape requirements for rainwater harvesting.
b. No loading, storage, outdoor activity (except as expressly permitted in the underlying district), or display of merchandise visible from scenic corridors, intersecting arterials or adjacent residential neighborhoods.
c. Pathway linkages to be provided to adjacent properties where appropriate and within multi-use developments.
d. Clustering structures as a central “outcropping” visible when approaching the development on entry driveways, with principal parking areas (majority of spaces) screened by structures from scenic corridors or adjacent arterials.
e. Access driveways should be spaced 660 feet apart.
f. Provide shared roadway access.
iv. Employment and Institutional
a. Adjacent to properties used or intended for residential purposes, setbacks of the residential district are to be met or exceeded, and to include a masonry wall with landscaping as augmentation.
b. No outdoor storage visible from Oracle Road or adjacent residential neighborhoods.
c. Provide pathway links to internal recreation facilities and external pathways and routes.
d. Maintain view corridors through the site.
v. Resort Development
a. Open vistas are characteristic of this use type; walls and enhanced vegetation are to be utilized for screening functions.
b. Clustering of structures is oriented away from the perimeter of the site and view corridors, providing a central “outcropping”.
c. Keeping principal structure on lower slopes, not exceeding ridge heights.
d. Maintaining wide sight angles beyond structures is preferred.
e. Casitas should be deployed to create residential scale.
f. Emphasis should be placed on existing vegetation to accent principal buildings and plazas.
g. Vehicular circulation ways are minimized.
h. Pathway linkages, particularly to encourage resort guests’ and residents’ use of the Corridor path systems, are to be established for access to and from the principal resort structure.
i. Include visible display of open space and recreational features, such as golf courses.
j. Maintain open expanses to preserve adjacent neighborhood views.
k. Structures should be grouped well away from view corridors.
l. Low-lying building profiles should be utilized.
m. Views through the site should be preserved.
((O)20-06, 07/15/20)
b. Architectural Design
i. General Design
a. Buildings constructed in scenic corridors and park viewsheds should be low and of colors, materials and textures, which blend with natural desert vegetation, leaving large areas of open space between developments. Buildings that are visible from scenic corridors should seem to be a part of, or in, the landscape rather than appearing to be an imposition on the site. The buildings should follow the natural contours of the existing topography.
b. Building Colors
a) Building colors should relate to one another and the natural environment on the basis of pigment, color value, and/or intensity. In scenic corridors, earth tones and pastels are encouraged, especially in areas of high visibility. Desert/mountain colors that blend with the natural background are encouraged.
b) In areas upslope from scenic corridors, darker, geologic colors to blend with mountain slopes.
c) In locations upslope from the ultimate scenic corridor roadway right-of-way, richer, earthtone or geologic colors and rougher textures are preferred, especially those which complement background views; downslopes, darker earth colors with more dense landscaping clusters.
d) Color schemes should avoid jarring juxtapositions with primary colors.
e) In more private area, away from scenic corridors, homeowners and business owners are permitted more freedom in color selections.
f) Bright colors should not be visible from scenic corridors or other public rights-of-way.
g) Foreground colors should harmonize and blend with existing vegetation, natural rock/earth forms or built background.
c. Include architectural detailing on all structure facades.
ii. Residential
Review of all residential developments other than individual, detached, single-family home construction shall consider the following criteria to assure design consistency with Scenic Resource intent and character:
a. Building heights should be varied, preferably mixing one and two-story homes to enable views across the site from the scenic corridor right-of-way.
b. Consistent, finished rooftop treatments, without visible roof-mounted equipment.
c. Noise Mitigation should be addressed by masonry construction, double-paned windows, and limited window openings and recreational yard uses facing scenic corridors.
d. Structural screening of access or frontage roads and parking visible from scenic corridors, and structural integration with terrain, such as building lower floors into slopes.
e. Thematic architectural detailing should be included.
iii. Commercial
a. Building heights should be varied to enable views across the site from the scenic corridor right-of-way.
b. Structural height restricted to 1:4 (from natural grade) relative to width.
c. Principal structures are constructed of rough masonry, slump block, or similar materials; board and batten, untreated concrete block or metal buildings are discouraged.
d. Moving appurtenances should not be visible from scenic corridors or other public rights-of-way.
e. Rooflines are preferred to be horizontal; others are permissible.
f. Architectural detailing includes rough-cut stone accents, recessed window treatments, and vertical elements in visible walls of greater than 50 feet in length.
iv. Employment/Institutional
a. Structural height is limited to a ratio of 1:3 relative to width.
b. Provide enhanced native landscape along frontage.
c. Include rougher building material textures.
v. Resort
a. Provide distinctive architecture blending with the Sonoran Desert context.
b. Include creative use of light and shade in plazas.
c. Extensive use of natural materials (rough native stone, wood) is preferred.
d. Consideration of split-level entry from parking areas.
e. Mission-style, Santa Fe, or Territorial architecture is appropriate.
f. Include landscaped focal points.
c. Vegetation Preservation and Screening Guidelines
Vegetation Preservation: Innovative site planning and architectural treatments, which preserve and incorporate the maximum number of existing trees, Corridor Character Vegetation, and shrubs is encouraged in concert with compliance with native plant preservation requirements.