20D.40.110 Valley View, Bear Creek and Trestle Design Areas.

20D.40.110-010 Intent.

(1) Create a lower-scale suburban commercial area oriented to safe automobile access.

(2) Provide visibility and access from automobiles while maintaining adequate landscaping and screening.

(3) Develop features such as signs and artwork that identify the entrance to the City Center and provide a unifying visual theme for the area. (Ord. 1993)

20D.40.110-020 Design Criteria.

(1) Building Orientation and Access.

(a) Buildings are not required to be sited on the pedestrian system, but should provide safe and accessible pedestrian connections to it.

(b) Service areas and rear entrances should not be oriented to public areas.

(c) Orient buildings toward the streets and locate parking on the side or rear whenever possible.

(2) Building and Site Design.

(a) Develop sign programs to coordinate and consolidate signs in order to increase visibility from automobiles.

(b) Minimize elements in signs such as colors that are too brilliant or other features that would distract from the entry feature.

(c) Landscaping on streets should be simplified to allow adequate visibility from automobiles to businesses.

(d) Parking lots should be landscaped to screen parking and provide visual relief from large asphalt surfaces.

Existing strip mall parking lot.

Requirements for parking lot landscaping should be one tree for every four parking spaces.

The existing strip mall parking lot retrofit with new landscape installation of one tree for every four parking spaces.

(e) Pedestrian access from parking areas should be safe and clearly defined.

(f) Landscaped medians should be provided where access and traffic movements allow.

(g) Conflict between pedestrians and automobiles should be avoided by minimizing vehicle crossings of pedestrian access ways. (Ord. 1993)