§ 8-5. Standards.

A. 

Approval of any building permit shall be by a vote of at least a majority of the members of the Board of Architectural Review.

B. 

In considering an application for a permit, the Board shall take into account natural features of the site and surroundings, exterior design and appearances of existing structures and the character of the district and its peculiar suitability for particular purposes, with a view to conserving the values of property and encouraging the most appropriate use of land.

C. 

The Board may approve an application referred to it finding that the building or structure for which the permit was requested, if erected or altered in accordance with the submitted plan, would be in harmony with the purpose of this chapter, would not be visually offensive or inappropriate by reason of poor quality of exterior design or visual discord in relation to the sites or surroundings, would not mar the appearance of the area, would not impair the use, enjoyment and desirability and reduce the values of properties in the area, would not be detrimental to the character of the neighborhood, would not prevent the most appropriate development and utilization of the site or of adjacent lands and would not adversely affect the functioning, economic stability, prosperity, health, safety and general welfare of the community and in general comply with the following standards and criteria:

(1) 

The proposed architectural design should be suitable for a good suburban community in terms of external architectural features, general design and arrangement, texture, color, line, mass, dimension, material and lighting.

(2) 

The proposed structure, building or improvement should be compatible with existing well-designed structures, acceptable to the Board, in the vicinity and in the Village as a whole, making the Village a more attractive and desirable place in which to live.

(3) 

The proposed freestanding buildings should use the same or architecturally harmonious materials, color, texture and treatment for all visible walls; and, in the case of partially freestanding buildings, should use the same or architecturally harmonious materials, color, texture and treatment on all portions of all exterior walls exposed to public view.

(4) 

In terms of design, material, texture, color, lighting, landscaping, dimension, line, mass or roofline and height, the proposed structure building or improvement should be designed to exhibit characteristics likely not to deteriorate rapidly, not be of temporary or short-term architectural or aesthetic acceptability, should not be plainly offensive to human sensibilities or otherwise constitute a reasonably foreseeable detriment to the community.

(5) 

The Board of Architectural Review and the Village Board shall not adopt or impose any specific architectural style in the administration of this chapter.

D. 

In approving any application, the Board may impose appropriate conditions and safeguards designed to prevent the harmful effects set forth in § 8-1.

(1) 

Such conditions and safeguards may include screening, planting, fencing or other methods of keeping from view obviously unsightly features of such buildings or structures.

(2) 

The Board may disapprove any application for a permit, provided that the Board has afforded the applicant an opportunity to confer upon suggestions for change of the plan which would make the same conform with this chapter, and provided that the Board finds and states that the building or structure for which the permit was requested would, if erected, altered or remodeled as indicated, provoke one or more of the harmful effects desired to be avoided by the purposes of this chapter as set forth in § 8-1 by reason of striking dissimilarity, visual discord or inappropriateness with respect to other business or commercial structures located or proposed to be located on the same street or a corner thereof in respect to one or more of the following features of exterior design and appearance:

(a) 

Facade, including color.

(b) 

Size and arrangement of doors, windows porticos or other openings, breaks or extensions in the facade.

(c) 

Other significant design features, such as but not limited to heights, widths and lengths of elements of design, exterior materials and treatments, roof structures, exposed mechanical equipment, service and storage areas, retaining walls, landscaping, signs, light posts, parking areas and fences, service and loading areas.

(d) 

Visual offensiveness or other poor qualities of exterior design, including considerations of the harmony or discord of colors or incompatibility of the proposed building or structure with the terrain on which it is to be located, including but not limited to excessive divergences of the height of levels of any part of the structure from the grade of the terrain.

(3) 

In considering the application to remodel any existing gasoline station, the Board of Architectural Review, in addition to the powers herein granted, may impose such limitations on the exterior colors and materials, lighting and other features as it deems advisable to carry out the purpose of this chapter.