Brandon Twp.- The township board has approved new architectural design requirements addressing commercial and multi-residential development.
The board approved 6-0 the second reading of a new section added to the architectural design ordinance during their March 5 meeting. Clerk Jeannie McCreery was absent.
‘Our planning commission has been wanting the township to adopt this ordinance for quite some time now, as a method of ensuring some degree of consistency in the development of our commercial areas,? said Supervisor Kathy Thurman.
The first reading of the architectural ordinance occurred at a joint meeting Jan. 23 between the township board and the planning commission. The ordinance addresses design theme; open space and community design feature; building proportion; building facades; roofs; entrances; windows; awnings; storefronts; pedestrian pathways and sidewalks; signage; lighting; landscape, greenbelts, buffers and screening elements; and utilities and communication devices.
According to the ordinance, the purpose of the new architectural design requirements section, in part, is to ‘provide a consistent and equitable set of exterior architectural design standards, the intent of which is to create, enhance and promote the qualitative visual environment of Brandon Township.
Also, the intent is to encourage developers and their architects to explore the design implication of their project to the context of the site, the surrounding area and Brandon Township to provide the Planning Commission with a sense and appreciation for the design process.?