a. All development and redevelopment shall be guided by the Community Design Element of the Township Master Plan.

b. All development and redevelopment shall, to the extent feasible, be designed and made compatible with the natural features of the site. All development and redevelopment shall also be compatible, to the extent feasible, in spacing, massing, materials, roof shape, window division and facade emphasis with the form and character of Medford Township as described in the Community Design Plan Element of the Master Plan.

c. Building and site improvement materials, colors, and textures shall generally be consistent with Medford Township's traditional architectural styles, which include Victorian, Georgian and Federal, rustic-rural, log, and farm styles, and similar adaptations of these styles. All building elevations within the public view shall be similar adaptations of these styles.

d. Additions and renovations which require Board approval shall be in harmony with, to the greatest extent possible, the scale, materials and color of the existing structure.

e. The use of earth tone colors, historical colors, or other colors associated with traditional Medford building design is encouraged. The painting of structures in bold non-traditional colors, patterns, checks and stripes is discouraged.

f. Historic documentation, such as documents prepared by local, County or State governments, e.g. built in a compact manner: preserving the Village of Medford, and/or photos, shall be used as the primary basis of community design recommendations.

g. Reconstruction of an historic structure shall be consistent with its precedent in all respects. Building renovations shall incorporate elements of the original facade. Original materials shall be retained wherever possible. The use of clapboard, stone, brick, wood and other traditional facade material is encouraged. Aluminum or vinyl siding, modern metal panels, and mirrored glass surfaces are discouraged in the reconstruction of historic structures.

h. Continued use of existing historic buildings in the function for which they were built is encouraged. In the alternative, adaptive reuse of existing historic buildings is preferable to demolition.

i. Significant historic structures identified in the Medford Township Master Plan shall be preserved so that they remain or become visually dominant community features.

j. Bike paths, sidewalks, and benches shall be integrated where possible in all new development. Regarding pedestrian and bicyclist access and safety, refer to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Pedestrian Compatible Planning and Design Guidelines, and the NJDOT Bicycle Compatible Roadways and Bikeways. Bicycle racks should be installed where appropriate.

k. Development and redevelopment shall include comprehensive landscaping plans that emphasize the preservation of mature, healthy vegetation, consistent with design standards set forth in this Township Ordinance.

l. Existing vegetation along road corridors shall be preserved to the greatest extent possible by limiting clearing and grading along the road frontage to the minimum needed for safety, access and sight distance.

m. Ground-level utility boxes and mechanical equipment shall be concealed from public view, primarily through the use of landscaping.

n. Locating stormwater management basins along road frontage should be discouraged and the basins should be concealed from public view to the greatest extent possible.

o. Community gathering places, such as village greens or small parks, shall be encouraged, and appropriately incorporated into developments whenever possible.

p. Water conservation and water quality design techniques shall be used in site design wherever possible including the preservation of existing vegetation; the use of landscaping which requires little or no surface spray irrigation or the use of subsurface trickle irrigation where necessary for the viability of trees and shrubs; the control of excessive paving and other impervious surfaces and the design of natural stormwater management facilities.

3. Additional Community Design Guidelines for All Commercial Zoning Districts.

a. Commercial and office buildings with multiple uses or tenants shall be designed with a complex massing that includes varying roof lines, projections/recesses, smaller additions to the main building, and/or separate, smaller structures.

b. Gable roofs with a minimum pitch of 5/12 are encouraged, and should be provided with eaves. Flat roofs should be avoided on one-story buildings. Two-story or taller buildings should be provided with a traditional cornice treatment. Mansard roofs are generally discouraged. Architectural embellishments that add visual interest to roofs, such as dormers, belvederes, masonry chimneys, cupolas, clock towers, and other similar elements are encouraged. The eaves fascia shall be of traditional proportions and shall not be used as a "sign band" for the building.

c. All permitted buildings within the Commercial Zoning Districts shall avoid long, monotonous wall or roof plans by modulating the facade to give the appearance of several smaller scale buildings. Wall facades exceeding 30 feet in length and oriented towards the public view shall include windows, entrances or similar architectural features appropriately spaced.
Facade treatments shall include traditionally consistent storefronts, doorways, windows, and related design features. Each facade must be treated architecturally, not just the main entrance facade. The entire front, sides and rear of the building should be coordinated in compatible colors and materials. Street facades, in the public view, should receive the greater architectural emphasis.

d. The architectural design of franchise style, commercial development shall be adapted, to the greatest extent possible, to the form and character of Medford Township as described in the Community Design Plan Element of the Master Plan.

e. Entrances shall be inviting to pedestrians and, to the fullest extent possible, provide shade and weather protection. Fixed or operable fabric awnings integrated into the overall building design are desirable.

f. Storefront and display windows shall have a sill height between two feet and three feet from finish floor and a window height no greater than eight feet from finish floor. The maximum width of an individual window shall not exceed 2/3 of window height. Desirable features include appearance of double-hung, traditional style trim, traditional style muntins and operable shutters.
Storefront and display windows shall not be covered by opaque materials which block or obscure the view of displays or goods inside.

g. Fixed or operable fabric awnings are permitted at the ground floor level; however, one long continuous awning or roof covered walkway as typically utilized in strip retail centers is discouraged. Canvas is the preferred material, although other waterproof fabrics may be used. Metal and plastic awnings, including vinyl, are prohibited.

h. All equipment providing services to the building whether roof mounted or ground placed, shall be screened by appropriate architectural design.

i. The use of site and street furniture and improvements including benches, tables, trash receptacles, bike racks, pedestrian walkways, planters and lighting consistent with traditional community character is encouraged.

j. Parking lots shall be designed to accommodate and encourage safe and convenient pedestrian movement. Parking lots shall also be designed to provide clear on-site visibility for security and safety purposes. Landscaping and buffering should be used abundantly to minimize street view of parking lots. Parking lots, and drive-thrus where permitted, should be placed behind buildings where possible. Primary building frontage and orientation shall be toward the street.

k. "Do not enter" and "one-way" signs often confuse the motoring public and add to the clutter of the streetscape. They shall be used sparingly in accordance with recommendations by the Board Engineer.

4. Additional Community Design Requirements for CC, RC, HC-1 and HC-2 Districts.

a. Architectural style of development in CC, RC, HC-1 and HC-2 Districts shall be designed to avoid massive scale and uniform impersonal appearances of a "big box" commercial center through facade ornamentation, building offsets, window treatments and traditional window sizing, variation in roof lines, entry treatments, upgraded building materials, parking lot placement, layout, landscaping and buffering. Each building facade generally within the public view and greater than 60 feet in length, including separate buildings that are attached, shall include:

(1) Recesses and/or projections of at least four feet extending over at least 20% of the length of the facade;
(2) At least three of the following elements: canopies, raised cornice parapets over entrances, gabled roof forms, arches, awnings and architectural details such as moldings which are integrated into the building structure and evenly distributed.

b. The exterior building surface including material and color shall include one dominant surface comprising 60% or greater of each building elevation. Dominant exterior materials shall include wood, brick, stone and stucco. Artificial renderings of exterior materials shall be avoided. Dominant facade colors shall be low reflectance, subtle, neutral, earth-toned, or historical. The use of high intensity colors, metallic colors and black is prohibited. Building trim and accents may feature brighter colors. Neon tube lighting shall not be used for building trim or accent.

5. Additional Community Design Guidelines for Historic Village Commercial HVC, Historic Village Residential HVR, Village Residential Development VRD, and Residential Home Occupation RHO Districts. The Township of Medford Community Design Plan Element of the Master Plan provides a series of community design guidelines which are specifically applicable to the following districts: HVC, HVR, VRD and RHO. These guidelines provide recommendations and descriptions of Medford form and character design features applicable to Medford Village. These guidelines include descriptions of and recommendations for Medford Village traditional doors and porches, windows, roofing, facade exterior, trim, and shutters. These guidelines shall be appropriately considered in the design of all development, redevelopment and adaptive reuse within the HVC, HVR, VRD and RHO districts which require development approval pursuant to the Land Development Ordinance of the Township of Medford.

6. Referral. The Citizens Architectural Advisory Committee shall apply the guidelines set forth herein to all architectural review undertaken pursuant to § 711: Citizens Architectural Advisory Committee. The report and recommendations of the Citizens Architectural Advisory Committee shall be submitted within the time period for review by the approving authority, which shall not be extended without the consent of the applicant.