Chapter Seven

Design Guidelines
Community image and quality of life are determined, in large part, by the appearance and design of land
development and redevelopment projects. High quality site design has a positive impact on property values.
It creates positive impressions of development, and can serve as an indicator that the community is a
prosperous place in which to live, shop, work and do business.
Poor site design practices typically include inadequate or no landscaping, large expanses of unscreened
parking areas, inadequate stormwater management systems, a lack of landscaped buffers between
incompatible land uses, poor site lighting, poorly defined and closely spaced driveways, and the proliferation
of large and poorly designed signs. In order to assure that development is of high quality, the Township
should consider developing a set of design and development standards that can be implemented and
administered using the Townships Zoning Ordinance during site plan review, special use and PUD
processes. A typical range of standards is outlined below.

Landscaping
Landscaping serves to create a high-quality image, appearance and appeal of developing areas. It should be
viewed as a means of improving the appearance and quality of development in the community, and as a
means of enhancing property values. When included as an integral element of large and small scale
development projects, landscaping delineates points of access, improves the appearance of parking areas
and building facades, screens loading, unloading and outdoor storage areas, and establishes buffers between
land uses of varying intensity.
Landscaping included in new developments should be established along street frontages, within and around
parking lots, around building perimeters, and in areas where screening of less attractive site features is
desired.
Building perimeter landscaping enhances the appearance of development projects. Areas along building
walls and entryways should be planted with shrubs, smaller trees and flowers.
Buffers are landscaped areas of varying width that serve to mitigate any negative impacts that adjoining
incompatible or unrelated land uses may have on one another. Landscaped buffers reduce the transmission
of noise, screen views, and contain wind-blown debris.
Ideally, all landscaping materials should be native to the West Michigan region and hardy to Ottawa County.
Landscaping should be installed in a manner that does not disrupt natural drainage patterns on development
sites or adjacent properties.
In many instances, stormwater detention ponds can be designed to serve as an attractive site amenity.
Plantings of wetland plant species can establish natural ecosystems, and can enhance a detention ponds
ability to utilize nutrients occurring in stormwater runoff.

Retention of Natural Features

In many communities land is developed without regard for existing stands of trees, wetlands, and natural
drainage courses. In many instances stands of trees are leveled and replaced with smaller ornamental
species, and wetlands and natural drainage courses are filled. This can result in the destruction of natural

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stormwater retention and purification capabilities. These site features should be incorporated as much as is
practical into the design and layout of future land development projects.

Parking Areas
Parking areas should be set back from roadways to allow for the establishment of landscaped greenbelts
between the parking lot and adjoining roadway. Parking area setbacks provide for the establishment of
sidewalks and bicycle trails, and also for future roadway widening projects.
Effective landscaping screens (rather than obscures) parking areas, and helps to improve traffic circulation
and safety. Landscaping parking areas that are located along developing business corridors reduces their
visual impact and helps delineate points of access.
The extent of landscaping required in parking lots can be based on the number of parking spaces provided.
Typical standards provide for one canopy tree and one hundred square feet of landscaped area for each six
to eight parking spaces. Raised landscaped islands between twelve to fifteen feet in width should be used to
direct traffic movement in parking areas. These islands can be either small and scattered with single trees,
larger with clusters of several trees, or linear with a line of evenly spaced trees located down the center of
parking rows.
Carports in multi-family developments should be enclosed on any end facing or visible to a street.

Driveways and Site Access

Driveways, like intersecting streets, create points of conflict with through traffic. Driveways can interfere with
the intended function of roadways to move traffic safely and efficiently. The potential impacts generated by
driveway traffic are dependent upon a number of factors, including the number of vehicles using the driveway,
driveway placement and design, the number of lanes in the roadway, and the traffic volumes on the roadway.
A driveway serving a large commercial center can be viewed much like a major intersecting street while a
single-family residential driveway has a substantially lesser impact. The Township should identify the
following standards if it wishes to adopt a program regulating driveway design and access in conjunction with
the Ottawa County Road Commission:
1.

Identify driveway design criteria that promote safe and efficient ingress and egress at driveways.

2.

Reduce the number of driveways; increase the spacing between driveways and between driveways
and roadway intersections. Reduce the number of poorly aligned driveways.

3.

Reduce the frequency of conflicts or reduce the area of conflict at some or all driveways by limiting or
preventing certain turning movements.

4.

Reduce the frequency and severity of conflicts by providing separate paths and stacking areas for
turning vehicles.

5.

Acknowledge that substantial public funds have been invested to develop a roadway network to move
traffic safely and efficiently.

6.

Recognize that property owners have an inherent right to access public roadways, and also recognize
that reasonable access may be indirect (by way of frontage roads, shared driveways, side street
access) in some instances.

The location, number and design of driveways along developing commercial roadway corridors will impact
traffic flow, traffic safety, the ease of site access, and crash potential. In certain instances, efforts should be
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made to limit the number of driveways serving developments by encouraging or requiring shared driveways,
frontage roads, side streets, and service driveways. In some instances, such requirements would be more
stringent than those stipulated by the Ottawa County Road Commission. The Township has the authority,
through its zoning powers, to adopt such regulations.

Loading, Service, Storage and Utility Areas

Loading docks, outdoor storage, service and utility areas that are visible from streets should be screened from
view. Screening of these facilities can also be required when visible from adjoining property. Refuse storage
areas and dumpsters should be screened on three sides with sight obscuring fences or walls, evergreen trees
and shrubs, berms, or by a combination of these elements. Ideally these facilities should be located behind
the buildings they serve.

Signs
The primary purpose of signs is to identify a particular business, institution, governmental or public facility.
Signs should be visible, legible and readable in the circumstances in which they are seen, especially from
moving vehicles. Signs should help rather than distract motorists.
As driving speed increases, driver concentration on the surrounding environment (other vehicles, traffic
control signs and signals, pedestrians, etc.) also increases. The commercial communitys competition for
motorists attention along certain developing urban and suburban corridors often leads to an unnecessary
proliferation of signs.
There are numerous examples of developed commercial corridors that are indicative of what can happen
when signs get out of control. In such circumstances, business owners become concerned that the impact of
their sign (or signs) is diminishing. As time passes, larger signs are installed. In an effort to maintain a
perceived competitive edge, business owners put up larger signs with more words and occasionally portable
signs and banners. As this occurs, the impact and effectiveness of individual signs is lost in a jumble of signs
that serve to confuse rather than inform motorists.
The most common types of signs regulated by a communitys sign standards are as follows:
1.

Directional or Driveway Entry Signs

A sign or pair of signs, typically not exceeding three feet in height, located near a driveway or pair of
driveways to provide directions for vehicles entering or leaving a premise. Directional signs help
direct motorists and eliminate confusion at businesses with one-way access.

2.

Ground Signs
A freestanding sign mounted permanently on the ground with no space between the sign and ground.
A ground sign can have a greater visual impact than a pylon sign, especially when most of the
surrounding signs are of a pylon type. Ground signs are typically more attractive than pylon or pole
signs, and can create a greater sense of prestige than pylon signs.

3.

Pylon or Pole Signs

A sign supported by a pole or poles placed in the ground and providing sight clearance beneath the
sign so as not to obstruct the view of motorists approaching, entering, or leaving a business. Pole
signs should be large enough to identify the user of the premises.

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4.

Temporary Signs
A park and plug, banner, bulletin board, or other advertising device with or without a structural frame
that is intended for display for a limited period of time. Businesses typically desire temporary signs to
provide changeable advertising messages and to promote grand openings, special sales, and other
events. Churches, civic organizations, fraternal organizations and other non-profit entities also use
such signs to advertise car washes, barbeques, fundraising dinners, and similar special events.

5.

Changeable Message Signs

Electronic signs, such as time and temperature signs, and other permanent changeable message
signs that are attached to or included as an element of ground or pylon signs.

6.

Canopy Signs
Canopy signs are attached to or painted on a canopy and are typically used as an alternative to wall
signs. They are typically used to identify the name of a business, or to provide other advertising
information.

7.

Wall Signs
Wall signs are painted on or affixed directly to a building wall with the exposed sign face parallel to
the building wall. Wall signs should be of adequate size to allow identification from adjacent
roadways.

The Townships sign regulations should recognize the benefits effective signs can have on traffic and the
business community, as well as the negative impacts a proliferation of signs can create. Those regulations
should recognize that a drivers primary role is that of concentrating on other drivers and the surrounding
environment rather than reading signs. In a manner similar to effective landscaping, reasonable sign
regulations can improve the appearance and quality of development in the community, make access of
businesses easier, and enhance property values.

Lighting
Site lighting is used to illuminate parking areas, walkways and entryways. Architectural lighting is used to
illuminate the exterior of buildings for aesthetic and security purposes. Whichever type of lighting is installed
at a development, a number of guidelines should apply.
Site lighting fixtures should be of a cutoff type, and should be flush mounted and directed vertically downward.
Doing so helps eliminate off-site illumination and glare. Landscaping or screening walls can help reduce
vehicle headlight glare into areas adjacent to parking areas. Architectural lighting should be used to
illuminate building entrances, service and loading areas, and signs, and should be generally limited to that
necessary for security and safety purposes.
Lighting fixtures used to illuminate buildings, driveways, parking areas, building entrances and service areas
that produce glare off-site should be avoided in all circumstances. General standards applicable to site and
architectural lighting are typically incorporated into zoning ordinance site plan review standards or zoning
district performance standards.

Implementation
Communities take specific steps to assure the successful implementation of design guidelines. First, the
Planning Commission drafts proposed zoning ordinance amendments having the effect of requiring
adherence to the guidelines. The draft ordinance amendments are then forwarded to the Board of Trustees
for consideration and adoption.
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The guidelines are administered during site plan review, special use and PUD review and approval
processes. In the Townships case, the level of detailed information to be presented by applicants during
these review processes would be greater than is required under current zoning ordinance requirements.
While this might be viewed as a greater than necessary burden on the development community,
implementation of design guidelines can assure that poor site design practices are avoided, and that all future
development projects are indicative of a community which is a prosperous place in which to live, shop, work
and do business.

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