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• CITY OF RAMSEY <br /> BUILDING DESIGN <br /> Street Orientation. Mixed-use and commercial buildings should address streets with entries and windows,not blank walls <br /> and loading docks. Any necessary parking should be located on surface lots behind buildings or in parking structures with <br /> ground-floor retail. Large"box"buildings can be retrofitted to a more pedestrian scale through the addition of doorways, <br /> windows,arcades and other architectural details. These details create articulation and break up the large mass.In addition, <br /> smaller retail buildings,cafes or restaurants inserted next to large bland buildings help add more activity and variety to the <br /> streetscape. <br /> Transparency. Along public streets,at least 70%of ground-floor facades must consist of clear-glazed entries or windows. <br /> This transparency between private and public space allows"eyes on the street,"making the street safer for pedestrians and <br /> creating a more interesting walking environment. Display windows,but not mirrored windows or windows located above eye <br /> level,may be used to meet the transparency requirement. <br /> Design for Climate. Because of the region's snowy winters and hot summers,commercial and civic buildings should have <br /> arcades, awnings and other overhangs. Cafes and other retail businesses could have convertible indoor/outdoor seating <br /> areas with roll-up or sliding walls,doors and windows. Building design and placement should leave sufficient room for snow <br /> storage,so that pedestrian movement is not impeded as the winter progresses and snow banks get higher. <br /> Materials. Street-level facades should be varied,richly detailed and use durable,high-quality materials such as brick,stone, <br /> or wood siding. Projects should convey a sense of permanence and investment in the community's future. All visible <br /> • building elevations should have a distinct base,middle and top,defined by either a change in materials or by changes in <br /> facade coloring or pattern combined with offsets in building plane of 6 inches or more. <br /> Building Type Illustratives <br /> The following plans and axonometric drawings illustrate certain commercial and mixed-use building types and clarify some <br /> design guidelines and standards that are specific to certain types. <br /> • <br /> SEPTEMBER 2002 • 5 <br />