PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Consider the Petitioner’s appeal to the portions of the Downtown Design Standards (2011) that prohibit use of bright hues in the downtown setting and covering more than 25% of the façade with an accent color at the subject property located at 214 S. Main Street, Naperville
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Sara Kopinski, AICP
ENTITLEMENTS REQUESTED:
• The Petitioner is requesting an appeal to the Downtown Design Standards <https://www.naperville.il.us/contentassets/7fed1bf2ba19496fa9a037f019616748/cmp-dpa-downtown-design-standards.pdf> (2011) in order to permit the building located at 214 S. Main Street to remain painted pink.
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
Per Code, official notice in the newspaper is not required.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is located at 214 S. Main Street, between Jefferson Avenue and Jackson Avenue. Benefit Cosmetics occupies a ground-level tenant space. The property owners, Chris & Susan Finck, request approval to allow the Benefit storefront to remain painted pink as shown in the attachments. The property owners indicate that the storefront’s siding was painted pink to match Benefit Cosmetics’ corporate colors (see attached letter). The property owners were not aware of the City’s regulations preventing bright colors from being the predominant color on a storefront and apologize for not seeking an appeal prior to painting.
DISCUSSION:
Downtown Design Standards
The Downtown Design Standards is a companion document to Naperville Downtown 2030 and is the single controlling design reference for the downtown area. “Section C. Style and Character” of the document outlines regulations for the use of color in the downtown, including the following standards:
• Select exterior colors that complement the hues of nearby buildings. Typical building colors in the downtown area include the natural brick and stone shades of red, buff, white, cream and gray.
• Use darker or brighter hues only for accent or to draw attention to details such as architectural ornamentation or doorways.
“Section C. Style and Character” also restricts the use of accent colors to 25% of the façade or less, excluding windows and doors.
Benefit Cosmetics Storefront
The Benefit Cosmetics storefront comprises the entire ground-floor façade of the building located at 214 S. Main Street and consists of glass windows and a door with white trim, a pink awning, and pink painted siding. When reviewing the elevations for compliance with the Downtown Design Standards and identification of primary versus accent colors, staff considered only at the building addressed 214 S. Main St. and did not include the adjacent/connected building at 212 S. Main Street as part of the façade.
Excluding windows and doors, the predominant color of the Benefit storefront is pink. Staff considers the pink color to be a bright hue which should be regulated as an accent color permissible on 25% of the façade or less and used to draw attention to details such as architectural ornamentation or doorways.
Complaint Received
In early August 2022, City staff received a complaint about Benefit Cosmetic’s siding being painted pink. Staff had not authorized painting of the façade and found that the pink storefront was not incompliance with the Downtown Design Standards. In response, the City’s Code Enforcement Team contacted the store manager requesting that the violation be corrected. On August 9th, staff and the subject property owner had the opportunity to discuss the violation, and the property owner indicated that they would be requesting an appeal to the Downtown Design Standards to permit the façade to remain painted pink.
Staff Recommendation
In accordance with the Downtown Design Standards, staff would not have permitted the Benefit Cosmetics storefront to be painted pink had that been sought. Given the property’s central location in the downtown core and the non-neutral color of the painted façade, staff recommends that the property owner’s request to maintain the existing pink paint be denied.
To rectify the non-conforming condition, staff recommends that the property owner paint the siding a neutral color to bring the façade back into compliance with the City’s regulations. The proposed neutral color would be subject to review and approval by the Zoning Administrator prior to its application.
PZC Action
Per the Naperville Municipal Code, the Planning and Zoning Commission is the body to review appeals to the Downtown Design Standards. PZC determinations are considered final, unless the petitioner appeals the PZC’s decision to the City Council.
Key Takeaways
§ The Petitioner is appealing the Downtown Design Standards (2011) to permit the ground-level storefront located at 214 S. Main Street to remain painted pink.
§ Staff does not support the requested appeal.