SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP Dixie Highway Design Guidelines Adopted September 10, 2015 The graphics shown in this document are for illustrative purposes only and do not necessarily reflect all site development requirements and standards of the Springfield Township Zoning Ordinance. For specific land use and development standards, see Chapter 40 - Zoning, of the Springfield Township Code of Ordinances. i Springfield Township Dixie Highway Design Guidelines CONTENTS Introduction 1 Streetscape 3 1.1 Greenbelt and Entry Landscape Details 5 1.2 Roadway and Entry Lighting Details 7 1.3 Fence Details 9 1.4 Signs Details 15 Building and Site Design 17 2.1 Site Organization and Building Orientation 19 2.2 Site Access and Circulation 21 2.3 Architectural Features 23 2.4 Site Landscaping 27 2.5 Site and Parking Lot Lighting 29 2.6 Community Amenities 31 Flexibility in Application 34 Appendix 36 A.1 Plant List 37 A.2 Light Fixture Details 41 A.3 Sample Color Palette 43 A.4 Sign Examples 45 Springfield Township Dixie Highway Design Guidelines ii INTRODUCTION Springfield Township values its history and rural character. Our community is known for its rolling hills and forested uplands, lakes and wetland systems, fields and farmsteads, and attractive landscape vistas. The Township is committed to preserving its rural character, open spaces, and natural features. This priority is not incompatible with commercial development or with maintaining a strong local economy. Rather, when incorporated into high quality developments, these features are valuable assets that add to a rich investment environment. The two-mile stretch of Dixie Highway from I-75 to Davisburg Road is Springfield Township’s main commercial corridor. As such, the Township has planned this area for higher intensity retail, office, residential and mixed-use developments that will serve residents as well as those traveling through the Township. Dixie Highway has been extensively studied as part of the community-wide Master Plan and as the subject of individual plans and studies. In 2000 the Township adopted the Dixie Highway Corridor Plan which led to the development of the Dixie Highway Overlay District, a zoning tool designed to enhance the image of the corridor and provide for variations in land use options. Beginning in 2008 the Township undertook an update to the Dixie Highway Corridor Plan through focus groups, planning workshops and additional studies relative to safety and wastewater options. The aim was to establish a vision for future development of the corridor that is both consistent with the planning goals and character of Springfield Township, and achievable with the existing conditions and challenges. These planning efforts resulted in the 2014 development of the Dixie Highway Corridor Utility Study and the adoption of these Design Guidelines. The Design Guidelines vision will be incorporated into future Master Plan updates. The Design Guidelines are intended to provide direction to those development properties along the corridor in both written and graphic form in regard to streetscape, building, and site design. These Guidelines are intended to supplement and provide clarification to existing ordinance standards. 1 Springfield Township Dixie Highway Design Guidelines Vision The Dixie Highway Design Guidelines document is a planning and development tool aimed to promote high quality development that is compatible with the character of Springfield Township. The Design Guidelines were created to communicate Township priorities and expectations for new development and site improvements. The Design Guidelines accomplish this goal through the use of guidelines, graphics, photos, material lists, color palettes, and renderings. All graphics are for conceptual and illustrative purposes only. The Design Guidelines were created with the following intentions: • Establish a defining image for the Dixie Corridor that reflects the character, culture and natural beauty of the Township and which creates a welcoming gateway into Springfield Township. • Promote the image of Dixie Highway as a high quality corridor and an attractive investment environment. • Enhance the visual appearance of the corridor by preserving natural views and incorporating unifying design elements. • Promote building and site design elements that are integrated, walkable, and harmonious with the rural character of the Township. • Create public spaces in prominent locations and link features that act as landmarks, symbols, and focal points for community identity. Application This document is a planning resource for business owners and developers, as well as Township staff and officials, that should be used in the planning and pre-design phase of new development, renovations, site improvements, and rehabilitation of existing buildings. According to the Springfield Township Zoning Ordinance, all proposed development and construction within the Dixie Highway Overlay District shall comply with the Dixie Highway Design Guidelines. Flexibility in the application of these guidelines can be found on page 34 of this document. Springfield Township Dixie Highway Design Guidelines 2 1 Entry landscape design Pavement change Identification sign design Greenbelt planting design Light fixture design Figure 1. Overall streetscape showing various uses of fencing, lighting, signage, and greenbelt plantings 3 Springfield Township Dixie Highway Design Guidelines 1 STREETSCAPE Design Intent Lighting fixtures, fence details, greenbelts, site entry landscaping, and signage bring life, color, texture, and identity to the streetscape. The well-designed streetscape not only makes the corridor safer and more inviting, it establishes the corridor as an attractive investment environment. The design intent is to create a distinctive identity for Springfield Township’s main commercial corridor. The streetscape should indicate to pedestrians and motorists that they have arrived in Springfield Township. The Township’s rural character will be evident through the use of natural, organic-form landscape design, preserved views of natural features, and cohesive signage and streetscape elements. This chapter provides details outlining the design of each streetscape element, as identified in the illustration on the previous page. Application Streetscape Design Guidelines shall apply to all new uses and structures requiring site plan approval, as well as newly installed or renovated features along the Dixie Highway Corridor frontage. Springfield Township Dixie Highway Design Guidelines 4 1.1 Greenbelt and Site Entrance Landscape Details Design Intent Trees and landscaping along the roadway enhance the physical, ecological, and cultural landscape of the community. Streetscape plantings enhance the aesthetics of the Dixie Highway Corridor by defining the corridor, softening the roadway edge, and improving the appearance of off-street parking. The Township greenbelt and site entrance landscape guidelines are designed to protect and preserve the community’s natural appearance, rural character, and environmental and aesthetic values by regulating the appearance of property fronting Dixie Highway. The guidelines establish a balance between the needs of the site and historic landscape of the corridor through the use of native plants and natural, free-form landscape design. Generally, the Township encourages the use of hardy, drought-resistant, and low-maintenance native plants that complement and coexist with the native landscape. Guidelines • Arrange plantings in a way that conveys a natural design and organic (rounded or curved) form. Clustering and staggering greenbelt trees is highly encouraged. Greenbelt trees should not be planted in a straight line at equal intervals. • Incorporate a mix of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs into greenbelt and site entrance landscape. Spruce and fir trees as well as native woody shrubs are recommended for screening and provide a backdrop for signage, flowering planter beds, and other site amenities. • Where possible, preserve and incorporate existing, high quality trees into the overall landscape design without overcrowding or disturbing established root systems. • Field stones may be used to define the edge of a planter bed, create a terraced landscape, or used intermittently within a planting area. Use natural material to mulch planting areas. River rock may be used for stormwater management applications that incorporate native plantings. • Where possible, utilize native Michigan plant species for the greenbelt and site entrance landscape. Color blocks and plant combinations that vary in terms of height, texture, movement, color, and flowering season are highly encouraged. • Incorporate naturalized water features and landscaped ponds into the greenbelt or site entrance design. • Use of bioswales, BMP’s (Best Management Practices), and creative stormwater management is highly encouraged. • A recommended plant list has been provided in the Appendix. 5 Springfield Township Dixie Highway Design Guidelines Naturalized water feature with native plantings Greenbelt and Site Entrance Landscape Details 1.1 Plantings of various heights and textures in Color blocked planting curved landscape bed Mix of evergreen and deciduous plant material Native plants in varied heights and textures Fieldstone edging Curved landscape bed and clustered trees/shrubs Figure 2. Example applications of site entrance landscape design Springfield Township Dixie Highway Design Guidelines 6 1.2 Roadway and Entry Lighting Details Design Intent