Karen RennichThe town of Signal Mountain is revising the exterior design criteria for commercial buildings within town limits.
To fall under the new standards, at least 25 percent of an existing building’s surface area would need to be changed, triggering a review by the DRC, said Karen Rennich, past chair of the town’s Design Review Committee.
Revised exterior building materials classifications
Acceptable building materials: Stone, brick, artificial-stone products, wood siding, fibrous cement board (simulated wood siding such as Hardie board), stucco, split-face or fluted concrete block, high-quality architectural metals, exterior insulation finishing systems, painted or factory-finished metalProhibited building materials: Plywood, vinyl siding, aluminum siding, exposed concrete block, corrugated metal siding, precast concrete panels, glass curtain wallAcceptable trim and accent: Metal or vinyl trim (for flashing, not for walls), simulated wood details made of plastic, vinyl, fiberglass or fibrous concrete (trim, columns, etc.)
In 2018, former Signal Mountain Planning Commissioner and Vice Mayor Dick Gee asked for updates to provide greater clarity and more structure to some of the sections of the town’s design standards, she said.
The DRC is a volunteer board appointed by the town that helps implement design standards by hearing cases and occasionally recommending changes to those standards. Of the seven-member committee, four must hold related occupations, such as land use planner, architect, builder, Realtor, business owner or landscape designer.
The previous wording in the codes governing exterior materials left room for question as to which building materials, windows, doors and types of roofing were allowed, Rennich explained. Such materials were loosely labeled with vague terms including “shall be avoided” and “preferred.”
Committee members went through each type of exterior material and classified each as either prohibited or acceptable building material, or acceptable for trim and accent work only.
For example, under the old code, large expanses of exposed concrete blocks were to be avoided, but are now prohibited. The DRC also made distinctions between different types of wood – previously listed generally as a preferred material – with wood siding deemed acceptable and plywood prohibited as an exterior material. Standard three-tab shingles, previously deemed “normally not acceptable,” are now prohibited.
Materials not included in the revised code would need to be presented to the DRC for consideration, said Rennich.
“You don’t want to hamstring people who are designers, but you also want to have a really clear road map and how they’re going to implement that,” town Councilwoman Susannah Murdock said in support of establishing the more concrete guidelines.
Another change is the establishment of a requirement for businesses facing the road to have a minimum of 40 percent of the front of the building to be windows and doors, said Rennich. So people can see through those windows and doors, the glass must have a transparency of higher than 70 percent and an external reflection of less than 11 percent.
“We don’t want to just see a flat facade with one door,” she explained. “We want to be able to look in and see life and people.”
In response to Mayor Dan Landrum’s question of whether shades could be put down to cover the windows – similar to the shades covering the windows lining one wall of town hall – Rennich said the DRC does not regulate anything inside buildings.
However, she added that while one business may choose to get around the standards by keeping their blinds down, the hope is that the next business will choose to keep them open.
“We’re trying to implement the town’s vision of that small-town feel, and that’s something that we felt did contribute to that, particularly as the town becomes more walking- and biking-friendly and people are out more,” Rennich said of the door and window requirements.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.