FAÇADE AND STOREFRONT PROGRAM GUIDE FOR BUILDING FACADES LOCATED WITHIN BUSINESS REVITALIZATION ZONES (BRZ) AREAS IN EDMONTON PREPARED BY:

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1 FAÇADE AND STOREFRONT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM GUIDE FOR BUILDING FACADES LOCATED WITHIN BUSINESS REVITALIZATION ZONES (BRZ) AREAS IN EDMONTON PREPARED BY:

2 HISTORY City Council approved the Retail and Commercial Façade and Storefront Improvement Policy in December 2002 as a project of the Capital City Downtown Plan (approved in 1997). The program is a product of work between the City of Edmonton, the downtown business community, the Downtown Business Association and other Business Revitalization Zones throughout the City. On November 30, 2004 Council approved the implementation of this program throughout the Business Revitalization Zones (BRZ) in Edmonton. PROGRAM GOALS The main purpose of this program is to partner with owners of retail and commercial buildings in targeted areas to invest in improvements to their buildings so that they look better, and create a more interesting and appealing interface between buildings and the street that attracts people to downtown. This initiative may contribute to other program areas of revitalization such as: promoting the marketability of retail and commercial businesses; contributing to the quality of life of residents, workers and visitors to the city; building civic pride among the business community and the citizens of Edmonton; helping building owners to attract and retain tenants; and making the City streets a more inviting and interesting place to walk and shop. ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES Existing buildings located within Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) areas in Edmonton. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS Businesses and building owners are encouraged to work together in submitting applications. However, only owners of existing buildings can officially apply. All applications must be endorsed by the respective Business Revitalization Zone areas within which the building exists. GRANT AMOUNTS The maximum amount of 50% matching grant per building façade is $20,000. Corner buildings with exposure (building façades) on two or more sides to proper City streets are eligible for a $20,000 matching grant for eligible improvements to each façade. BUDGET A budget of $500,000 has been approved by City Council for The program will run until December 31, ELIGIBLE IMPROVEMENTS Eligible façade improvements are limited to those up to the third storey of a subject building. Façade storefront features eligible to be restored renovated or constructed with grant dollars include: Exterior walls Windows Doors Storefronts Entranceways Awnings Exterior Architectural Features Exterior Decorative Features Architectural fees (capped to a maximum) Façade cleaning and painting Signage* Limited permanent interior improvements** *Signage Only the permanent elements of new signage such as permanent mounting, backing, and fascia improvements are eligible for reimbursement subject to any specific exceptions as determined by the Committee. **Limited permanent interior improvements In the context of a larger project that enhances the view into the building from the street such as back lighting of display areas and construction of display space. PAGE 1 OF 7

3 GRANT REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS The applicant must provide the following for reimbursement from the City: A certificate of completion signed by the applicant and the contractor or architect indicating that the work described within the agreement has been fully completed; Proof all contractors have been paid in full by the applicant for the portions or parts of the project for which the applicant is seeking reimbursement. This shall be a final invoice marked paid in full, a copy of the cheque made payable to the contractors; and Proof that the improvements have passed final inspection and meet all City of Edmonton bylaw requirements including zoning, building and safety codes. GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS * Applying for a Reimbursement Grant is no substitution for development permit and building permit processes. A Reimbursement Agreement is not a development permit or building permit. Generally, the application process is as follows: 1. Contact your Business Revitalization Zone or the Planning and Development Department to find out if your building is in a targeted area and to get an application and program guide. 2. Have your application endorsed by the respective Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) Association within which your building exists. 3. Contact the Planning and Development Department to discuss your proposed project. 4. Submit a complete application. 5. Project Review Committee reviews the application. Additional information may be requested. 6. If approved, a pre-construction site inspection is conducted. 7. An agreement is entered into between the applicant and the City clearly spelling out what the project is, what costs will be reimbursed by the City and any conditions. 8. Project construction begins 9. Project receives final building inspection (where a building permit was issued) 10. Applicant presents Planning and Development Department with a letter of completion and a package of receipts 11. Project is inspected relative to the agreement 12. City writes a cheque consistent with the terms of the agreement GRANT ALLOCATION Funding will be allocated on a case-by-case basis subject to the approval of the Project Review Committee until the budget has been spent or the program year has ended. Submitting an application does not guarantee a grant or a specific grant amount. All project proposals are subject to a comprehensive review of the building storefront and façade, must meet high quality standards, and must reflect the spirit and intent of the Design Guidelines. GRANT APPROVAL PROCESS The applicant will be contacted in writing stating whether the application has been approved, refused or additional information is required. Once approved, a site inspection is carried out to ensure that the proposed project has not begun prior to approval. A performance agreement is then entered into with the City. The agreement includes all of the relevant attachments included with the application including drawings, the itemized list of eligible project expenses and any conditions of the grant such as maintenance that may be imposed by the City. PAGE 2 OF 7

4 Timeline Façade Improvement Program Process Subscription Period Jan Dec. 31, 2008 APPLICANT INQUIRIES Program overview, eligibility determined, information package issued, follow-up meeting recommended. Application to be endorsed by the respective Business Revitalization Zone Association within which the building exists. PRE-SUBMISSION CONSULTATION Applicant meets with City staff to review project proposal, program requirements and discuss design ideas. APPLICATION SUBMITTED & REVIEWED Application must be complete (see application form). Application is reviewed for completeness, dated, and inspection scheduled. Additional information may be requested from the applicant. Complete Applications Reviewed within 60 days REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETS Committee meetings are scheduled monthly or as required. Additional information may be requested from the applicant. Decision is approval, conditional approval or refusal. If approval, a grant amount is determined. AN AGREEMENT, PREPARED BY THE CITY IS SIGNED A signed agreement is a program requirement and specifies the terms and conditions under which a grant will be issued. Construction must be complete within the time specified in Agreement CONSTRUCTION (ALL DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING PERMITS SHOULD BE SECURED PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION) LETTER OF COMPLETION SIGNED BY BUILDING OWNER, CONTRACTOR, AND ARCHITECT OR ENGINEER IF INVOLVED. POST CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION Project must meet terms of the agreement. Reimbursement ASAP, typically less than 30 days MATCHING GRANT ISSUED PAGE 3 OF 7

5 GENERAL GUIDELINES Introduction The Façade and Storefront Improvement Program is mainly concerned with the physical appearance of the buildings within targeted areas and their relationship to the street. Storefronts and the facades of retail and commercial buildings need to be thought of as an integral part of the street scene as a whole. The character and design of the building along with the businesses contained within attract shoppers both for the goods and services they provide and for the experience of walking around an interesting and lively urban space. A lot can be achieved by thinking about what constitutes good building design when carrying out an exterior renovation project. A few general design principles pursued through this program include: Generally, basic design principles include: Strengthening the architectural integrity and design unity of individual facades; Creating storefronts that add interest, activity and comfort to the street environment; and Emphasizing compatibility in design, materials and colours to make adjacent buildings read as unit. Purpose The Guidelines form the starting point of any application filed under the program. The challenge under this program is to improve the character and physical appearance of streets and avenues while allowing building owners and retailers to assert their identity and economic viability. To this end the Guidelines are intended to: set quality standards for the types of improvements that will improve the street; coordinate individual projects with surrounding buildings and other projects to create a positive, welcoming image and a quality pedestrian environment; serve as the basis for discussion with the Planning and Development Department in the development of the application; and act as a guide to the review of the application by the Project Review Committee. PAGE 4 OF 7

6 DESIGN GUIDELINES 1. OVERALL BUILDING ARCHITECTURE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE STREET AND THE BUILDING The starting point in creating a unified block face and in organizing the diversity of architectural styles and details on a given street and on a given building is an understanding of the building façade s design framework. The framework is made up of two major elements; the upper façade, and the storefront. The upper façade of interest in this program is that part of the building extending to a 3 storey limit. The third storey of a building is considered to be the upper limit of the building height in relation to the human scale and the street level. The upper façade consists of the cornice and the fascia that cap the building front, the building s upper storeys, the windows that give articulation and interest to the upper architecture and the piers that extend to ground level and visually support the façade and frame the storefront. The street level storefront is defined by the upper façade s piers and the sign frieze or fascia that separates the storefront s display windows from the upper architecture. This lower portion of the façade provides visual and physical access to the business located within and is the area in which the individuality and identity of that business can best be expressed. The main purpose of the storefront is to display goods and to project the image of the business therein. Storefronts also permit window shopping and can contribute to the shopping experience on key street oriented retail streets. Collectively storefronts combine to project the image of the street and, in the case of key streets, the City and region itself. Within this framework there are a range of architectural components within which various design elements may be incorporated which add interest complexity and diversity to the building façade. Windows Doorways Access and floor covering Canopies Storefront architectural features: fascia, cornices and pilasters (or piers) Roofline /Upper Façade Scale Colours Cleaning Repairs Signs The design of these various architectural components may be repeated or absent on surrounding buildings. Coordinating façade improvements with neighbouring structures helps to complement the design of the storefront, creating diversity and interest at street level, and unity in building lines. PAGE 5 OF 7

7 2. HUMAN SCALE (3 STOREYS) A three storey height is considered to be the upper limit of a building s orientation to the street level and the human scale. Although the focus of activity is at street level, where storefront features can be further strengthened through appropriate architectural detailing, detailing at street level can be carried up the building, where appropriate, to support the upper façade in an architecturally coordinated manner. The coordination of the street front level and upper storeys with appropriate architectural features such as the continuation of properly scaled piers up the building helps avoid the perception of an overwhelming mass of building floating above a disconnected expanse of glass at street level. The existing massing and lines of buildings should be reinforced through efforts to continue the building lines along the entire block. 3. STREET FRONTAGE TRANSPARENCY Increasing the view of the interior of shops through transparent display windows and storefront design increases interest to passersby and helps to market merchandise to the street. To this end, in addition to exterior design elements like glass and other architectural design features that frame display windows, the program provides funding for limited interior improvements such as permanent back lighting of display areas that helps to enhance the view of the inside of the shop. These improvements are eligible when proposed in the context of a broader façade improvement project. Stallrisers and the use of moulding that subdivides the various panes of glass can be used to reduce the size of window panes, thereby reducing window replacement costs. These features, combined with sills, transoms, piers and appropriately scaled fascia, are all elements of time tested traditional storefront design themes that create a practical, visually interesting street level frontage profiling the storefront and framing display space. In some cases, businesses may also be able to improve the view of the interior space by re-orienting the interior layout to remove obstructions to windows. 4. ARTICULATION OF THE FAÇADE TO CREATE VISUAL INTEREST This guideline refers to increasing the articulation of the building as it engages the street by exposing architectural features that may have been hidden or retrofitting the building to strengthen the relationship between the storefront and façade and the street emphasizing storefronts by reconfiguring doorways and window spaces increase the depth of the storefront. The introduction of piers and traditional or comparable contemporary storefront features such as replacing ceiling to floor windows with modern style brick stallrisers and elements of a brick façade with traditionally proportioned fascias to accommodate suitable design advertisement displays will create a readable and more dynamic façade. 5. PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND ACCESS FOR THE DISABLED Minimum grade separation between the sidewalk and the built frontage should be provided. Any ground covering materials used in private forecourt space should be durable, non-slippery, and easy to walk on by all users including women with high heels or disabled people with various devices. The finishes of the forecourt (private ground level entry area underfoot) can employ creative materials, color, texture and overall design pattern that complement treatments to the public walk. 6. CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN The principles of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) should be incorporated into the design/renovation of the buildings (Refer to Design Guide for a Safer City by the City of Edmonton). 7. STREET LEVEL USES The building should provide uses at street level that generate activity and interaction. The best examples are retail, personal services, restaurants, and entertainment uses. Sidewalk cafes, outside displays or sidewalk sales shall be encouraged on street sidewalks or the interior walkways. PAGE 6 OF 7

8 8. LIGHTING ON THE BUILDING The building entrances and facades should be lit to provide for pedestrian safety and security as well as to accentuate the building architectural features. Lighting of displays and indoor activity that provoke interest for the pedestrian to stop and look should be encouraged. Pedestrian scale lighting can also be incorporated into the building facade. Previously existing fixtures and electrical equipment should be removed and 9. SIGNAGE Ground floor business will have individual business identification signs. These signs should ideally be sized within a fascia that is in proportion to the storefront approximately 20% of the height of the storefront from the ground to the top of the fascia. Signage should not conflict with or cover any architectural features, details or windows of the building. Otherwise sign placement on a building shall be according to the City Zoning Bylaw. There may be some exceptions to these design guidelines in special circumstances subject ot review by the Project Review Committee where signage is a unique and defining feature integrated into the façade. 9. QUALITY FINISHES INTEGRATED DESIGN AND CORNER TREATMENT The renovated façade of the building should be well integrated, interesting, architecturally be in unison with the style for the whole building. The corners of the building facing two streets should address both streets and should be well detailed for any pedestrian activity. Important building corners should avoid placement of staircase or other non-active functions like storage, mechanical or electrical rooms those make the corner a dead space. At a minimum buildings require general cleaning, repairs and improving the elements of a façade to profile the positive design features. PAGE 7 OF 7