The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Design guidelines put in action
Sherwin-Williams building meets new Main Corridor Commercial Design Guidelines
The new Sherwin-Williams store in Painesville Township is a sign of the future.
The recently constructed building at 2035 Mentor Ave. is the first designed to meet the township’s Main Corridor Commercial Design Guidelines.
“Without these new zoning codes, they could have built whatever they liked which provided the sure possibility of clashing with other local business designs,” Trustee Chuck Hillier said in a Facebook post. “Going forward, having some sort of continuity with an older style architecture will make our township more appealing to all and I believe help our business community.”
The purpose of the design guidelines is to create a unified, high-quality built environment to increase the financial benefits to the township and its inhabitants.
Hillier has advocated for these new zoning codes for many years,
“I’m so pleased with this first
It is Painesville Township’s desire that structures are made up of Historic, New England and Western Reserve architectural styles.
step in changing the character and appeal of Mentor Avenue and although it’s going to take time, it is a good first step to bringing an identity and charm to our community,” Hillier said in a previous interview.
It is Painesville Township’s desire that structures are made up of Historic, New England and Western Reserve architectural styles. The guidelines’ goals are to preserve and enhance the character of the township and to guide architectural elements of design in alterations and new constructions to be coherent with that of the existing fabric of the neighborhood.
According to the code, the guidelines will stimulate and protect economic activity in the B-1 and B-3 districts along Mentor Avenue, from the Mentor city corporation limit to the Painesville City corporation limit, ensuring the continued economic competitiveness and attractiveness of the township’s business districts.
Design guidelines are beneficial to the township and individual property owners in many ways. As good design that enhances, it is proven to stimulate economic and social growth. The entire district increases in value as a common identity is established.
The new guidelines apply to all expansions, modifications and redevelopment of existing buildings as well as any new construction within the B-1 and B-3 zoning districts for those properties and uses having frontage on Mentor Avenue and those properties and business uses contiguous to properties having frontage on Mentor Avenue.