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E. Directional Expression <br />• This guideline addresses the relationship of height and width of the front <br />elevation of a building mass. A building is horizontal, vertical, or square in its <br />proportions. Residential buildings' orientation often relates to the era and <br />style in which they were built. <br />Commercial buildings may be divided between horizontal and vertical <br />orientation depending on their original use and era of construction. <br />1. Respect the directional expression of the majority of surrounding <br />buildings. Respect the expression of any adjacent historic buildings. <br />F. Height and Width <br />The actual size of a new building can either contribute to or be in conflict with <br />a historic area. Height and width create scale, or the relationship between the <br />size of a building and the size of a person. Scale also can be defined as the <br />relationship of the size of a building to neighboring buildings and of a building <br />to its site. The design features of a building can reinforce a human scale or <br />can create a monumental scale. In terms of scale, most buildings in the <br />historic districts relate to the human scale and are not monumental. <br />• Houses in the historic districts for the most part range from 1 to 3 stories. <br />Most historic residential buildings range in width from 25 to 30 feet. While <br />some commercial buildings are larger, the majority are 2 to 3 stories in <br />height. Most historic commercial buildings range from 20 to 40 feet in width. <br />F -IL <br />1. Attempt to keep the height and width of new buildings within a <br />maximum of 130 percent of the prevailing height and width in the <br />surrounding area. <br />2. In commercial areas at street front, the height should be within 130 <br />percent of the prevailing average of the block. Additional stories should <br />be stepped back so that the additional height is not visible from the <br />street. <br />3. When the primary facade of a new building in a commercial area is <br />wider than the surrounding historic buildings or the traditional lot size, <br />consider modulating it with bays or varying planes. <br />4. Reinforce the human scale of the corridor districts by including <br />elements such as porches, entrances, storefronts, and decorative <br />features depending on the character of the particular sub area. <br />Design Review Guidelines Page 5 of 14 <br />