Thinking Outside the Big Box

As highlighted recently by an article in the Wall Street Journal, Collier County is one of the few counties in the nation resisting the tide of cookie-cutter, big-box commercial development that has generally descended upon Suburbia, U.S.A.

Collier County's phenomenal growth during the early to mid-'90s naturally caught the attention of national retailers wishing to expand into the growing market. The idea for strict commercial architectural and site standards, however, was not conceived until the construction of two big box retail stores, Toys R Us and Sports Authority, at the intersection of Pine Ridge Road and Airport Pulling Road in 1996. Their windowless, flat walls facing the roadways ignited an uproar in the community.

Two local men, Tim Hancock and Joe McHarris, vigorously spearheaded the effort to prevent Collier County's slide into commercial retail uniformity. Whereas urban aesthetic standards typically concern only a particular city or downtown district, Hancock, a former land-use planner and current county commissioner, and McHarris, a former county architect turned architectural consultant, rolled up their sleeves to develop building and site design rules that cover several cities and more than 2,000 square miles.

"The standards not only improve the quality of construction but also benefit property owners and the community as a whole," said Hancock. "Besides raising the property values, they can help attract good jobs and industries to our county. The standards are a selling point for our community - they say that we are not like everywhere else."

The county's design guidebook outlines specifications from paint colors to wall and roof formation:

** Buildings must be painted in pastels or earth tones, with an exception made for a two-foot band of accent color.

** Square retention ponds are no longer allowed; such ponds must curve like a natural body of water and include either a sidewalk or pier.

** Attached canopies must now grace drive-through windows.

** Walls facing the road must have a door or windows and must not run straight for more than 100 feet.

** Roof lines must incorporate three height variations, such as a cupola.

** In June of this year, Collier County commissioners approved new standards for gas stations, paring the use of color and lighting on their canopies.

"Certain parameters were set during the development of the standards," said Bob

Mulhere, director of Collier County's Planning Services department. "For example, we did not want to establish an architectural review committee, nor did we want to mandate rigid requirements. While our approach outright prohibits some things, like the use of metal as a primary external facade and seas of parking, the design standards were created to ensure flexibility and fairness to everybody."

Mulhere said an upcoming comprehensive review of the regulations will help clarify the standards. Some regulations may be softened, such as those addressing parts of buildings not visible to traffic and passers by. Others may be strengthened, like those limiting the use of chain link fencing along arterial roads and the use of "battleship gray" as buildings' primary color.

Tempering Costs

Initially local contractors expressed concern that the standards would significantly raise the cost of construction. An analysis of both small and large commercial projects by a local general contractor, however, showed that compliance with the standards tends to raise costs only 3-5 percent, low enough to win support from the Collier County Building Industry Association, or CBIA.

Hancock said that a local general contractor recently reported receiving 11 percent more square feet in rent for the standards-compliant buildings it constructed. "The company's client now building on speculation because of the rents they're able to get," said Hancock.

To address the concern of some local architects and builders that the rules would result in monotonous similarity, the county has arranged the standards like a "Chinese menu" to provide a variety of choices to ensure originality and adaptability. "The standards don't dictate style but rather require the inclusion of basic elements of good design," Hancock added.

Since Collier County officials approved the original standards in early 1997, the county has issued more than 200 commercial permits. While the design standards have generated a few complaints, no company has filed an official protest or refused to build.

Builder Walt Lewis said the standards have given Discount Auto Parts a decidedly more attractive appearance. While the retailer's standard design employs a bright-yellow marquee and big, red letters, Lewis chose charcoal gray to replace the yellow and built a four-column, arched entry to lessen the store's boxiness. In fact, Lewis was so impressed with the results that he posed for a picture in front of the finished building, and the company is now using the improved facade as the prototype for future stores.

On the other hand, the standards rankled Amsdell Cos., a national storage-center company based in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, requiring the company to forsake its corporate colors on its storage facility built last year. Amsdell threatened to pursue legal recourse, but Keith Sower, the company's local builder, persuaded them that such action would only delay the project.

The new standards also required Amsdell to build five insets along one of the facility's walls and plant 10 palm trees in the niches. Unfortunately, the wall is only visible from the back of a Home Depot. According to Sower, the design standards raised the facility's construction costs from $25 to $35 per square foot.

"Developers' increased costs associated with the design standards could very well be passed along to the consumer as higher prices," said Jim Nashman, executive vice president of Pelican Bay Development. "Overall, the regulations have not seemed to slow the community's growth and development."

Other building representatives agreed.

"Residents and visitors of Collier County have high expectations of this community," said John Wiseman, president of the Collier Building Industry Association (CBIA). "The standards are a reflection of this fact."

Wiseman also said that many older commercial developments, such as the Waterside Shops and Coastland Center Mall, can still be attractive without design standards in place. "Yet codifying the standards helps ensure that everybody is playing from the same sheet of music," he added.

"The issue of architectural and site standards is more than a matter of compliance," said Thomas Garlick, an attorney at Annis, Mitchell, Cockey, Edwards & Roehn in Naples who represents many developers in Florida. "In my experience, builders in Collier County are much more conscious of incorporating high architectural standards because gaining the acceptance and ap