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The section on undesirable building materials has been revised to include more stringent restrictions on the use of mirrored or reflective glass in the B-2 District. Previously, the extensive use of mirrored glass on the first floor of a building was listed as undesirable. Staff believes the City should discourage the use of this material entirely in the district. Given the pace at which building material technology evolves, Staff believes a provision should be included in the section that allows the Community Development Department to approve new materials of equal quality other than those listed. An example of how this provision could be worded is included in the current draft. Commercial Façade Transparency Section F of the B-2 District design standards includes specifications on the configuration and transparency of windows and doors for commercial properties. The section does not address window transparency for multi-family residential uses, which are allowed in the B-2 District within a Planned Unit Development. Additionally, specific guidelines on the arrangement of windows on a building and the permitted materials for windows and doors are not included. Staff has revised Section F to include transparency requirements for residential facades (Attachment A). These specifications are intended to keep with the established design principals while also recognizing that commercial façade transparency requirements are not necessarily appropriate for residential buildings. Guidelines on how windows and doors should be arranged along a building wall are included in the draft revisions. These specifications are meant to ensure consistency between the overall design of the building façade and the placement of window and door openings. The list of acceptable materials for windows and doors is based on industry standards and complements the permitted building wall materials for the district. Further Points of Discussion The drafts that Staff is currently working on represent initial recommended revisions to the B-2 District design standards. Staff is hoping to start an on-going discussion with the Planning Commission about the existing design standards and areas within the standards that could be improved. Additional points of discussion might include the following: Do the draft bicycle parking space requirements accurately reflect the demand for bicycle parking facilities in Arden Hills? Are the new materials added to the acceptable building materials list enduring, timeless, and well-detailed? Are there additional types of materials that should be added to the list? Does the list of acceptable and undesirable building materials effectively address the City’s concerns regarding the quality of building materials? Are the residential façade transparency requirements appropriate? What additional sections of the B-2 District design standards need to be revised? Staff has identified the provisions on parking and franchise architecture as areas that should be studied further.