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Planning commission reviews draft guidelines on exterior building materials and colors
Summary
Commissioners discussed draft design guidance that groups exterior colors into categories (high-intensity fluorescent, earth tones, muted earth tones, black) and considered allowing blue and clarifying black as accent use; the item was presented for direction, not adoption.
The Lapeer City Planning Commission on May 8 reviewed a draft of building-materials and exterior-color guidance intended for commercial and industrial properties and provided initial direction to staff.
Planning staff presented a table that classifies colors into four categories: high-intensity fluorescent (restricted to limited coverage), earth tones (permitted), muted earth tones (permitted) and black (used as an accent, restricted to about 10% coverage in the draft). Staff noted trademark or corporate colors could still be approved by the planning commission on a case-by-case basis.
Commissioners asked staff to add blue to the muted-earth-tone category (some commissioners noted navy or darker blues as acceptable) and discussed how to treat very dark gray or “black” facades used as modern design accents. Several commissioners indicated support for leaving an approval path to the planning commission for color deviations rather than a prescriptive prohibition.
Staff said the draft is a starting point for direction and that no formal code amendment was being adopted at the meeting. Commissioners indicated general support for the framework and asked staff to refine the language and examples of permitted and restricted colors for future review.
The item will return to a future meeting with clarified definitions and an expanded color table incorporating commissioners’ feedback.
