Urban Design Guidelines - Employment Areas - Town of Ajax

• Locate parking and service areas away from theprimary gateway or landmark location.• Design sites to create year-round interest andan attractive night time appearance.• Relate development on all adjacent corners orsites, as appropriate, through coordinatingsetbacks, massing, heights and landscaping.Encourage buildings with compatiblearchitectural styles, elements and details.• Provide public identity elements at key locationsappropriate to the hierarchy of streets.5.1.1 Highway 401/Salem RoadInterchange GatewayAs identified on the map entitled “Street Hierarchyand Public Identity Elements as they Relate toEmployment Areas” (Figure, 6 p. 25), the lands inthe vicinity of the Highway 401/Salem Roadinterchange constitute the town’s easternemployment area gateway from Highway 401. Thiseastern gateway is intended to provide the principalhighway egress location into the abutting prestigeemployment area from highway 401 and from areasnorth and south along Salem Road. Development inthis location will convey an upscale employmentbusiness image of the highest quality and reinforcethe vision of this gateway as a corporate addressand destination. The development of landmarkbuildings shall be undertaken in order to highlightthe entry point and provide orientation elements.Given that this area is intended to be developed foremployment intensive uses, buildings shall be multistoreyand of commensurate size and massing.Built form is required to provide for a transition inscale from the broad expanses of Highway 401 tothe more contained urban corridor appropriate toSalem Road, and achieve the intent of theguidelines for gateway areas as outlined in section5.1. Special attention shall also be given to thedesign, layout and siting of buildings in order toprovide direct views and pedestrian access toadjacent natural features and stormwatermanagement ponds, allowing employees andvisitors to take full advantage of these features.52