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[1] The lower floor levels of a facade should provide the highest amount of facade opening and articulation. The ground floor should be very open and inviting to the pedestrian, and employ the strongest use of depth in the facade. [2] Display windows shall not be covered up, removed, or downsized. The use of opaque or heavily tinted glass is not permitted. If screening is necessary, interior blinds or curtains are encouraged. [3] Awning or transom windows are encouraged at the street level. [4] All entrances into upper floors shall be located to afford direct access from the sidewalk. [5] Corner buildings may have two separate entry points or a single-entry point at the corner (see Figure 7). (c) Upper floors (see Figure 8). [1] Upper-floor openings shall be residential in size, proportion, and character and provide a reduced transparency than that of the first floor. [2] Upper-floor windows shall be double-hung with ornamental elements such as a flat stone lintel or hoodmolds. [3] The spacing of upper-floor openings shall match that of the major storefront elements on the first floor. [4] Lowered ceilings should have a soffit at each window that allows retention of the full window height. (6) Building materials and textures. (a) The use of stucco, plastic panels, sheet metal, clear-coated aluminum, concrete block, or smooth concrete is prohibited. (b) The use of modern and/or nontraditional materials or textures may be permitted with Planning Board approval. (c) All wooden materials shall be finished using either stain or paint in order to protect them from the elements. (d) All metal materials shall be finished and colored to match the design of adjacent structures if deemed appropriate by the Planning Board. (e) All materials traditionally left unpainted, especially masonry elements, shall remain unpainted unless otherwise approved by the Planning Board. (7) Additional regulations. (a) Street level residential occupancies of multistory, mixed-use structures or structures originally designed for commercial purposes along North and South Buffalo shall be prohibited. (b) Any signs, awnings, and storefronts fronting the North and South Buffalo Corridor area shall be oriented and scaled to the pedestrian zone so as not to negatively impact the visual character of the street. (c) Existing historical architectural elements and features of buildings identified by the Planning Board shall be retained to the greatest extent practicable, unless otherwise permitted by the Planning Board. (d) Existing historical architectural elements and features of buildings identified by the Planning Board that are in need of repair or replacement shall be done so in kind by either reusing original materials or duplicating the design and materials of the original as closely as possible, unless otherwise permitted by the Planning Board. (e) In the event that historical architectural elements or features identified by the Planning Board have previously been removed or altered from original buildings, subsequent efforts to repair or replace these elements should be done in such a way to return the building to its original historic specifications as closely as possible.