DPD Updates Citywide Design Guidelines
The City’s design guidelines, entitled Design Review: Guidelines for Multifamily and Commercial Buildings, have been the cornerstone of the Design Review Program since 1994. These original guidelines formed the basis for 19 sets of neighborhood-specific guidelines (as of July 2009) and a set of Downtown guidelines. In 2008 DPD initiated a process to update the 15-year-old citywide guidelines and began drafting revisions with the assistance of architecture and urban design consultant Weinstein Architects and Urban Planners. The first draft of updated Citywide Design Guidelines was made available for public review in January 2010. A second draft of the Citywide Design Guidelines will be issued in March 2011. This second—and final—draft includes revisions made based on public comment received. It will be submitted to City Council for review and adoption in late spring 2011.
Why Revise the Guidelines?
Although the original citywide guidelines have served the City and the Design Review Program well for the last 15 years, several factors suggested that a revision was in order. Changing conditions in neighborhoods, emerging issues in urban design and development, practical usability of the guidelines, and new best practices in the field of design review were all factors in the decision to update the current citywide design guidelines.
In order to decide how best to update the design guidelines, DPD contracted with Weinstein Architects and Urban Planners to analyze the original guidelines within the context of current urban design issues and projects. That analysis resulted in a report, Findings and Alternatives Report—Phase 1, that evaluated the existing guidelines, researched guidelines from others cities, and recommended 3 options for restructuring the updated guidelines. DPD developed a hybrid from the 3 options and proceeded to draft the updated design guidelines with the continued assistance of Weinstein A/U, along with DPD staff and Design Review Board members.
Purpose and Objectives of the Update
The purpose of the update is, above all, to help increase the quality of design in Seattle’s urban neighborhoods. As a primary tool in the Design Review process, the guidelines provide the authority and mandate for Boards to review projects fairly and comprehensively across the city. By incorporating lessons learned from the development of neighborhood-specific guidelines and 15 years of projects reviewed under the Design Review Program, DPD has strived to ensure the updated guidelines reflect current issues and priorities. The update is also intended to increase the effectiveness of the guidelines as a tool in encouraging better design, and improve the clarity and ease of their use by applicants, Board members, and the public.
The Updated Citywide Design Guidelines
Feedback early in the process showed that City staff, Design Review Board members, and community members believe that the core urban design and architectural principles addressed in the original guidelines are still sound. However most of those commenting also expressed a desire to see several improvements:
- streamlining the format and number of guidelines,
- eliminating redundancies and extraneous text, and
- adding language related to addressing sustainability in project design.
As a result, the updated guidelines are fewer in number but broader in scope—just 13 guidelines in 3 categories, with each individual guideline also offering direction and suggestions for a number of specific sub-issues related to the broader guideline. The update reaffirms the original emphasis on design that is responsive to its context, while also encouraging contemporary expressions of architectural style and a more expansive definition of context. A new addition to the guidelines is an emphasis on assessing project designs for their impact on the environment and community, looking at sustainability from several perspectives—environmental, social, and life-cycle cost.
Neighborhood-specific Design Guidelines
The update addresses the general design guidelines applied citywide except for downtown and its related neighborhood, Belltown. All existing neighborhood-specific design guidelines remain in effect for projects within their borders.
Next Steps
DPD will be submitting a final draft of the Citywide Design Guidelines to the Mayor for his review. Upon his review and approval, the Mayor will forward the guidelines, along with accompanying legislation, to City Council for its review and adoption. Council will likely also include an opportunity for public comment prior to adopting the guidelines. Once adopted, the updated Citywide Design Guidelines will replace the current guidelines; Design Review: Guidelines for Multifamily and Commercial Buildings, as the guiding document for the Design Review Program.
Charting the Future
Seattle’s urban neighborhoods are poised for change as the places where the majority of our city’s growth will be accommodated in the years ahead. The City’s Design Review Program strives to make those changes as graceful and successful as possible, with design guidelines as its primary tool. In order to meet the twin challenges of livability and sustainability, neighborhood development must contribute to a more sustainable, walkable, and transit-adapted city. Seattle’s design guidelines are important in meeting these challenges. We look forward to public review and your comments!
March 9, 2011
