Design Review Guidelines and Code Provisions

Contents

• Introduction
• General Multifamily and Commercial Design Guidelines
• Design Review of Downtown Development
• Single-Family Design Review
• Historic Preservation Design Review
• Guidelines for Transportation Corridors
• Guidelines for Large-Scale (Big-Box) Retail Development
• Guidelines for Other Development Types
• Subarea and Neighborhood Design Guidelines

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Introduction

This page is part of the overall design review topic pages.  It includes sample design guidelines for different types of development, including multifamily and commercial, downtown areas, single-familiy, historic areas, transportation corridors, big-box retail development, and neighborhood-scale guidelines.

General Multifamily and Commercial Design Guidelines

This section includes sample general design review manuals and guidelines for commercial, mixed-use, and multifamily development. It includes some code provisions and design review processes.

Washington Sample Guidelines

• Bainbridge Island Municipal Code Ch. 18.41 - Design Guidelines
• Bellevue Land Use Code Part 20.30F - Design Review
• Bellingham Urban Village Design Guidelines and Standards   
• Buckley Ordinance No. 11-08 (), passed 04/22/2008 - adopting City of Buckley Guidelines for Redevelopment
• Ellensburg Municipal Code Ch. 1.45 - Landmarks and Design
• Gig Harbor
  • Gig Harbor Municipal Code Ch. 17.99 - Design Manual
  • Gig Harbor Municipal Code Ch. 17.98 - Design Standards and Review 
• Kirkland
  • Design Guidelines for Pedestrian-Oriented Business Districts () 03/2009
  • Kirkland Zoning Code Ch. 92 - Design Regulations
• Langley Municipal Code Ch. 18.34 () - Design Review Board
• Mill Creek Municipal Code Ch. 17.34 - Design Review
• Olympia
  • Olympia Municipal Code Ch. 18.76 - Design Review Board
  • Olympia Municipal Code Ch. 18.100 - Design Review
  • Olympia Municipal Code Ch. 18.110 - Basic Commercial Design Criteria
• Puget Sound Regional Council, Design Guidelines Manual, Destination 2030, Physical Design Guidelines ()
• Redmond Zoning Code Article III - Design Standards, Ch. 21.58 through Ch. 21.62 - Citywide Design Standards and Urban Center Design Standards 
• Seattle Design Review Program (including design review guidelines for downtown, multifamily and commercial development and neighborhood-specific guidelines)
• Sumner
  • Sumner Design and Development Guidelines ( 10 MB), 2008
  • Sumner Municipal Code Ch. 18.40 - Design and Development Guidelines
• Tumwater Municipal Code Ch. 18.43 - Design Review Guidelines
• University Place Municipal Code Ch. 19.50 - Design Standards for Mixed Use, Mixed use-Office, and Commercial Zones
• Westport Design Standards and Guidelines (), 02/2007 

Out of State Sample Guidelines

• Austin. TX Urban Design Guidelines for Austin (), 01/2009
• Fort Collins, CO Land Use Code, Division 3.5 - Building Standards
• Portland, OR Design Guidelines - Links to various design guideline documents
• Sedona, AZ Land Development Code, Article 10 - Design Review Manual 

Design Review of Downtown Development

• Downtowns Developed Around Themes (MRSC)
• Bonney Lake Downtown Bonney Lake Design Standards (), 2010 
• Burien Municipal Code Ch. 19.47 - Downtown Design Standards ()
• Edmonds Municipal Code Ch. 22.43 - Design Standards for the BD1 Zone
• Kirkland Resolution R-4739, 03/2009 - Kirkland Design Guidelines for Pedestrian-Oriented Business Districts ()
• Leavenworth Municipal Code Ch. 14.08 - Old World Bavarian Architectural Theme
• Puyallup Downtown Design Guidelines (), 04/2006
• Walla Walla
  • Walla Walla Municipal Code Ch. 20.178 - Design Standards for Downtown Walla Walla
  • Downtown Walla Walla Foundation, Design Standards for Downtown Walla Walla ()

Single-Family Design Review

Single-family design guidelines generally focus on specific situations, such as neo-traditional development, garage design, steep slopes or unique lot conditions, or transitional areas adjacent to more intensive uses. Design review for single-family development is more common in California and Arizona than in the Northwest.

• Bainbridge Island, Design Guidelines for R-8SF Urban Single-Family Overlay District ()
• Gig Harbor Design Review Manual, Article I - Architecture (), see sec.17.99.490 - Single-Family Housing and Duplex Standards
• Kennewick Residential Single-Family Design Standards (), 03/2004
• Oakland (CA) Special Residential Design Review Standards and Criteria, revised 2004
• Phoenix (AZ) Single Family Design Review - Includes ordinance, guidelines and worksheet
• San Mateo (CA) Single-Family Dwelling Design Review
• Sumner, "Single-Family & Duplex Guidelines," in Sumner Design and Development Guidelines (), 2008. 

Historic Preservation Design Review

Design review for historic properties is common and includes development within historic districts as well as individual designated structures outside of districts. Design review of changes to historic properties addresses both preservation of key features of designated buildings and the compatibility of adjacent new development with historic buildings. Landmarks and historic district boards typically review changes to historic structures for compatibility with adopted guidelines that address important designated features of a building and/or characteristics of buildings within a historic district. Many historic preservation guidelines for design review are based on The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. Most preservation boards have adapted The Secretary of the Interior's Standards by developing their own guidelines for changes to historic properties.

• Clark County Historic Preservation Commission, Design Changes
• Creating and Using Design Guidelines, National Park Service - Series of articles about historic preservation design guidelines
• Lacey Municipal Code Ch. 16.14 - Lacey Historical Neighborhood (see sec.16.14.090 Special historical neighborhood design standards)
• Preparing a Project for Design Review, Technical Paper No. 21, 09/2008, King County Historic Preservation Program - Explains the purpose of design review and Certificate of Appropriateness process
• Snohomish Historic District Design Standards () 2003
• Tacoma Historic Preservation Design Review
• Wenatchee Register of Historic Places & Design Guidelines for Commercial Properties ()

Guidelines for Transportation Corridors

Some communities have developed special design guidelines for major transportation routes, including scenic corridors. These are different from public works street design manuals, which focus on engineering construction specifications.

• Edmonds Highway 99 Enhancement Project Report, () Makers Architecture and Urban Design, 2004
• Kitsap County Bethel Road Corridor Development Plan (includes design guidelines and development standards)
• Shoreline Aurora Corridor Project
• Sumner, East Main Street Design Strategy
• Tacoma Complete Streets Design Guidelines Project 

Guidelines for Large-Scale (Big-Box) Retail Development

Some communities have developed special design guidelines to address big-box retail development, such as Wal-Mart, Costco, Home Depot, and other warehouse-type commercial development.

• Design Guidelines, section of MRSC Web page on Regulation of Large Retail Establishments (Big Box Retail)

Guidelines for Other Development Types

• Black Diamond Design Guidelines for Master Planned Development Framework Design Standards and Guidelines (),
  06/2009
• Zillah Tuscan and Old World Design Guidelines ()

Subarea and Neighborhood Design Guidelines

• Kirkland Design Guidelines for Totem Lake Neighborhood ()
• Seattle, Applicant's Toolbox: Design Guidelines Neighborhood Specific Design Guidelines (select by neighborhood)
• Austin, TX Central Austin Combined Neighborhood Plan Design Guidelines ()