Analysis Phase Complete - Findings

This update is focusing on specific design provisions for the historic downtown district.

The rules defined in the Design Regulations & Guidelines document help direct the look and function of new development in our city.

The rules require design that is human scaled, people oriented, neighborhood appropriate, builds on our community's history and addresses the street and public areas.

Staff's presentation to the Planning Commission on July 22, 2008 was intended to gain direction from the Planning Commission. The next step will be to draft appropriate Code language, conduct additional public outreach, and return to the Planning Commission shortly.

The Planning Commission will then be forwarding a recommendation on to City Council.

The adaptation and adoption process involved looking at two specific documents developed in 2006 as part of the Windjammer Program to see how they could best be incorporated into our Design Regulations for the Harborside District (Downtown Streetscape and Storefront Design Guidelines).

The Downtown Streetscape document defines details, often called “street furniture”, that will become components of the Pioneer Way street improvement program.

These describe the elements that are within the public realm, and would largely only relate to new developments, such as street lights, landscaping, public art, benches, bike racks, etcetera.

The Storefront document states that its objective includes restoring the character, integrity, and visual appeal of existing downtown buildings.

However, much of the suggested design solutions are site and building specific, and do not provide direction for new development within the district. This project is intended to take the main principles of that work and incorporate it in the existing Design Regulations so that it is fair and useable for all sites within the Harborside area.