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Design Review Program
Applicant's Toolbox: Design Guidelines

Multifamily and Commercial Buildings | Downtown Development | Neighborhood-Specific Design Guidelines

Design Review Guidelines for Multifamily and Commercial Buildings

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D-9 Commercial Signage
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D-11 Commercial Transparency

Guideline D-10: Commercial Lighting
Appropriate levels of lighting should be provided in order to promote visual interest and a sense of security for people in commercial districts during evening hours. Lighting may be provided by incorporation into the building façade, the underside of overhead weather protection, on and around street furniture, in merchandising display windows, in landscaped areas, and/or on signage.


Explanation and Examples
Consider employing one or more of the following lighting strategies as appropriate:

  • Illuminate distinctive features of the building, including entries, signage, canopies, and areas of architectural detail and interest.
  • Install lighting in display windows that spills onto and illuminates the sidewalk.
  • Orient outside lighting to minimize glare within the public right-of-way or in adjacent property.

 

<previous
D-9 Commercial Signage
next>
D-11 Commercial Transparency

 

 

Last Updated: July 15, 2005

Upcoming Project Reviews
Each of the seven Design Review Boards meets twice a month. See the upcoming schedule. 

Past Meetings

Search the past meetings to find design proposals and reports of project reviews.

Digital Submissions
Applicants must provide a .pdf file of their design proposals to DPD ten calendar days in advance of a board meeting. Download the instructions. Ready to send? Submit your .pdf file.

Design Guidelines

Thirty design review guidelines for multifamily and commercial buildings--along with neighborhood-specific supplements--form the backbone of the City's Design Review Program in Seattle's neighborhoods. Separate guidelines govern downtown development.

In early 2012, DPD will be updating the design guidelines for multifamily and commercial development.

Gallery of Great Examples

5th and Bell
See the 5th and Bell project and other great examples of projects that were developed through the Design Review process.

Department of Planning and Development (DPD)
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