Project Reviews


At its meetings on the first and third Thursday of every month, the Seattle Design Commission reviews the following kinds of projects:

• Capital Improvement Projects
• Right-of-Way Projects
• Major Projects

The commission's actions from these reviews are written in each meeting's minutes. 

Project managers can read about how to prepare for these reviews in the Design Commission's Project Review Handbook.

Capital Improvement Projects (CIP)
The Design Commission's primary purpose is to review the design of the City's Capital Improvement Projects. Reviews include:

• parks and community centers
• libraries
• fire and police stations
• road improvements
• public utility structures

Right-of-Way Projects
The Design Commission reviews private development projects when they affect the City's right-of-way, such as:

• street use permits
• skybridge permits
• street and alley vacations
• objects in the right-of-way
• sign permit special exceptions

Major Projects
The Commission reviews the City's largest and most complex projects, sometimes in collaboration with other commissions, boards or agencies. Examples include:

• Master Plans
• • High Point Redevelopment
  • Central Waterfront Plan
• Transportation Infrastructure
• • Seattle Monorail Project
  • Sound Transit Link Light Rail
  • Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement
  • South Lake Union Streetcar
  • State Route 520 Bridge
  • Mercer Corridor