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Link to Seattle Design Commission Home Page Link to About Us Link to Contact Us Link to Design Commission Home Page Championing civic design excellence in Seattle's public realm Guillermo Romano, Seattle Design Commission Director
Who We Are: Staff

Role
Several staff from the City of Seattle's Department of Planning and Development work part-time to support the Design Commission. They:

  • facilitate the commission's strategic direction
  • schedule project reviews and record minutes of the commission's meetings
  • communicate the commission's recommendations to the Mayor, City Council and the City's departments
  • recruit and train new commisioners
  • provide administrative and planning support for the commission's special events

Guillermo Romano, Executive Director
guillermo.romano@seattle.gov
206 233-7808

Valerie Kinast, Coordinator
valerie.kinast@seattle.gov
206 233-7911

Joan James, Administrative Specialist
joan.james@seattle.gov
206 386-0098

Tom Iurino, Outreach
tom.iurino@seattle.gov
206 684-0435

Jeffery Arango, Intern
jeffery.arango@seattle.gov
206 615-1107

Last Updated: March 16, 2009

News
Council Briefing
On August 10, 2009 the Seattle Design Commission briefed the City Council on its work over the past year, including fifty-five projects reviews, an annual retreat, a 40th anniversary event, one construction site visit and two workshops. Read the Council report and watch the video presentation on the Seattle Channel.

Next Meeting
See the agenda.

Recommendations
The Seattle Design Commission writes recommendations to public officials about the urban design merits of the largest projects impacting the city, such as:

Stormwater Code
The Design Commission supports updating the Seattle Stormwater Code to incorporate, define and encourage the use of green stormwater infrastructure throughout the City on both public and private projects. Read the letter urging revisions to the stormwater code (9/2009)

SR 520 Bridge Replacement
The Design Commission supports Option K, with modifications, and finds Option A a viable alternative, with modifications. Read the letter (12/2008).

See more recommendations. Also, read the minutes of the commission's project reviews.

Visual Resume

The Grass Blades
See the AIA award-winning The Grass Blades at the Seattle Center and how the Design Commission's review made a difference in the development of this project. Open the Visual Resume.

photo by Benjamin Benschneider

Annual Report
2008 annual report thumbnail
2008 Report
In 2008, the Design Commission reviewed $12.4 billion worth of public projects. For details, see the commission's annual report. 

Seattle Design Commission
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