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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-8 Treatment of Alleys
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D-10 Commercial Lighting

Guideline D-9: Commercial Signage
Signs should add interest to the street front environment and should be appropriate for the scale and character desired in the area.


Explanation and Examples
The details expressed by buildings at the street level infl uences how a pedestrian perceives an area. Appropriately scaled signage can provide visual interest and a human dimension to street-level building facades.

Consider the following:

  • Signage should be designed as an integral part of the building facade.
  • Use signage to help distinguish the ground level of a building from the upper levels of a building.
  • Creativity and individual expression in the design and placement of signs is encouraged.
  • Establishing a rhythm along the street-level façade through continuity and spacing of signs helps to create a human scale.
  • Use creative lighting to accent signs and assure their legibility at night. 
<previous
D-8 Treatment of Alleys
next>
D-10 Commercial Lighting

 

 

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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