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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-3 Retaining Walls
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D-5 Visual Impacts of
Parking Structures

Guideline D-4: Design of Parking Lots Near Sidewalks
Parking lots near sidewalks should provide adequate security and lighting, avoid encroachment of vehicles onto the sidewalk, and minimize the visual clutter of parking lot signs and equipment.


Explanation and Examples
The following examples illustrate some considerations to address in highly visible parking lots:

Treatment of parking area perimter

  • the edges of parking lots pavement adjacent to landscaped areas and other pavement can be unsightly and difficult to maintain. Providing a curb at the perimeter of parking areas can alleviate these problems.

Security lighting

  • provide the appropriate levels of lighting to create adequate visibility at night. Evenly distributed lighting increases security, and glare-free lighting reduces impacts on nearby property.

Encroachment of cars onto the sidewalk

  • without tire bumpers or a low wall, parked cars can hang over sidewalks. One technique to protect landscaped and pedestrian areas from encroachment by parked cars is to provide a wide wheel stop about two feet from the sidewalk. A preferable technique is to install an extended curb, which is more durable than wheel stops and does not catch debris.

Signs and equipment

  • reduce sign clutter by painting markings on the pavement or by consolidating signs. Provide storage that is out of view from the sidewalk and adjacent properties for moveable or temporary equipment like sawhorses or barrels.

Screening of parking

  • screening of parking areas need not be uniform along the property frontage. Variety in the type and relative amount of screening may be appropriate.
  • screen walls constructed of durable, attractive materials need not extend above waist level. Screen walls across a street or adjacent to a residential zone could also include landscaping or a trellis or grillwork with climbing vines.
  • screening can be designed to provide clear visibility into parking areas to promote personal safety.

 

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D-3 Retaining Walls
next>
D-5 Visual Impacts of
Parking Structures

 

 

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.

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