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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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A-3 Entrances Visible to the Street
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A-5 Respect for Adjacent Sites

Guideline A-4: Human Activity
New development should be sited and designed to encourage human activity on the street.


Explanation and Examples
Livelier street edges make for safer streets. Ground floor shops and market spaces providing services needed by residents can attract market activity to the street and increase safety through informal surveillance. Entrances, porches, balconies, decks, seating and other elements can promote use of the street front and provide places for neighborhly interaction. Siting decisions should consider the importance of these features in a particular context and allow for their incorporation.

 

<previous
A-3 Entrances Visible to the Street
next>
A-5 Respect for Adjacent Sites
Last Updated: December 24, 2004

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

Archive

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

Digital Submissions
Applicants must provide a .pdf file of their design proposals to DPD five business 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 2010, 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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