Central Area Neighborhood Design Guidelines

What's Happening Now?

The Central Area Neighborhood Design Guidelines were adopted in April of 2018. 

Seattle's Central Area neighborhood is going through a phase of rapid growth. As new developments spring up around the area, impacts are felt most strongly by smaller businesses and residents who have long called the neighborhood their home. The Central Area Design Guidelines Coalition (CA DGC) is working to mitigate these impacts by teaming up with the City of Seattle and local architects Schemata Workshop and Mimar Studio to outline a set of neighborhood specific guidelines to guide future development in the CA. In addition, CA DGC received award from Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) to provide further technical assistance on this work.

The CA DGC is a self-organized coalition of the following groups who is partnering with the City on developing the Central Area Neighborhood Design Guidelines:

• 23rd Ave Action Community Team (23rd Ave ACT)
• Central Area Land Use Review Committee (CA LURC)
• Historical Central Area Arts and Cultural District (HCAACD)
• Central Area Collaborative
• African American Veterans Group of Washington

What Are Neighborhood Design Guidelines?

Design guidelines are the backbone of the Design Review Program. They direct designers and project reviewers to look closely at the neighborhood and its character to design new buildings that enhance their surroundings. The guidelines are used by the Design Review Boards and Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections staff to assess the merits of a project.

There are three types of design guidelines:

• Citywide design guidelines
• Downtown guidelines
• Neighborhood-specific guidelines

The neighborhood-specific guidelines are divided into districts, which you can read more about here.

Get Involved

Feedback from the community is needed in order to guide our efforts and create Design Guidelines that will not only help shape new development in the Central Area today, but provide a path and identity for the future. Email Quanlin Hu your feedback or for more information on how to be involved.

Project Documents

City Council Adopted Plan

• Central Area Design Guidelines (April 2018)
• Central Area Design Guidelines Ordinance (April 2018)

September 26, 2017 Community Open House

• Central Area Design Guidelines Draft (September 2017)

June 19, 2017 Community Open House

• Presentation Boards
• Central Area Design Guidelines Draft Summary

February 25-27, 2017 Community Workshops

• Central Area Neighborhood Poster
• Central Area Urban Structure Diagram
• Character Documentation - Union and Cherry
• Character Documentation - Yesler and Jackson
• Culture Components - Union and Cherry
• Culture Components - Yesler and Jackson
• Essential Elements of Neighborhood Character
• Assessing Essential Elements of Neighborhood Character (Workshop Presentation)
• Community Feedback

January 28, 2017 Community Meeting

• Agenda
• Presentation
• Design Guidelines posters
• Timeline
• Photos from meeting

State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination

We have refined our Central Area Design Guidelines based on public input and are ready to move the legislation forward. The Central Area Design Guidelines will guide future development to reflect the unique historical character of the Central Area community; retain the rich characteristics valued by the community's long term residents as well as its new and future residents; and facilitate inclusive and equitable growth and development. The creation of a Central Area Design Review District and Board will support equitable and inclusive community engagement and process specific for those most impacted by displacement, maximize the effectiveness of the Central Area Design Guidelines, and help guide future development to respond to the unique Central Area historical character and identity.

On October 16, 2017, we published the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination of Non-Significance for the draft legislation, draft Central Area Design Guidelines and a Director's Report.

• SEPA Public Notice
• SEPA Determination of Non-Significance
• SEPA Checklist
• SEPA Draft Ordinance
• Draft Central Area Design Guidelines
• Director's Report

Supplemental Documents

• Central Area Neighborhood Design Guidelines Appendix (December 2017)

Background

Central Area Neighborhood Plan Documents

• Central Area Neighborhood Plan (1998)
• Central Area Design Guidelines (1998)

23rd Avenue Action Plan Documents

• Draft 23rd Avenue Action Plan (June 2015)
• Draft 23rd Avenue Action Plan - Urban Design Framework (June 2015)

The Historic Central Area Arts and Cultural District

• Office of Arts and Culture website

Central Area Commercial Revitalization Plan

• Central Area Commercial Revitalization Plan (2016-2018)

Timeline

Click on image to enlarge.