Design Review - Design Guidelines
On October 26, 2025, the City adopted temporary rules to align with new state law (House Bill 1293). These temporary rules pause the requirement for Design Review, making it voluntary for new development proposals.
These rules will remain in place while SDCI works on long-term updates to the Design Review program and its guidelines, as required by House Bill 1293.
To learn more, please visit our 2025 Design Review Program Changes webpage.
What Is It?
Our 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 our staff to assess the merits of a project.
Design Guidelines
We have two sets design guidelines that cover the entire city:
In addition, we have several sets of neighborhood-specific design guidelines that supplement the Citywide and Downtown design guidelines. The neighborhood-specific guidelines are listed below and divided into the their respective design review districts:
Northwest Design Review Board District
Northeast Design Review Board District
West Design Review Board District
Southeast Design Review Board District
Southwest Design Review Board District
Downtown Design Review Board District
East Design Review Board District
Central Area Design Review Board District
Previous Design Guidelines
The following design guidelines were effective until January 18, 2014.
Design Guidelines Correlations
- Correlation of Old Citywide Design Guidelines with the New Citywide Design Guidelines
- Correlation of Old Citywide Design Guidelines with Neighborhood Guidelines
Northwest Design Review Board District
Northeast Design Review Board District
West Design Review Board District
Southeast Design Review Board District
Southwest Design Review Board District
Downtown Design Review Board District
East Design Review Board District