Building Connections Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections

Building Connections

Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections news and events

Members Sought for Seattle’s Design Review Boards

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Passionate about design or architecture? Mayor Bruce Harrell is looking for qualified candidates to fill 22 upcoming openings on the City of Seattle’s Design Review Boards. Board members evaluate the design of new buildings based on citywide and neighborhood-specific design guidelines. The boards review large mixed-use developments, multifamily housing, and commercial projects. The volunteer positions will start on April 4, 2023, when retiring board members’ terms expire.

Design Review Program Updates

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For the past year our Design Review team has been hard at work striving towards a more inclusive process for historically underserved communities in Seattle, while at the same time creating automated process to reduce repetitive tasks that drain time and resources. With an eye and ear towards making Design Review meetings more accessible, we are studying the values to hosting the meetings virtually. Through our Racial Equality Toolkit, we have identified numerous key components that elevate the virtual experience for members of our community.

Rolling Out Virtual Design Review Board Meetings

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Under the Washington State Governor’s Proclamation No. 20-28.5, Design Review Board in-person meetings are currently prohibited while physical distancing measures remain in place. Therefore, SDCI will continue to restrict in-person meetings for the Design Review program until King County is approved to move to Phase 4 of the “Safe Start” reopening plan. Until then, we are pleased to announce that we will begin the gradual rollout of virtual Design Review Board meetings beginning in August. We are launching this effort for Early Design Guidance meetings only. After one month we will assess our ability to expand virtual meetings to accommodate projects in the Recommendation phase as well (ie. all projects).

Temporary Changes to Land Use Permitting

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On April 3rd, Mayor Durkan announced emergency legislation making temporary land use permitting process changes that prioritize affordable housing, keep projects moving forward by allowing City staff to complete review processes, and allow for robust community participation during this public health emergency by replacing in-person meetings with virtual and electronic outreach.

Reminder: Members Sought for Seattle’s Design Review Boards

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Passionate about design or architecture? Mayor Jenny Durkan is looking for qualified candidates to fill 6 upcoming openings on the City of Seattle’s Design Review Boards. Board members evaluate the design of new buildings based on citywide and neighborhood-specific design guidelines. The boards review large mixed-use developments, multifamily housing, and commercial projects. The volunteer positions will start on April 4, 2020, when retiring board members’ terms expire.

Reminder: Additional Information for Residential Projects Needed on Preliminary Site Plans

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On July 1, updates to Design Review went into effect that changed the residential thresholds from being based on number of units to total gross floor area on a site. While we work on updating our electronic submittal process and the information we collect from you, we need your help to make sure we have the most accurate information about your proposed project. For all projects, please include the total gross floor area – including floor area below grade – on the site plan, along with the unit count for residential projects, so we can identify whether Design Review is required for your project during our interdepartmental preliminary assessment of your project. The requirements we identify in your report are based on the information you provide, so the more you give us will help us respond with the best information.

Additional Information for Residential Projects Needed on Preliminary Site Plans

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On July 1, updates to Design Review went into effect that changed the residential thresholds from being based on number of units to total gross floor area on a site. While we work on updating our electronic submittal process and the information we collect from you, we need your help to make sure we have the most accurate information about your proposed project. For all projects, please include the total gross floor area – including floor area below grade – on the site plan, along with the unit count for residential projects, so we can identify whether Design Review is required for your project during our interdepartmental preliminary assessment of your project. The requirements we identify in your report are based on the information you provide, so the more you give us will help us respond with the best information.

Changes to Design Review Coming Soon

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On July 1, many of the changes to the Design Review program that were adopted as part of Ordinance No. 125429 in October 2017 will go into effect. The changes include: new requirements for early community outreach for all projects going through Design Review; updates to the thresholds that determine which projects are required to go through Design Review.