EDMONDS — Five years after the job of developing new design guidelines for new development in downtown Edmonds was put before the planning board, updates have been approved by the city council.
The council unanimously OK’d on April 3 the planning board’s recommendation to update city code with new design guidelines that address considerations ranging from screening dumpsters to architectural elements that complement the existing character of nearby historic structures.
Councilwoman Mauri Moore was absent from the meeting.
The successful motion also included acceptance of a new “up-front” review process by the city Development Services Department. The process will be applicable, at first, only to the downtown and Highway 99 districts. It is expected the process eventually will be expanded to neighborhood business districts such as Westgate, Firdale and Five Corners, according to city staff. Under the new review process, the Architectural Design Board will be brought into the loop at the beginning of the process, rather than at the end, which is the case now. An amendment offered by Councilman Michael Plunkett requires the scheduling of an applicant’s meeting with the ADB to be within 30 days of the submission of the completed project application.
The new process also establishes a time line of 120 days for the city to move a submitted project through the required stages leading to final approval. How quickly projects progress, staff pointed out, still will be affected by how promptly applicants fulfill their requirements.
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