Grand Terrace, California - Objective Design Standards
/ Don ArambulaProject Overview
Grand Terrace is a small community located in San Bernardino County, California. Crandall Arambula created an ODS document that is easy for staff to administer and for applicants to understand. In addition to development standards, Crandall Arambula provided an analysis and recommendations for streamlining Grand Terrace’s development review process, eliminating barriers to housing production.
Applicable Tasks & Outcomes
Project management. Biweekly meetings with planning staff; iterative reviews of work in progress; held meetings with city departments and San Bernardino County agencies.
Analysis & Information Gathering. Evaluated existing and draft development codes, land use review procedures, and recent development proposals.
Stakeholder Engagement. Conducted engagement with planning commissioners, and conducted workshop sessions for the development community, stakeholders, and the general public.
Design Tools for Applicants. ODS is Supported by a fact sheet for developers, a comprehensive ODS checklist, and a package of sample narrative text and graphical illustrations to show applicants how to demonstrate compliance with the ODS criteria.
Design Guidelines & Code Language. Delivered ODS document, to be adopted as language embedded in the city’s code.
OTHER POLICY & REGULATION PROJECTS
Crandall Arambula prepared an Architectural and Urban Design Manual for the City of Issaquah, completed in August 2018, providing guidelines for development proposals in Central Issaquah that include tools for urban design, parking, architectural fit, affordable housing, mixed-use, and district visions, while ensuring alignment with community values and facilitating a comprehensive community engagement process.
Crandall Arambula developed Objective Design & Development Standards (ODDS) for Sand City's new multifamily and mixed-use projects, translating existing guidelines into quantifiable standards through analysis, stakeholder engagement, and project management, culminating in the adoption of the ODDS document in May 2024.
Crandall Arambula developed universal, objective standards for Newport Beach to replace the subjective, ad-hoc system of multifamily housing design regulation, enhancing certainty and predictability for applicants, with tasks including project management, analysis, and the adoption of new design standards in March 2024.
Crandall Arambula developed text and graphic illustrations for the Tropico Transit Oriented Development district to support a mixed-use, high-density neighborhood, focusing on diverse employment, housing opportunities, and pedestrian-friendly public spaces, with tasks including project management, analysis, stakeholder engagement, and the adoption of new design standards in 2023.
Crandall Arambula evaluated Glendale's multi-family design standards to identify and amend constraints inhibiting development, aiming to stimulate investment in housing and address the affordable housing shortage, with tasks including project management, analysis, design tools creation, and the adoption of new design standards in 2023.
Crandall Arambula collaborated with Glendale staff to update commercial zoning standards, introducing new Objective Design Standards (ODS) to facilitate residential and mixed-use development in commercial areas, supported by thorough analysis, stakeholder engagement, and the creation of a Pattern Book, with the Tropico TOD ODS adopted by the City Council in 2023.
Crandall Arambula developed an easy-to-administer ODS document for Grand Terrace, streamlining the development review process and eliminating barriers to housing production, supported by thorough analysis, stakeholder engagement, and comprehensive design tools, ultimately integrating the guidelines into the city's code.
Crandall Arambula developed city-wide design standards for Coachella, addressing the need for affordable housing by creating a baseline for housing proposals, engaging stakeholders, and providing comprehensive guidelines, which led to a broader overhaul of the city's land use and development review process.