Issaquah, Washington - Central Issaquah Architecture & Urban Design Manual
/ Don ArambulaSummary
Crandall Arambula prepared a guidelines manual for the City of Issaquah that provides guidance for City staff and the City’s Development Commission in the review of development proposals within the Central Issaquah area. Crandall Arambula assisted the City staff and the Development Commission in the facilitation of the community engagement process and development of the Design Manual. The project was initiated in early March 2017 and was completed in early August 2018. The manual includes:
Effective Tools. The Architectural and Urban Design Manual ensured that the community’s expectation for vibrant, redevelopment is met. The firm addressed the missing elements: urban design, parking, architectural fit, affordable housing, mixed-use, and district visions.
Community Vision. Crandall Arambula provided a manual that ensures that future Central Issaquah development results in a more sophisticated and complicated core and addresses fundamental values, including environment, housing, sense of community, transportation, essential services, economic vitality, and innovation.
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.