MRSC Webinar: Design Review – Tips and Recommended Practices

Registration closes on Tuesday, February 11 at 5 PM. All registrants will also receive a link to view the webinar recording.

Webinar Overview

Local design standards and review processes are important for ensuring that new developments maintain a consistent level of aesthetic quality within a community. It is usually easier to gain community acceptance of a new development if it is well designed. However, determining what constitutes “good design” can be challenging, and design review processes are sometimes criticized for adding extra time to the development application.

To address such concerns, HB 1293 was enacted in 2023 and codified in RCW 36.70A.630. This legislation requires clear and objective design standards and set limitations on design review processes for cities and counties planning under the Growth Management Act. This webinar will provide up-to-date guidance and local examples about how local governments are modifying their design review requirements and procedures to address HB 1293.

Educational Objectives

In this webinar, you will learn about the following:

• The requirements of HB 1293 and RCW 36.70A.630
• What is meant by the term “design review”
• The important difference between a design standard and a design guideline
• How to encourage high-quality building design in a collaborative manner
• Real-life case studies from Washington State local governments

Who Should Attend?

Planning and community development staff, permit staff, architects and urban designers, city managers, county administrators, elected officials, and other people interested in building design.

Credits

This training is eligible for:

• 1.5 hours of CM credit from the American Planning Association.

Presenters

• Bob Bengford, AICP, Partner, MAKERS. Bob is a certified planner with over 25 years of planning and urban design experience, including work in several states. Bob has become a national leader in crafting form-based zoning and design provisions to meet community objectives, completing over 70-such projects at MAKERS. This includes a full spectrum of community and development types, from dense urban downtowns, historic neighborhoods, diverse communities, post-war commercial/industrial centers, and auto-oriented commercial corridors. Promoting sensitive integration of a greater diversity of housing types into Washington communities has long been a priority emphasis. Bob has been collaborating with communities on such projects long enough to see a range of developments occur under his codes and after his adopted plans. These results have offered great lessons in techniques that work, and in development review where adjustments can be made.
• Dean Gunderson, MCRP, Affiliate Faculty, Eastern Washington University, Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Dean is a seasoned urban designer and public planner who is dedicated to the integration of high-quality urban/rural design and public engagement with both New Urbanism and Smart Growth Planning principles. Dean has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, developing and implementing public policy. In addition to his certifications in public engagement, Dean has over 30 years’ experience as a charrette facilitator and director. With a unique combination of skills in architectural/urban design and large-scale infrastructure planning Dean has served as a guest lecturer in Architecture and Planning programs at several universities and currently serves as adjunct faculty for the Eastern Washington University Urban & Regional Planning Department. Dean has also served on the Board of Directors for several non-profit and professional organizations and is a published author who has written on a range of subjects about development and governance in the American West. Most recently, Dean served as the Senior Urban Designer for the City of Spokane where he ran the city’s design review program for seven years, writing design development codes and plans, and designing capital projects for the city.
• Catherine McCoy, Senior Planner, Washington State Department of Commerce. As a regional planner in Growth Management Services, Catherine provides technical assistance to jurisdictions in southwest Washington on permitting, civic and urban design and form based codes. Catherine partners with the American Planning Association and Planning Association of Washington to provide the Southwest Washington Planners’ Forums, a specialized quarterly meeting for sharing information among state and local planners on nationally recognized planning trends and topics. Catherine has worked in planning and land use development for 17 years, specializing in regulatory development, permitting and design review. Catherine has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography with a minor in Political Science from Montana State University in Bozeman, MT, and a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.
• Drew Pollom, Associate Attorney, Ogden Murphy Wallace PLLC. Drew works in OMW’s Municipal, Tribal, and Environmental practice groups. He assists his municipal clients on homelessness, housing, land use appeals, public records requests, public defense contracting, and engaging with tribal governments. He also is a regular speaker on the legal aspects of planning as well as on tribal governments and the fundamentals of Indian Law. He currently serves as the Chair of the Indian Law Section for the Washington State Bar Association. Before joining OMW, Drew served as in-house legal counsel with the Lummi Nation. received a BA in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Gonzaga University, a J.D. from Seattle University School of Law, and a L.L.M. from the University of Washington School of Law.
• Joe Tovar, FAICP, Affiliate Faculty, Western Washington University, Department of Urban and Environmental Planning & Policy. Joe is a Lecturer  at Western Washington University and an Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Design & Planning, College of the Built Environment, at the University of Washington. Joe began his career in 1976 as a planner for the City of Kirkland, eventually becoming Planning Director. Since then, Joe has had many years of experience in a variety of planning related positions. Joe holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Washington, a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California and is a graduate of the Rocky Mountain Program for Senior Executives at the University of Colorado. Joe is a past president of the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association and a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
• Steve Butler, FAICP, Planning & Policy Manager, MRSC (Moderator). Steve has been involved in most aspects of community planning for over 35 years, both in the public and private sectors. At MRSC, he focuses primarily on the topics of planning, zoning, affordable housing, and homelessness. Steve has served as president of statewide planning associations in both Washington and Maine. Steve received a MS in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA from St. Lawrence University (Canton, NY).

Training Scholarships

• The Washington Counties Risk Pool (WCRP) will provide one (1) training scholarship per member-county for this webinar. Those wishing to take advantage of this offer are asked to contact your county risk manager who will provide you with a free discount code to be used during registration. To learn if you are a WCRP member or if you have questions about WCRP scholarship opportunities, please contact MemberServices@wcrp.wa.gov.
• Read about other scholarship opportunities.

Payment Policy: Payment for this webinar is completed online by credit card. If you need to be billed, there will be a $5.00 administrative fee added to the cost of registration. Please contact Jacob Rice (jrice@mrsc.org) if you need to request an invoice for this webinar.

Refund Policy: Refunds of the webinar fee will be provided in full if registration is canceled before Tuesday, February 11 at 11:59 PM. After that, refunds will be provided minus a $5.00 administrative fee up until the start of the webinar. Please contact Jacob Rice (jrice@mrsc.org) if you need to request a refund.

If you are registered for the webinar and are unable to attend, you will still be able to view the recorded webinar afterwards. However, if you cancel your registration, you will not receive a link to the recording.