As is the case with most things requiring municipal approval, there are bound to be surprises along the way. The design review process, which ensures high-quality site plans, landscape designs, and building design, is no exception.
While it is imperative that all projects adhere to or exceed established design requirements, surprises are inevitable throughout the construction phase. Here are four aspects of the design assessment that may come as a surprise to you.
Fact #1: Citizens Acting as Volunteers
In many communities, residents serve as volunteers on the design review board. The municipal assembly is responsible for making the volunteers—the lack of general public expertise in urban planning among the poor choices.
It could lead to biases, which in turn could result in too stringent or unreasonable expectations. When the public’s needs don’t align with what can be reasonably expected, the resulting incompatibility might render a project economically and practically impossible to implement.
Fact #2: Constantly Widening Scope
The concept of “live, work, play” has become increasingly popular among cities, resulting in expanded city design review boards. The approval procedure now emphasizes the design of public benches, shaded and rest areas and enhanced standards for landscaping due to the increased efforts to make many cities more walkable. In addition to the overall architectural design of the structure, these features are also included.
Even though these initiatives are tremendously helpful to communities and contribute to beautifying locations, they can also lead to ambiguous legal situations. What kinds of things are considered to be walkable or pedestrian-friendly? What constitutes fulfillment of specific requirements? Even though there may be rules, an increased focus adds a new dimension to the challenge of satisfying requirements that can be somewhat open to interpretation.
Fact #3: Inflicting Significant Delays
A design review board has the power to call for more meetings if it is not happy with the final design. The clearance process for a new building or significant renovation often takes months since it requires multiple sessions of a design review board.
The original design denial essentially adds another formal stage to the entitlement process. Projects cannot move on to the planning commission without the green light. It will cause delays in the project, extra communication with the planners and architects, and higher overall expenses.
Fact #4: Decrease in Legal Appeals
Meetings of the design review board can potentially decrease unnecessary legal appeals by giving the community a voice early. Participants at review sessions are afforded an early look at proposed developments and an opportunity to provide their thoughts.
The public’s input may cause developers to return to the drawing board, increasing costs and timelines, but it may also help avoid future legal complications. Consequently, problems can be addressed and resolved much quicker.
The commercial development process entails many parts, one of which is the design review, which can either go smoothly or add major expenditures and delays to your project. It may even cause your project to be completely derailed. Finally, there is uncertainty that you must always take into account.
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