When it comes to design guidelines, architectural standards, and related policies, no one has more expertise than Heartland Brick Council.
Since 2004, our staff of experienced, AICP-certified community planners has provided technical assistance to hundreds of communities of all shapes and sizes all over the Heartland. During that time we’ve sent out exactly zero invoices for our advice!
Communities have a variety of tools at their disposal for shaping development and preservation. Here’s the toolbox that Heartland Brick Council often draws from:
Design guidelines and architectural standards – Often used interchangeably, these terms describe local government policies that go above and beyond the usual zoning and building codes to ensure that buildings are attractive, sensitive to existing construction and neighborhood character, and durable both physically and stylistically. “Guidelines” usually imply a policy approach that is more flexible and site-specific, whereas “standards” tend to be more prescriptive and universally applied.
Incentive-supported standards or guidelines – Policies don’t have to be mandatory to have a positive impact on a community. Heartland Brick Council has helped communities reward well-designed development with tax abatements, grant funds, density bonuses and other incentives.
Alternative compliance – A type of incentive, this tool offers builders and developers the opportunity to substitute community-preferred design for other zoning requirements, or even to expedite the development approval process.
Overlay zone – This is a common means of applying written design standards or guidelines to the geography of a community. The new standards of the overlay zone are layered on top of the preexisting base zoning requirements, adding to them rather than altering or substituting for them. Overlay zones are particularly useful when the new design policy needs to be applied uniformly to an area that may consist of several different base zones.
Planned unit developments – PUD’s are neighborhoods that are mostly designed long before the ground is broken. Because a master plan that contemplates the look and use of virtually every building in the development must be approved by the local government before construction starts, PUD’s naturally lend themselves to the implementation of design guidelines or standards.
Design review – Some communities opt to support their design guidelines with a review of the design of each proposed development project. This term typically implies that the review is done by a specialized board made up of volunteers who are qualified to make judgments about architecture, urban design, and historic preservation.
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