Title
Objective Design Review Standards. Public workshop on revisions to Objective Design Review Standards (Objective Standards), which consist of a checklist of architectural and site design standards that will apply to housing development projects under State law. Adoption of the Objective Standards is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3), the common sense exception that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment, and as a separate and independent basis CEQA Guidelines Section 15183, projects consistent with a community plan, general plan or zoning
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Historical Advisory Board
BACKGROUND
The Objective Design Review Standards (Objective Standards), as adopted, were mostly derived from existing design guidelines contained in the Guide to Residential Design (2003) and Citywide Design Review Manual (2013). Led by a Planning Board subcommittee, the work on Objective Standards focused on these goals:
1. Facilitate good design
2. Allow architectural variety
3. Avoid excessive cost to housing construction
In terms of applicability, the Objective Standards apply to certain housing projects that State law mandates may only be reviewed against objective standards.
Since the adoption of the Objective Standards for multifamily development in 2020 and 2021, the City has processed three applications for housing projects eligible for streamlined review. Applying the Objective Standards to real projects provided valuable information about how the standards were working and how they could be refined.
On April 6, 2023, the Historical Advisory Board (HAB) held a study session on the Objective Standards. The HAB members who were present provided comments on the topics addressed in the staff report for that meeting. A video of the discussion is at the following link:
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