Lake Stevens staff: 2019 design guidelines largely meet new state standard; minor code tweaks and clearer procedures planned

On May 7, 2025, Lake Stevens planning staff reviewed proposed code and guideline revisions to comply with House Bill 1293, a 2023 law that requires local design standards for exterior building design to be clear and objective and prevents design review from being used to reduce a project’s density, height, bulk or scale.

David Levitan, principal planner, told the Planning Commission that the city’s 2019 update to its design guidelines and the elimination of a volunteer design review board left Lake Stevens in a relatively strong position. "If you look through [the 2019 guidelines],... I would consider almost all of that... generally compliant with 12‑93," Levitan said, adding that staff proposes limited code changes to clarify definitions, explicitly state that design review is an associated land‑use determination processed concurrently with permits, and remove…