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Design Review Board to update guidelines; members to form small review committees
Summary
Board members agreed to form small committees to review and update the Design Review Board guidelines—last revised eight years ago—to address painted brick, new materials, downtown guidelines and eco-district policies; staff aims to move proposed ordinance changes through council this year.
The Alpharetta Design Review Board on April 25 opened a process to update its design guidelines, directing members to form small working committees to review signage, landscaping, exterior materials and site planning language.
Board members and staff said the document needs updates to reflect newer materials and downtown and eco-district guidance adopted since the last significant refresh. The board’s chair noted the current guidelines were last tweaked eight years earlier and encouraged members to read the related code sections and the existing guidelines before joining a committee.
Staff recommended breaking the work into two- or three-person subcommittees so members can perform a detailed cross-check against code sections. The board discussed possible committee topics—landscaping, exterior elevations and materials, signage and site planning—and staff asked members to email their preferences so committees could be formed at the May meeting. Staff estimated the ordinance amendment process would require two City Council readings (a first reading and a second reading) and that the overall update could take about six months; staff set a goal of enacting changes before year-end if possible.
Board members emphasized that guidelines are advisory while code is mandatory; good design can be encouraged through guidelines but not used to contradict code. Staff said the committees should ensure the guidelines and code do not conflict and that language be clear for applicants and reviewers.
What’s next: Board members will indicate committee preferences to staff by email; committees will meet, draft suggested changes with staff input, and return recommended ordinance language and guideline edits for board review and then City Council consideration.
