Commission reviews Part 3 design standards: sustainability, incentives, universal design and appendix proposal

Becky Fry, senior planning staff, introduced a study-session update to Part 3 of Redmond’s 2025 code package on March 12, 2025, saying staff had published an updated draft that includes a new sustainability and resiliency section and several implementation clarifications for design standards.

Fry told the commission the package includes three main areas of new content (chapter 2000 on incentives implementation, chapter 3000 on suburban-to-urban transitions and building topologies, and relocated or clarified sections for 4000 and 7000) and a proposal to move the design checklist and supplemental standards into a new appendix (proposed Appendix 12) so the city can update those items more quickly as state guidance and industry practice evolve.

Why it matters: Staff said the changes support Redmond 2050 goals for sustainability, universal design, and walkability and make the city’s Green Building incentives (GBP) and the design standards operationally clear. Commissioners and public commenters tested how the provisions will be applied, and staff said several items will go to public hearing in upcoming meetings with a target for council adoption in June.

Key points from the presentation and discussion - Publication and scope: Fry said the city republished an updated draft of the design standards (21.58 v2.1) that includes the previously pending sustainability/resiliency material and several cleanup edits; technical advisory committee materials and packet history are posted on the city’s 2025 code updates page. - Appendix proposal: Staff proposed removing the checklist and some supplemental standards from the code text and placing identical language in a new Appendix 12 to allow more rapid updates to align with state or industry changes. - Incentives and GBP: The draft clarifies how incentives in the Green Building Program link to code outcomes (electrification, embodied carbon reduction, energy performance) and staff said more detail on the mechanics of incentives will be added where possible. - New topics: The package adds guidance on suburban-to-urban transitions, a small-building alternative to shorten review for qualifying parcels, a new special-regulations section that includes mass-timber guidance, and relocated multifamily and middle-housing rules.

Public comment and technical concerns David Morton, a Redmond resident who spoke during the public-comment period, urged staff to clarify enforcement and incentives and to consider phased compliance for ambitious energy-performance targets. He also listed possible incentives (green roofs, solar panels, battery storage, advanced stormwater management) that could be emphasized. "The green building incentive program or GBP has requirements for sustainability such as electrification, energy efficiency, embodied carbon reduction, and water conservation," Morton said, and he asked for clearer descriptions of how incentives would be earned.

Commissioner questions and staff clarifications Commissioners examined several technical and design questions that staff said they will continue to refine in the issues matrix and subsequent packet versions: - Small-building alternative and naming: Staff clarified the small-building alternative is intended for smaller parcels and that the language and public-facing name could be revised before public hearing. - Alternative Design Compliance (ADC): Commissioners asked that the purpose statement clarify when ADC would be used (for new technologies or unusual, iconic designs) so applicants and reviewers can see when the alternative path is appropriate. - Landmark/iconic buildings: Commissioners requested clearer guidance or a definition for when a project qualifies as "iconic," "landmark" or "significant variation" to ensure the ADC route can be applied for truly unusual designs. - Public art and blank walls: Commissioners asked that the code present a short list of options earlier (murals, mosaics, sculpture, vegetated treatments, photovoltaics) so readers understand alternatives to vegetated walls; staff said they would add cross-references to the public-art section and review unusual wording that appeared to require plantings in murals. - Sensory rooms and respite areas: Commissioners raised operational concerns about requiring programmable speakers or TVs in sensory-respite spaces and asked staff to clarify whether the incentive checklists apply to interior or exterior sensory areas. Fry said the incentive checklist and appendix cross-references will clarify when provisions are required to earn an incentive and that staff would revisit equipment requirements for public spaces. - Underground parking and temporary dewatering: Staff explained the city is limiting temporary construction dewatering in areas that could affect municipal supply wells; that constraint will affect where underground parking is feasible and prompted discussion of site-specific limitations.

Process and next steps Fry and other staff said the sections in the packet will proceed to public hearing at the next two Planning Commission meetings (the first set of sections at the next meeting, additional sections including the newly published sustainability section on April 9), after which staff aim to consolidate all packages for a single council adoption and effective date. Commissioners were asked to submit minor editorial edits by email for incorporation into the issues matrix prior to the hearings.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn directly from the meeting transcript and are listed in the speakers section below.