Design Commission reviews downtown density‑bonus projects; selects two sites for further study

The Design Commission examined two completed downtown density‑bonus projects and discussed recurring issues the commission would like the updated urban design guidelines to address: parking podium screening and materials, curb cuts and driveway impacts on the pedestrian realm, ground‑floor activation and retail depth, and the use of fee‑in‑lieu for community benefits.

Commissioners reviewed Seventeenth & Guadalupe (also referred to in public materials as the Linden) and raised concerns about the visual prominence of a parking podium and the limits of the commission’s influence over screening and facade materials. "It was an area that we saw as an opportunity, and it continues to be perceived as an opportunity," Commissioner Gillis said after reviewing the project’s executed streetscape.

Commissioners also discussed how vehicle access is handled.…