Mission Viejo adopted new design standards earlier this month in order to comply with state regulations and maintain local control over projects.
The City Council passed what it calls “phase 1” of its new outline of “clear, objective and measurable design standards.” These are meant to ensure residential structures and multi-family units feature high-quality designs that “maintain the architectural character” of the city, according to Elaine Lister, Mission Viejo’s director of community development.
The new design standards should bolster the city’s local control of projects, said Lister, while newer state laws focus on streamlining housing projects.
Mission Viejo hired consulting firm JZMK Partners in April to restructure the design process for developers.
The goal, according to JZMK, is to preserve the character of Mission Viejo neighborhoods by “balancing the form and design of existing development with new construction techniques.” Additionally, JZMK outlined an emphasis on a pedestrian-oriented environment where building designs are “cohesive and complementary of a diverse range of uses.”
The new standards fall under five categories: site planning, site design, building design, architectural styles and landscape. They cover every basis of the building process, from lighting specifications to wall measurements, all the way down to the Spanish Andalusian style often utilized in Mission Viejo.
Councilmember Wendy Bucknum sought to ensure the development community would be included when the city later seeks input for the design standards.
“They welcome this because they said predictability is great in the development of a community,” Bucknum said. “These types of things are actually welcomed by the development community because they know that they’re going to be budgeting the process correctly and there’s not going to be any surprises along the way.”
Development of residential multi-family projects and mixed-use…
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