Design guidelines offered for Surf City developers

Tariq Malik

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Officials have OKd a design guide for land

developers planning new projects to encourage aesthetics and create a

unique look for the city.

The Huntington Beach Urban Design Guidelines, which the City Council

approved this month, lays down the groundwork detailing the city’s

expectations in signs, landscaping and public art, as well as updating

guidelines for Downtown.

City Administrator Ray Silver said it’s important to note that the

design guidelines are suggestions, not standards, for developers.

Most cities, he added, have standards developers must follow and

requirements that must be met for a project to pass muster with the city.

Design guidelines, on the other hand, are suggestions to provide city

insight on the aesthetics and look of a development, he added.

City officials said that for the most part, Huntington Beach only has

zoning requirements on height, street setback and other physical

attributes of a development. Before now, design guidelines only existed

for the Downtown area and some parts along Goldenwest Street.

Three years ago, the council created a set of guidelines to give

developers an idea of the high-quality design expected in Huntington

Beach commercial and industrial centers, as well as in apartment

dwellings.

“Think about the places people like to vacation at, places like Santa

Barbara and Carmel,” said Howard Zelefsky, the city’s planning director.

“Cities like those are very specific in their design. There is a definite

feel to their street scenes, and it improves the community.”

The guidelines, he said, provide a starting point for developers to

work from and will ultimately enhance the city.

Last year, a public committee made up of government and business

officials was formed to identify the citywide urban design guidelines and

bring them before the council, which was done earlier this month.

“There are a number of issues about these guidelines that remained

unresolved,” said Councilman Ralph Bauer, though he approved the project.

They “stop good things for the city.”

Bauer was concerned that despite the guidelines, city officials could

have the power to stop developers of already approved projects because

they didn’t meet the design guidelines. There were also landscaping

issues, he added.

Bauer and Councilwomen Pam Julien and Shirley Dettloff were assigned

to an ad-hoc committee to address Bauer’s concerns.

The council also agreed to form a community panel made up of

residents, at least 60% of whom would have no previous art experience, to

help choose what types of public art will be used in future developments.