02-28-2023, 09:19 PM
(02-27-2023, 08:52 PM)ac3r Wrote: Ahh I understand what you mean. It would really depend on how the city decided to implement a design review panel. Theoretically they could add a new rule for new projects which states that, even if a project falls within zoning rules and could therefore go ahead without any further application procedures, it would nonetheless need to be presented to a design review to ensure it does in fact "[improve] matters of design that affect the public realm" with the goal of "[helping to] raise standards of development, encourage designers to avoid compromising on quality and help ensure new developments are compatible with their surroundings".
This could work in such a way as to allow the developer to not have to apply for zoning amendments so long as it fell within them (building height, sufficient parking for random examples) but they would still have to ensure that they are going to be building something that positively impacts the public realm. Which I think would be a good way to do it. If a developer wanted to build an apartment tower downtown and it fell within all the zoning rules for its location and ticked all the boxes, but it was designed in such a way that it looked like a giant penis, you would want to be able to have some way to prevent that. That's where a design review panel can come in useful. They look over the plans and decide whether or not something is suitable for the area and can then make recommendations to the city. Their report could then allow the city to go to the developer and say, "sorry your building looks like a giant schlong, can you please going back to the drawing board or at least not use pink cladding?"
What about the tall buildings are built now with a big fat podium at the bottom, and skinny tower rising up in the middle of it?
