Design Review Program
Applicant's Toolbox: Design Guidelines

Multifamily and Commercial Buildings | Downtown Development | Neighborhood-Specific Design Guidelines

Design Review Guidelines for Multifamily and Commercial Buildings

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D-12 Residential Entries and Transitions

Guideline D-11: Commercial Transparency
Commercial storefronts should be transparent, allowing for a direct visual connection between pedestrians on the sidewalk and the activities occurring on the interior of a building. Blank walls should be avoided.


Explanation and Examples
Transparency at the street level enlivens the street environment, providing visual interest along the sidewalk and at night providing a secondary, more intimate, source of lighting. The following are examples of desirable design treatments that should be encouraged:

  • windows that are sized and located to allow the most visibility into the interior spaces
  • low-reflective glass
  • limited use of appropriate display cases in place of windows
  • windows that do not allow views of an interior wall or equipment 
<previous
D-10 Commercial Lighting		 next>
D-12 Residential Entries and Transitions

 

 

Last Updated: July 15, 2005