Downtown Design Guide
Zoning Overlays & Bonuses
LA's Downtown Design Guide and Community Plan governing high-rise massing, ground-floor activation, and adaptive-reuse standards in DTLA.
How Downtown Design Guide Rules Differ by Place
North Hempstead, NY: North Hempstead Port Washington Design Guide
Few RestrictionsNorth Hempstead's Port Washington Business Overlay District carries a codified design guide at § 70-195.23 covering storefronts, facades, roofs, signs and lighting, but the Town Code…
Auburn, AL: Auburn's Downtown Design Standards for Urban Core
Some RestrictionsAuburn's Zoning Ordinance sets a dedicated design code for downtown, the Urban Core (UC) District, in Section 507.02's Table 5-3. It caps building height at 75 feet, requires an…
Dothan, AL: Dothan Downtown Core Design Standards
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Dothan's U.S. Highway 84 East Overlay District, downtown core and downtown edge buildings must hold a continuous street wall along every street frontage. Large projects…
Huntsville, AL: Huntsville Downtown Design Standards
Some RestrictionsHuntsville's Central Business C-B District zoning regulations require new downtown buildings to use natural materials, street-facing entrances, and limit blank walls to 20 feet under…
Anchorage, AK: Anchorage Downtown Design Standards
Some RestrictionsDowntown Anchorage's design rules are binding code, not suggestions. AMC 21.11.070 imposes mandatory sidewalk, window, entry, and tower-massing standards on the B-2A, B-2B, and B-2C…
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK: Talkeetna Main Street Design Standards
Some RestrictionsWithin the Main Street Talkeetna (MST) District, the historic commercial core of the Talkeetna Special Land Use District, MSB § 17.25.050 locks in compact, small-building development…
Cities & Counties with Downtown Design Guide Rules
412 locations
Other Zoning Overlays & Bonuses Topics
Specific Plans Overview
How specific plans (LA has 35+) layer on top of underlying zoning to set neighborhood-tailored rules for height, density, design, and use.
Density Bonus Law
California Density Bonus Law (Gov Code §65915) and local implementations granting up to 50% density bonuses for affordable-housing projects.
Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC)
LA's TOC tier system (Measure JJJ) granting density and parking incentives near major transit, including affordability set-aside ratios per tier.
Hillside Overlay Rules
Special development rules for hillside zones, slope-band density formulas, hillside grading limits, and view-protection standards above LAMC baseline.
Q-Conditions (Qualified Zoning)
How "Q" qualified-zoning conditions add property-specific use restrictions, design standards, and operational limits on top of base zoning.
Coastal Zone Permits
Coastal Development Permits (CDP) required for projects in the coastal zone (Venice, Pacific Palisades, San Pedro), including local-CDP vs Coastal Commission jurisdiction.
Mello Act Replacement
California Mello Act requirement to replace affordable housing demolished or converted in the coastal zone, including LA's implementation rules.
Hollywood Community Plan
The Hollywood Community Plan (and 2035 update) layering height, density, and design rules on top of base zoning across Hollywood neighborhoods.
Venice Specific Plan
The Venice Specific Plan setting unique residential, commercial, and walk-street rules in Venice, including iconic-streetscape preservation.