While at Stantec and in collaboration with Jeff Speck, we developed a package of design guidelines for Mark Development’s transformational transit-oriented development proposal adjacent to Newton’s Riverside light rail station.

The design guidelines translate the team’s vision for a dense, walkable neighborhood environment into governing regulations that will hold the developer to a high architectural and urban design standards in its implementation. The process included close collaboration with City of Newton staff to ensure the guidelines would be approved and administered smoothly.

The guidelines address design at three scales: urban design, building architecture, and facade composition and materiality. The City’s review process is structured in corresponding tiers, requiring progressive approvals as the development advances from conceptual to more detailed design. However, the overall master plan has been approved from the start, giving the developer confidence that the project can proceed as envisioned as long as the product satisfies the guidelines’ requirements.