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Urban Design Board

Urban Design Board Establishment

The Tacoma Urban Design Board is established by Tacoma Municipal Code Chapter 13.19 (Ordinance 28966).

 

Duties and Responsibilities

The Urban Design Board has three core functions:

  • The Board provides early concept design guidance and make final design decisions for specific Urban Design Project Review (UDPR) permits.
  • The Board provides valuable advisory input to the City of Tacoma on matters related to urban design.
  • The Board serves as an educational resource to the community and an advocate for design excellence, benefiting all of Tacoma and its community members.

Membership

The Urban Design Board comprises seven (7) positions, appointed by the City Council for staggered three-year terms. The composition of the Board includes:

  • Design and Development Professional (four positions): These members bring professional experience related to site and building design and development from fields such as architecture, landscape architecture, planning, urban design, land use or real estate law, real estate development, construction or building trades, and civil or structural engineering. 
  • Allied Community Representative (three positions): These members offer lived and/or professional experience and/or training in active/multimodal transportation, sustainable development, and culture and heritage. Their expertise spans various fields, including transit agency administration, transportation planner or engineer, “green” building professional, urban forestry professional, environmental planner, artisan/craftsperson, historian, architectural history professional, and cultural organization administrator. One representative is to be appointed for each of the three priority subject areas.

The current membership and the positions they represent are listed below:

  1. Design and Development - Chris Reeh
  2. Design and Development - Clara Cheeves
  3. Design and Development - Deborah Ranniger
  4. Design and Development - Brett Santhuff
  5. Allied Community Representative (Sustainable Development) - Stephanie Gowing
  6. Allied Community Representative (Active/Multi-modal Transportation) - Krystal Monteros
  7. Allied Community Representative (Culture & Heritage) - Jennifer Weddermann

Board member biography statements can be found below.

 

Additional Board membership information:

  • Two of the seven positions must reside and/or conduct business primarily in Council Districts three, four, or five. 
  • While preference will be given to Tacoma residents, up to two Board members may reside outside of Tacoma. 

Meetings

The Urban Design Board meets once a month on a weekday (day TBD), after normal business hours, virtually and in the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market Street, Tacoma. All meetings are open to the public.

 

Additional Information

 

Staff Support

The Urban Design Board is supported by the Planning and Development Services Department.

 

Board Member Biography Statements

Chris Reeh
Chris is an architect based out of the McKinley Hill neighborhood with experience at Mithun and Graham Baba Architects in Seattle. Chris brings broad expertise in sustainable and innovative design as a LEED accredited professional, dedicated to sustainable and human-scale urban development.

 

Clara Cheeves
Clara works with design, planning, and policy centered around the correlation between the built environment and the physical, mental, and social well-being of people and ecology. Drawing upon her knowledge of urban design and planning, as well as urban agriculture and early childhood development, Clara works collaboratively to move in directions that are based on local lived experience and knowledge.

Deborah Ranniger Ph.D.
Deborah has extensive professional experience in landscape architecture, urban planning and design, and elected experience serving 12 years as a council member for the city of Kent, WA. Now retired and living in District 4, she is a writer, co-editor of a cultural newsletter, a published writer and artist and looks forward to sharing her expertise on the many aspects of urban design with the City of Tacoma’s new Urban Design Board.

 

Brett Santhuff

Brett is a Senior Project Architect with McGranahanPBK, where he focuses on educational design and civic projects.  He believes in the potential for good design and planning to improve our city and served previously on Tacoma’s Planning Commission.  Brett has also been involved with both the Neighborhood Council program and landmarks nominations and advocacy.

 

Stephanie Gowing
Stephanie is Absher Construction's Director of Sustainability. A results-oriented sustainability leader with 14+ years experience, she oversees Absher’s internal climate commitments and reduction strategies and empowers project teams to implement cost-effective and environmentally responsible construction solutions. Stephanie is experienced in life-cycle assessment methodologies, construction waste reduction strategies, and green building certification requirements.

 

Krystal Monteros

Krystal advocated for eight years on the Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities. Four of those years, she served as Chair of TACOD. Krystal is co-founder of Empower Movement of WA and also currently serves on the board for the Center For Independence.

 

Jennifer Weddermann

Jennifer has been a resident of the Tacoma area for 25 years, and has owned Weddermann Architecture, PLLC, for 15 years. She is passionate about the city, its residents, its architecture and culture, and the vitality of downtown.

Time and Day

5:30 PM

Third Thursday of each month 

 

Location

In Person:

Conference Room 243

Tacoma Municipal Building

747 Market Street

Tacoma, WA 98402

 

Virtual: 

Link - https://www.zoom.us/j/82923259724 

Dial - 253-215-8782 (Webinar ID – 829 2325 9724)

Staff Liaison/Contacts

Stephen Antupit

Senior Planner

(253) 381-5195

Email

 

Carl Metz

Senior Planner

(253) 290-3946

Email

 

 



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