Del Mar Design Guidelines

The City of Del Mar hired RRM Design Group to help improve the development review process within the City through design guidelines that would interpret the intent of the City’s Community Plan and Municipal Code. In response to strong negative community feedback regarding new development that lacked sensitivity to neighborhood context, combined with difficulty in providing clear design review and recommendations through their Design Review Ordinance and review process, the City realized that development design guidelines were necessary to encourage and provide quality design direction on topics important to the community. An Ad Hoc Development Review Process Citizen’s Advisory Committee was tasked to research issues such as view protection, hillside development, land conservation, and bulk and mass. RRM developed residential and commercial design guidelines to guide the design of single-family and multifamily residential projects and commercial projects including room additions, exterior remodels, new residences, and replacement residences on existing developed properties. The design guidelines contain pictorial and verbal descriptions of acceptable and/or unacceptable architectural designs and will be used as a tool by homeowners, designers, architects, and design review personnel to achieve high-quality residential architectural design that is compatible with and complementary to existing Del Mar neighborhoods.