The Design Guidelines provide a framework to evaluate new development projects against the City’s objectives to ensure that these projects are well designed, integrated compatibly into the neighborhood context, and contribute to an enhanced community aesthetic. The Design Guidelines also provide strategies to efficiently and effectively manage and protect University Place’s existing natural systems, including water quality, habitat, and biological resources from the harmful effects of land development and stormwater runoff .

The Streetscape Concepts provide distinctive streetscape development standards for property within existing neighborhoods in University Place. It is the intent of these standards to help preserve and protect the existing, historic, and unique character of the neighborhood within the city by requiring new construction, remodels, and existing construction to complement the existing built environment. Through the application of these standards, neighborhoods throughout the city will provide a functional environment to the pedestrian and bicyclist, improving multimodal forms of transportation.