Design Review Board Member Orientation Manual

Entrance of Heritage Hall

Welcome to the Kirkland Design Review Board! Thank you for volunteering your talents and time to participate in this important activity. Serving on the Board allows you to play a key role in shaping the visual character of the community. Many of the design issues you will face will be a measurement of the community's success in accommodating growth. In the process, you will also learn a lot and undoubtedly enjoy yourself.

But what exactly will you do? This manual was created to help answer that question. While there is no substitute for learning on the job, the information in this manual will assist you in getting up to speed and can serve as an ongoing reference to help you function effectively during your tenure on the Board. As you will see, the manual is actually a collection of documents borrowed from a variety of other sources. It is anticipated that the manual will be revised over time to reflect changes to the documents within or add other useful information. If you come across information that would be of use to other Board members, please share it with staff to incorporate into the manual.

The manual is organized into the following sections:

I. City Staff and Officials

Contains the contact information for Planning and Building Department Staff and City officials.

A. City Council Contacts
B. Planning Staff Telephone Extensions

 

II. City Mission and Organization

City Mission and Organization(PDF, 141KB)

Includes information about the mission and organization of the City and the Planning and Building Department.

A. City Mission
B. City Organization Chart

III. Design Review Board Appointments

Design Review Board Appointments(PDF, 83KB)

Description of expectations of Board members.

A. Job Description
B. Boards and Commissions Appointment Policy

 

IV. Procedures

Procedures(PDF, 257KB)

Provides general information about the role and functions of the Design Review Board.

A. DRB Rules of Procedure
B. Role of Council and Commission Members
C. Role of the Chair
D. Questions to Improve Discussions
E. Basic Information on Motions
F. Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance

 

V. Legal Issues

Legal Issues(PDF, 263KB)

Addresses legal considerations that are important to the conduct of the Design Review Board business.

A. Development Decision Making
B. Rights and Responsibilities in Planning
C. Appearance in Fairness
D. Open Meeting Act

 

VI. Tips for Boards and Commissions

Tips for Boards and Commissions(PDF, 168KB)

Includes tips for being an effective Design Review Board member.

A. Serving Effectively as a Board Member
B. Criteria for an Effective Meeting
C. Effective Commissioners

 

VII. Profile of Planning and Building Department

Profile of the Planning and Building Department(PDF, 89KB)

Overview of the Planning Department and its organization.

A. Department Mission
B. Department Organization(PDF, 538KB)
C. Department Overview