About Residential Objective Design Standards

The City is in the process of developing an updated and expanded set of objective design standards for residential development, with the latest draft to be presented to the City Council on May 26, 2026. The City has prepared the draft linked above of the Residential Objective Design Standards that is now available for review. The Objective Design Standards will provide a basis for review and approval of residential projects based on objective, measurable, and verifiable design criteria that seek to ensure new residential development is attractive, compatible, appropriately scaled, and visually harmonious with existing neighborhoods and environments within Brentwood.

The intent of this effort is to address recent changes in State law that seek to streamline and increase housing production, focused on making approval processes more routine and predictable for those developing housing. A key component of several of these new laws is continuing to place limitations on discretionary review processes, placing an increased emphasis on objective design and development standards as the primary criteria for project approval or denial. The standards will provide a basis for review and approval of residential projects based on objective, measurable, and verifiable design criteria that seek to ensure new residential development is attractive, compatible, appropriately scaled, and visually harmonious with existing neighborhoods and environments within Brentwood.

The current Residential Design Guidelines were adopted by the City in 2006 to articulate the importance of high-quality design that complements and enhances the existing fabric of the community. These guidelines have helped to express the community’s desires and ensure that new residential development respects the past while embracing the future and welcoming new residents. However, many of the current guidelines are subjective and may be argued to contain ambiguous or unclear standards relative to the review of new development.