Village Adopts Design Review Districts and Standards

August 10, 2021 - Johnstown Village Council has adopted the first ever Design Review Standards to guide future development in the community.

The purpose of the Design Review Districts and Standards is to identify those areas within the Village that truly exemplify the community’s historic built form and character and, through a design review process and set of design standards and guidelines , provide a clear picture of the design quality expected of future improvements.

This Design Review Districts and Standards provide the means to guide implementation of the Johnstown 2020 Comprehensive Plan and helps to foster predictable results within the built environment. This Plan outlines a vision for growth that is urban, mixed-use, walkable, neighborhood-friendly and contributes to a high-quality public realm. This is accomplished by prescribing the physical form of buildings and other elements and addressing the relationship between building facades and the public realm, the form and mass of buildings in relation to one another, and the scale and types of streets and blocks.

The Design Review Districts and Standards and accompanying design standards and guidelines also strive:

(a) To ensure that a proposed project takes into consideration its surroundings
(b) To ensure that every proposal positively enhances the adjacent public realm, especially sidewalks and public spaces
(c) To work with other policies, programs, and public investments to strengthen the vitality of a neighborhood, district, or corridor
(d) To allow the public to comment on the design elements of a proposed development
(e) To encourage creative architectural expression