Design Thinking | Marin County Objective Design Standards Shared Zoning Toolkit

The Marin County Objective Design Standards Toolkit resulted from a multijurisdictional collaborative effort to address State law requirements and facilitate ministerial approvals for housing projects. This article was originally published in the American Planning Association, California Chapter – Northern Section newsletter authored by Stefan Pellegrini, AICP, Opticos Design Principal and Jillian Zeiger, AICP, Senior Planner at the County of Marin.

Top Five Mistakes to Avoid When Enabling Missing Middle Housing in your City or State: Don’t Get This Wrong

The Top 5 Missing Middle Housing Mistakes Series Part 1

Opticos’ Top Public Missing Middle Applications Nationwide

While many communities, from small rural towns and counties to medium and large sized cities, share the same goal of delivering much-needed, attainably-priced housing choices, there is no one size fits all recommendation.  

How a Form-Based Code Generated over $500 Million in Downtown Infill Projects and Transformed a Sleepy Downtown

In 2014, Opticos Design worked with the City of Mesa, Arizona to create a Master Plan and Form-Based Code (FBC) that would provide incentives for redevelopment in their downtown core and along a five-mile stretch of Main Street. The Plan and Code focused development around three new transit stations to allow for a network of new walkable, public spaces. Prior to the adoption of the plan and FBC, there had been no private-sector investment in downtown Mesa in over three decades.

Form-Based Code Cartoon Series

Designer Beth Cichon, with the help of Associate Erick Bernabe and Sr Associate Tony Perez, has been illustrating a cartoon series about Form-Based Codes. The cartoons take a fun approach to educating readers on how FBCs can help improve your city or neighborhood.