lakewood
downtown plan + form-based code

Since the City of Lakewood incorporated in 1996, the community has identified urban design as a high priority issue. With the Downtown Plan, the City hoped to transform its sprawling central business district into a walkable, attractive mixed-use area. In 2017, Framework was hired by the City to lead the development of a subarea plan and urban design for a new Downtown Plan.

The Downtown Plan and code elements included form-based standards for development Downtown, and concepts to improve public spaces in Downtown with a new focus on people-centered planning and design. The Plan includes a loop of green streets with prioritized facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists, a new park in the heart of Downtown, and concepts for the redevelopment of the City’s auto-oriented development into pedestrian-focused mixed-use areas with a variety of housing types and public amenities. The plan received the WA Governor’s Smart Communities Award in the Smart Vision category for 2019.

The Framework team had already worked with the City on several projects to move Downtown Lakewood forward. Jeff Arango led a CBD assessment for Lakewood while at BERK, and Framework led the study on Motor Avenue that was the basis for creating Colonial Plaza.

Colonial Plaza Celebration

The Lakewood Community celebrates the return to Motor Avenue at the opening of their new festival street called Colonial Plaza. Designed with our friends and collaborators at KPG Interdisciplinary Design.