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Preservation Bootcamp: Objective Design Standards in Historic Contexts

Continuing Education Units: AIA - 6 LUs | APA - 6 CEs (three per program).
You must be a registered attendee and attend the program live to receive CEUs. Attendance verified though Zoom login.

Join CPF for a comprehensive two-part training on Objective Design Standards (ODS) and their implications for historic resources in California. The program will introduce what ODS are, how they differ from traditional subjective design guidelines, and the statutory framework that requires or enables their adoption at the local level. Special attention will be given to how ODS intersect with preservation goals, including their application to historic districts, landmarks, contributing and non-contributing buildings, and adjacency conditions.

Part 1 will focus on case studies from jurisdictions across the state, showcasing real-world examples of how ODS are applied in historic contexts. These examples will highlight both successful strategies and common challenges, illustrating how ODS can support preservation goals while meeting housing and planning mandates. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how standards can be structured to address historic resources, districts, and adjacent contexts in ways that are measurable, defensible, and preservation-sensitive.

Part 2 will feature a moderated discussion with practitioners who have developed and applied ODS in preservation-sensitive settings. Panelists will share experiences and strategies for crafting defensible, objective standards that balance housing and planning mandates with the stewardship of historic resources. An extended Q&A will allow participants to raise jurisdiction-specific challenges and learn from peers.

Learning Objectives

• Participants will be able to define Objective Design Standards (ODS) and explain how they differ from traditional subjective design guidelines.

• Participants will be able to identify the statutory requirements and opportunities for adopting ODS in California, including their relationship to preservation mandates.

• Participants will be able to apply lessons from case studies to draft standards that address scale, massing, and materials while remaining compatible with historic resources.

• Participants will be able to recognize common challenges in ODS development and implement strategies to ensure clarity, defensibility, and preservation sensitivity.

Speakers - Part 1

Kristi Bascom, Urban Planner, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP
Prior to joining Shute, Mihaly, & Weinberger LLP in 2022, Kristi Bascom worked for, and with, dozens of Bay Area planning departments as a Principal and Senior-level planner; both on staff and as a consultant. In this role, she managed and implemented a wide range of development projects and policy planning efforts by successfully engaging developers, community members, agency staff, and decision-makers. She successfully handled approvals for General Plans and Amendments, Specific Plans, rezonings and subdivisions, and inter-agency collaborations. Kristi also served as a Senior Project Manager at Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley, working to secure project funding as well as advance pre-development approval, and construction of, homes for underserved populations and working families.  Before beginning her career in urban and land use planning, Kristi worked in environmental advocacy with roles at the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter and with the United Nations International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.

Rebecca Salgado, Technical Preservation Specialist, San Francisco Planning Department
Rebecca is a Preservation Technical Specialist at the San Francisco Planning Department, where she has worked within the department’s Current Planning division since 2017. She has more than 13 years of experience in historic preservation, working in both the public and private sectors in New York and California. In her work as a Preservation Technical Specialist at the San Francisco Planning Department, she evaluates buildings for historic significance, reviews proposed alterations to historic buildings and new construction in historic districts, and recently led the team that prepared the department’s Preservation Design Standards. Rebecca received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Cooper Union and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation degree from Columbia University, and lives with her family in Oakland.

Steve Buckley, Planning Services Manager, City of Alameda
Steve has broad experience in local government and consulting, related to land use planning, housing, economic development, historic preservation, environmental analysis, and project management. He is currently the Planning Services Manager for the City of Alameda, where he serves as the Secretary to the Historical Advisory Board, an appointed body that reviews alterations to historic monuments and properties in historic districts. 

Rosie Dyste, Interim Principal Planner, City of Santa Barbara
Rosie Dyste is currently an Interim Principal Planner with Long Range Planning in the City of Santa Barbara primarily working on Housing Element implementation and other general plan updates. She has worked in both the City and County of Santa Barbara in long range planning for over 20 years. Before working in the public sector, she worked in the private sector performing state and federal environmental review and wetland restoration work. Her work has involved numerous and varied projects including design guidelines and objective design standards for multi-unit housing, community plans, community wildfire protection plans, environmental impact reports, multi-modal improvement plans, zoning ordinance amendments, and coastal land use plans. Rosie holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University.

Dana Falk, Project Planner - Long Range Planning, City of Santa Barbara
Dana Falk is Project Planner for the City of Santa Barbara working on long range planning. She is an AICP certified planner with five years of experience spanning the public and private sector. In her role at the City, she works on housing policy and zoning ordinances to implement the General Plan. Her work has included objective design standards for multiunit residential projects, adaptive reuse ordinances, master planning, specific area planning, business development, and design-build project management. Dana has a Master of Urban Design and Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado, Denver and a Bachelor of Architecture from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Garen Yolles, Senior Urban Designer, City of West Hollywood

Speakers - Part 2

All speakers from Part 1, plus:

Alan Loomis, Principal of Urban Design, PlaceWorks
Alan Loomis is an urban designer, planner, and educator practicing in the Los Angeles area. Presently he is Principal of Urban Design at PlaceWorks, based in the firm’s Los Angeles office. He is responsible for growing PlaceWorks’ urban design practice in the Los Angeles region and plays a key role in high-profile design projects throughout California, including the firm’s Objective Design Standards practice. Previously, Alan served as City Urban Designer for Santa Monica and for Glendale, where he managed major development reviews and advanced urban design policies addressing scale, character, and historic context. His experience spans both public agencies and private practice, giving him unique insight into how ODS can balance housing goals, community character, and preservation. Alan holds a Master of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc).

Lisa Krause, Senior Housing Policy Specialist, California Department of Housing and Community Development

 

Posted in: Code Compliance, Historic Integrity, Housing, Planning & Preservation Practice, Preservation Basics, Webinars, Workshops