Lincoln’s Urban design committee proposes new design standards for Downtown Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The City of Lincoln’s Urban Design Committee presented new design standards for Downtown Lincoln on Tuesday.

The meeting went over the proposed upgrades to standards that are used as a collection of good practices for builders and architects; the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission listened and gave feedback.

“Downtown Lincoln is a special place for all of us that live here and all of us that live in the region. We have an identity that we’d like to embrace and continue developing,” said Paul Barnes, Long range planning manager for the city of Lincoln.

The city’s original design standards were first approved by the Lincoln city council in 2008.

“The project that we’re talking about here in 2026 is to look at the past and kind of the results of those standards and to analyze how they’ve impacted the downtown environment, what good things are happening as a result of those design standards, and then also taking a look at maybe some of the things that we’d like to improve upon,” said Barnes.

Some of those improvements are being called “Reimagining Downtown Lincoln” and would only affect any new development.

It would require shade trees along sidewalks, limit blank walls and create a glass wall curtain; which is an exterior, non-structural facade system of glass windows.

The plan is also focused on sustainability elements.

“Really what that’s looking at, is getting sites, parking lots, parking spaces ready for electric vehicle chargers in the event and when in the future that that becomes feasible or desirable for the property owner or tenant,” said Barnes.

He says that Urban Design Committee representatives have been engaging with local developers to present ideas and get feedback too, many prompting revisions to the plan already.

“There is an opportunity to receive waivers on certain requirements or criteria in the standards,” said Barnes.

During Tuesdays’ meeting the Lancaster County Planning Commission also discussed materials that will be allowed and/or prohibited to be used during construction, as well as color pallets.

Barnes told Channel 8 that he encourages residents to submit questions, comments and concerns to their website (which you can access here,) before their planned public hearing on Nov. 18.

The Lincoln City council is expected to vote on the matter in December of this year.