Urban Design + Architecture Studio Team:

Ric. Abramson, FAIA  (Studio Manager)                        City Architect    

Michael Barker, AIA NCARB                                           Project Architect

Dylan Bachar                                                                  Assistant Designer

Laura Schoonover, PACE                                               Administrative Analyst

Overview: The Urban Design + Architecture Studio

Established in 2019, the Urban Design + Architecture Studio provides leadership in realizing the City’s design-related objectives, heightening public awareness and outreach, and promoting stewardship of the natural and built environment. Its purpose is to advance a vision for public space and private development that ensures a cohesive and direct relationship with the City’s land use goals, environmental policies, and architectural and urban design objectives.

The Studio administers the City’s Design Review processes and oversees municipal architectural projects including concept planning, programming and design, and construction of capital improvement projects. It also collaborates cross-departmentally to support public works projects, parks and facilities improvements, urban art installations, housing policy, city-owned property development, and long-range planning initiatives.

Studio Goals and Objectives

The Studio's goals and objectives reinforce West Hollywood as a place for design innovation and creative solutions to complex challenges. It supports City Council directives and community interests in streamlining the city's design and development review processes, elevating communication and awareness regarding smart, sustainable, resilient, diverse and inclusive design, collaborating inter-departmentally to move programs and initiatives forward, enhancing capacity to advance capital improvement projects, encouraging climate-responsive private and public space development, and bringing design leadership to envisioning the future of the City's parks and public spaces. The Studio's work program includes short-term policy support alongside longer-term urban design studies that support land use visioning and public space improvements.

Elevating Public Awareness

The Studio is also charged with leading public awareness and education efforts that emphasize creative design thinking and identify environmentally inspired futures for the City. Collaborating with peers, experts, and other departmental Staff, the Studio prepares educational materials and public presentations and leads or supports programming for community events related to the built and natural environments. 

 environmental responsiveness

Promoting Environmentally Responsive Design Solutions

Through a variety of outreach formats, the Studio fosters design conversations and various forms of communication relating to the realization of the City's urban design and architecture goals and objectives.

Topics align with the City's on-going commitment to sustainable practices, equitable communities, and climate action plan implementation.

Development Review Processing

UDAS Staff meets regularly with applicants for new development, community members, and city department staff to communicate the purpose and advance the city’s urban and architectural design goals, policies, and plans. Staff assists applicant design teams to integrate city design standards and policies and align with aspirational goals where possible. It also produces analyses and commentaries regarding proposed new development projects and supports the processing of private development applications or tenant improvements.

In order to streamline both public and private engagement on design-related topics, Studio staff continue working to update and refine the design review comment and feedback process for new development projects. This procedure seeks to clarify and communicate expectations for the public and streamline the design review portions of the permitting process.

Interdepartmental Collaborations

Many city goals and policies necessitate multiple divisions working collaboratively.  Studio staff has direct expertise in programming, policy development, conceptual visioning, design, project management, built environment advocacy, construction, and development. Therefore, the Studio provides leadership and collaborative support for City divisions and departments to generate, promote, and implement initiatives as well to analyze and test new ideas to enhance the built and natural environments.

City Council Policy Initiatives

To advance the City's vision for West Hollywood, the City Council has provided direction and adopted new strategic land use initiatives. The Studio is tasked with leading selected directives related to urban design & architecture, providing research and analysis, soliciting community input, and developing creative solutions or alternatives for consideration by the City’s decision makers. Its efforts seek to reinforce West Hollywood’s creative leadership in ensuring diverse, safe and healthy opportunities to live, work and play.

  • Multi-Family Residential Standards
  • Tree Canopy Conservation & Replacement
  • Green Space in New Developments
  • Eastside Commercial Design Guidelines & Signage
  • Building Height Measurement Standards

Capital Improvements and Special Projects

The Studio provides strategic design thinking and project management efforts in support of city parks and public facilities. Leading from within or partnering with the City’s Facilities and Recreation Services, Economic Development, Property Development, Long Range Planning, and Arts Divisions, our project management team provides analyses and oversees daily interface needs with analytical experts, design professionals, construction consultants, and City Staff to ensure appropriate design and stewardship of City-owned or operated facilities.