Wahpeton City Design Standards

The Interstate Engineering planning team created city development standards for the City of Wahpeton, designed to supplement the existing zoning regulations and reflect Wahpeton residents’ expectations for new buildings in their commercial neighborhoods. Each of the city’s business districts possess unique characteristics; the standards recognize these differences and offer solutions catered to the existing conditions, needs, and expectations of each zoning district. Cost was a significant consideration to ease the implementation of the design standards; likewise, the language selected for the standards are approachable, promoting easier comprehension and compliance.

An increased amount of commercial development in the city prompted interest among community leaders to have a set of standards for new buildings in Wahpeton’s business districts. Existing zoning regulations offered no exterior design guidance for developers, resulting in several commercial buildings with unattractive facades. The design standards Interstate Engineering created for the City of Wahpeton help ensure predictable appearances of commercial buildings without requiring excessive structural design changes for developers. The standards for each of the city’s three business districts are different and were created to reflect existing conditions, desired appearances in different neighborhoods, and to accommodate existing zoning regulations.

The design standards will help ensure that future commercial development in the city’s business zoning districts is of the desired visual quality, reflects the city’s goals for a consistent aesthetic in commercial neighborhoods, and does not over-burden development projects with expensive or uncharacteristic requirements.