Design Standards and Guidelines

Updated with the November 2025 Specific Plan

The Tower District is a special place within the City of Fresno, with a long history and distinctive architecture and urban form. While much of Fresno was designed around the automobile, the neighborhoods of the Tower District were originally designed around public transit and pedestrians, which makes them unique compared to areas that were built later with the automobile as their central focus.

But while the Tower District is unique, it is not a museum exhibit preserved in amber, nor should it be. It is a dynamic, living neighborhood where new growth and development are welcome. Indeed, the Tower District stands to benefit from the creation of new homes, businesses, and amenities. However, since architecture and urban form of the Tower District are so distinct from other parts of Fresno, design guidance is needed to help maintain its unique character.

Growth and evolution are welcomed, but change cannot come at the loss of the Tower District’s distinctive walkable, human scaled, and occasionally-quirky character. These Design Standards and Guidelines build upon historic development patterns, the Citywide Development Code (Development Code), the original Design Guidelines, and the updated Specific Plan, in order to guide development projects to make positive contributions to the Tower District’s uniqueness, beauty, and walkability. This document updates the original Tower District Design Guidelines and is intended to preserve the essence of the Tower District while facilitating compatible infill development.