Urban design guidelines proposed for the Town Center section of Germantown have begun to help shape development.

The draft design guidelines, which were created alongside the Germantown Employment Corridor Sector Plan and will be adopted by the Planning Board for use during the development review process, will guide the look and feel of Germantown as it grows and urbanizes over the next few decades. Planners have begun working with developers to make future projects compatible with the guidelines, according to Karen Kumm, a county urban planner.

"The purpose is to implement the vision of the sector plan," Kumm said. "It's all about fostering quality of design and transforming Germantown from where it is today to a more walkable community. It's the character of a physical place that people walk and experience every day."

Planners worked with the Trammell Crow Company to redesign a planned office building in the Century Technology Campus that would have backed to Century Boulevard, which is envisioned as a promenade with restaurants, retail and sidewalk dining and seating, Kumm said. The developer reoriented the building to face the road and added a walk-through lobby, she said.

Planners are also asking developers what they expect their properties to look like at ultimate build-out to ensure their vision is in line with the county's goals, said Sue Edwards, a county planner assigned to the Germantown area.

"We want to make sure everything fits," Edwards said.

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the guidelines Thursday. The guidelines will be updated every six years, and a streetscape plan governing details such as what kind of trees and street paving should be used is being developed.

Planners are seeking feedback from residents on the guidelines because while many people are unsure what they think about issues such as population density or the ratio of jobs to housing, design is something everybody experiences, Kumm said.

The planned Germantown Town Center Urban Park on Locbury Drive will be an important part of creating a community identity, Kumm said. Construction is expected to begin in the summer and end in fall 2011, Kumm said.

"This is going to become the informal, passive park that can be a relief from the more active, urban life on Century Boulevard," Kumm said. "It'll be a nice complement to life in the Town Center. ...Imagine closing off Century Boulevard and having a big festival, a big street fair, and then coming down to this quiet area with your family for a picnic, to walk after dinner, to meet friends or read a book."

The County Council is expected to approve a sectional map amendment for the Germantown sector plan, the final step in the sector plan process, before its August recess, Edwards said.