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Design Review

Design Guidelines

Find project standards, application requirements, decision information, and common terms for exterior improvements.

Search Project LibraryReview Application Steps

Start With Your Project

Choose your project type to find the standards and materials you may need. You can also review application steps, decisions, and common terms.

ProjectsFind standards for a project

Search the project library first, then gather the materials listed for the selected project type.

 ApplicationsPrepare and submit

Learn what happens after you submit, including completeness review, committee review, and the written decision.

 DecisionsRead an outcome

Check what each decision or status means before acting on an approval, condition, or denial.

 ReferenceLook up terms

Look up common terms and documents used during Design Review.

Browse by Chapter

Looking for a specific section? Browse the complete Design Guidelines by chapter below.

Chapter 1Purpose and FrameworkPurpose, hierarchy, principles, and scope. Chapter 2DefinitionsTerms used throughout the guidelines and correspondence. Chapter 3Roles and ResponsibilitiesWho owns each step in review. Chapter 4Application WorkflowHow an application moves from intake to decision. Chapter 5Application StructureRequired application materials and submission structure. Chapter 6Project CategoriesSearchable project standards library. Chapter 7Decision FrameworkDecision types and decision letters. Chapter 8VariancesVariance standards and limits. Chapter 9Application Status DefinitionsAdministrative status meanings. Chapter 10Common Supporting DocumentationDocumentation commonly required for review.

How the Guidelines Fit Together

The Design Guidelines work with Blackhawk’s governing documents and applicable law. If requirements conflict, the higher-authority rule applies.

Start hereFind your project type

Use the Project Library to review the standards and materials for your project.

Before you applyReview the application steps

Confirm what to submit and see what happens after your application is received.

When rules conflictHigher-authority rules come first

Applicable law, recorded governing documents, and Board-adopted policies take priority over these guidelines.

Official Reference

1. Purpose and Framework

Purpose, governing hierarchy, core principles, and scope.

1.1 Purpose

The Design Guidelines establish a unified standard for architectural review within the community. They are designed to align the application form, review process, and decision letters into a single, consistent system.

This document is intended to:

  • Provide clear expectations for homeowners
  • Provide consistent decision criteria for the Architectural Control Committee (ACC)
  • Ensure all submissions can be evaluated using the same framework
  • Eliminate ambiguity between the application process and the governing documents

1.2 Governing Hierarchy

The following authority hierarchy controls the Design Guidelines and the architectural review process:

  1. Applicable law
  2. Recorded governing documents, including the Master Declaration and recorded amendments
  3. Board-adopted policies and resolutions that lawfully implement or clarify the governing documents
  4. These Design Guidelines
  5. The application form, statuses, decision letters, checklists, internal procedures, and supporting documents

If a conflict is found, the higher authority controls. The lower document, form element, letter, or process must then be revised.

1.3 Core Principles

  • Every requirement must be enforceable through the application process
  • Every form field must support a guideline or decision
  • No homeowner-facing process should invite negotiation or ambiguity
  • Variances are committee decisions, not homeowner request types

1.4 Scope and Disposition

This version governs only the project types, submission requirements, design standards, and process rules that are expressly stated in this manual, together with any higher-authority rules that control them.

A rule from a prior version is not retained by implication. If a legacy-regulated topic is not carried forward in this version, homeowners should not assume that the prior guideline text still governs.

If a proposed exterior improvement still requires architectural review but does not fit a defined project type, it must be submitted under Other. If a topic is omitted and no higher authority creates a separate standard for it, this version does not create one until the manual is revised.