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By all rights, Julie Livingston shouldn’t have ended up in the lead seat of the Portland Design Commission 鈥� at least, not yet.

When then-Chairman David Wark announced he would step down from the design panel in July, the reins of the commission should have gone next to Tad Savinar, vice president of the group and the commissioner with the longest tenure after Wark.

But Savinar said he felt the position he was already in was the best fit with his schedule, which contains a high amount of travel. That meant that Livingston, who is third in terms of duration on the commission, was next in line.

鈥淚 went for drinks one night with David and Tad, and they both looked at me and said, 鈥榊ou know it’s you, right?’鈥� Livingston said. 鈥淚t’s just the way the cards fell.鈥�

Livingston comes to the chairwoman role having previously worked as an architect in her own private practice as well as at Bora Architects. She is currently working with Home Forward, where she serves as an owner’s representative on affordable housing projects. She steps into the Design Commission’s leadership position at a time when the city is seeing some of its most explosive growth.

鈥淚t has just been crazy since the day I started, which means it was crazy before I got here,鈥� Livingston said.

While the commission chair position has limited power, the person in that seat can lead commission discussion and form talking points about a project during hearing discussions.聽 Some who attend Design Commission meetings regularly have noted that the first couple of meetings under Livingston’s leadership have had a more structured format than the freewheeling style of her predecessor.

Wark isn’t surprised that Livingston’s style differs from his. While pace was a concern when he led the group, making sure everyone’s opinion was heard was always his priority.

鈥淢y role was to give everyone a voice,鈥� Wark said. 鈥淚t made for some long commission meetings, but time shouldn’t be the primary concern.

鈥淎s chair, it’s a balancing act to give concise feedback but make sure it’s beneficial,鈥� he added. 鈥淓very commissioner has their own opinion. It’s like herding the proverbial cats.鈥�

A few of the changes Livingston has already implemented include a clock for those testifying, and breaking discussions into various subjects in an effort to give more structured feedback and speed up hearings. 聽Structure is one of the most prized aspects applicants say they want in a commission leader.

鈥淚 like a chair that can manage the commission to stay on track and adequately give the applicant clear direction, as well get through their docket in a reasonable timeline,鈥� Greg Mitchell, an LRS Architects senior associate, said.

One goal of the city’s Design Overlay Zone Assessment (DOZA) process, aimed at streamlining design review, is speeding up the process while still making sure everyone has their say. One of Livingston’s biggest challenges will be balancing those competing interests.

鈥淚t’s a little influence from DOZA,鈥� Livingston said. 鈥淲e are working to get to a time-certain agenda. I don’t think we will ever get there because of the nature of the beast.鈥�

In addition to applicant and staff testimony, commissioners also hear from local stakeholders such as residents or neighborhood associations during meetings. Then there is time added for rebuttals, and discussions from the commissioners before any decision is ever made. It’s not uncommon for hearings to last more than three hours for large or controversial projects.

鈥淭here are a lot of people in the hearing room that are not familiar with the process and they show up at 1:30 and don’t realize their chance of testifying will not happen until 6,鈥� Livingston said. 鈥淧eople just sit there and get more and more frustrated.鈥�

Part of lessening that frustration begins with more public outreach and advocating for the process, Livingston said. Better communication with those new to an intricate process is a big part of trying to lessen frustration.

For the first time, the leader of the Design Commission has a twitter handle – @PortlandDCchair. It’s a sign of the times that the commission is leaning on social media to get its message out.

Livingston’s hope is that using new methods of communication will increase awareness of a process that could reshape many neighborhoods. She takes over as chairwoman at a time when many parts of Portland are changing, leading to more public interest in what the Design Commission does 鈥� and how it does it 鈥� than ever before.

At the same time the DOZA process, which has been under way for more than two years, will be making revisions to the design guidelines that oversee how buildings in the city will look.

鈥淩olling out new community design guidelines is going to be a big thing,鈥� Livingston said.

Her hope is that the process will lead to guidelines that will be easier for developers to understand and the Design Commission to enforce. Livingston said the changes the city has gone through in recent years require refreshing guidelines that were written 35 years ago for a city that bears little resemblance to the metro area of today.

Getting those new guidelines right will be a major part of creating a process that is more effective.

鈥淣ot everyone gets it the way that people who created it 35 years ago did,鈥� Livingston said. 鈥淧eople who move here say it’s a fantastic city. Why do I need people looking over my shoulder? The guidelines are the most basic building blocks of good urban design.鈥�

She credited those guidelines for creating the urban experience that makes people want to live in Portland.

鈥淭he process works, it’s why people want to move here,鈥� Livingston said.