Community Development
Our Community Development Services
At Saehr Consulting, we are dedicated to helping communities effectively manage growth and development. Our services are designed to guide our clients through the complexities of land use, regulations, and overall planning while building relationships within the community.
Navigating relationships is important to successful community development. We assist in managing the intersection of local governance and land development, ensuring that development projects align with community principles, environmental considerations, and regulatory frameworks. We also assist in building effective partnerships with developers to achieve sustainable, community-focused outcomes.
Government Relations & Land Development
We assist in strategic interactions between local governments, developers, and other key stakeholders of the community. Our focus is specializing in providing solutions while building relationships to promote long term sustainability for the community.
Our services include:
- Zoning and Land Use: Advising and assisting on land use policies and ensuring that developments align with zoning codes, comprehensive plans, and community goals.
- Development Agreements: Assisting in the negotiation process while navigating the necessary requirements needed to balance community interests and developers goals.
- Community Engagement: Engaging with community leaders and members to ensure the long-term vision and goals of the community remain on track.
- Orderly Annexation Process and Agreement: Assisting in the planning process between jurisdictions to provide direction for future planning and development.
Land Use / Planning and Zoning Processes
Managing the land use and P&Z processes is a vital piece community sustainability.We provide comprehensive support in planning and zoning matters, ranging from code updates to handling specific development requests.Our team specializes in navigating the complexity of these processes, including rezoning, conditional use permits, variances, general permitting, and site plan approvals.
Our services include:
- Rezoning, Variances, Conditional Use Permits / Interim Use Permits: Guiding communities through the approval process for changes in land use and ensuring decisions are compliant with local ordinances and codes
- Permitting: Assisting with general permit application review and administration to streamline processes and shorten review/release times.
- Zoning Ordinance Updates: Reviewing and updating zoning codes to reflect changes in land use and related standards.
- Site Plan Reviews: Reviewing site plans to ensure that new developments and redevelopments comply with current standards.
- SSTS Review for Compliance: Assisting communities in the review process of subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) to meet compliance based on local and state regulations.
- Public Hearings and Input: Facilitating public hearings and ensuring that residents and other stakeholders are informed and involved in land use decisions.
Comprehensive Planning
Comprehensive planning is often identified as the foundation for long term sustainability for the community. We assist in creating long-term, strategic plans that align with both community aspirations and regulatory requirements. Our focus often helps identify the community needs for housing, transportation, infrastructure, economic development, and environmental sustainability.
Our services include:
- Identifying Priorities: Evaluating current land use, economic activity, and overall capacity to assist in future planning.
- Community Engagement: Facilitating workshops, surveys, and other public meetings to identify leading themes and visions in order to refine individual community identities.
- Goal-Setting: Working with community stakeholders to define long-term goals and develop actionable strategies.
Platting and Subdivisions
Platting and subdivision processes are essential for managing the layout and division of land for new and existing developments. Our team works closely with local governments and developers to ensure these requests are designed for long-term sustainability and integration into the existing community.
Our services include:
- Plat and Subdivision Process: Assisting communities with the technical review and approval of plans and subdivisions.
- Compliance Review: Reviewing submittals to ensure compliance with community code while identifying solutions to meet the needs of all stakeholders.
- Collaboration: Working with multiple partners to streamline the process throughout all phases of development.
Well-Head Protection Planning
Protecting drinking water sources is essential to the health and sustainability of any community. We work with local governments and districts to redevelop and amend their current well-head protection plans. Our services often include an assessment of current plans, review of the protection area, revised development strategies, and support future activities.
Our services include:
- Compliance Review: Assisting in keeping the community’s well-head protection plans current and maintaining code compliance.
- Protection Strategies: Supporting overall redevelopment and editing of the current plan. This process includes state and local compliance to protect well-heads from contamination, including land-use restrictions and best management practices.
- Meeting Facilitation: Organizing and facilitating client meetings to ensure constructive and open dialogue between residents, officials, and stakeholders.