Land Development Planning Services

Overview

From site evaluation to facilitating regulatory approvals, our in-house planners assist clients with evaluating development strategies, navigating the entitlement process, and managing projects pre- and post-construction. Whether the project is a greenfield development spanning thousands of acres, or a complex, small-scale urban redevelopment project, our planners provide the supporting policy analysis, technical analysis and expert witness testimony required to address local government and state land planning requirements. These services ultimately guide landowners and developers to make informed land development decisions and manage risk.

As a team of diverse individuals with backgrounds in local government, regional, and state agency planning and administration, our planners can serve in a capacity tailored to the needs of each client. The team provides quality review assurance, conducts due diligence and often serves as project managers to file required applications, maintain timelines, collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams, and craft development strategies to support requested entitlements. In today’s complex regulatory environment, our planners understand the layers of approvals required for development. From approvals in historic districts and application of ever-changing coastal regulations, to comprehensive plan amendments and re-zonings addressing intensity and density, our professional team guides clients through the intricacies of multiple regulatory reviews for a vast range of project types.

Range Of Services

Growth Management Analysis and Policy

Support development projects with analysis and application of land use policies and principles. Our team assess local government and state policy as applicable to a client’s objectives and develop solutions to address barriers, including potential solutions to challenging regulations.

Entitlements and Permitting

Develop entitlement strategies to pursue clients’ development objectives and take the lead in assembling multi-disciplinary teams for commercial, industrial, residential, and mixed-use developments.

Due Diligence/Development Feasibility

Provide due diligence for a multitude of projects to determine entitlements and assess risk. Our planners are experienced in performing comprehensive analyses regarding land entitlement.

• Site comparison
• Land use analysis
• Compatibility evaluation
• Entitlement Strategy – Evaluation of legislative and local government incentives, including Right to Farm Act, Agricultural Enclaves, Live Local Act, affordable housing, and use of graywater technologies
• Project feasibility analysis/models

Regulatory/Supporting Analysis

Navigate complex regulatory standards and provide innovative solutions to meet federal, state, and local requirements.

• Coastal Management Analysis – FEMA flood regulation and floodplain management, sea level rise impact analysis and adaptation planning, hurricane evacuation modeling, shelter demand, coastal high hazard area/density allocations, Peril of Flood Comprehensive Plan amendment, Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) program
• Concurrency analysis
• Land use conversion charts
• Impact fees and mobility fees
• Transportation study and impact analysis
• Multimodal alternatives analysis
• Parking studies and alternatives analysis
• Customary use of the beach

Mineral Extraction

Permitting new facilities and amending historic approvals to address the ever-growing demand for mineral resources across Florida. Regulations vary by product and jurisdiction and must be applied in context with the scale and unique characteristics of the property involved.

• Project management
• Mining – phosphate, sand, limerock, aggregate including comprehensive plan mining overlays
• Reclamation planning
• Redevelopment of closed/inactive sites
• Resource impact approvals

Cultural Resources

Our planners specialize in navigating the various aspects of cultural resource regulations throughout Florida including understanding the ramifications of cultural resources identified on a property.

• Project management
• Historic preservation – Designate a property as historic on the local, state, or federal register, assist with site development for historic sites to obtain Administrative and Board Certificates of Appropriateness

Expert Analysis and Reports

Provide expert testimony regarding comprehensive plan/amendment compliance, challenged development order approvals or denials, assessment of proposed regulations on land entitlement rights, and valuation proceedings. Other law firms regularly retain our planners to assess claims set forth in a lawsuit and serve as experts at trial.

• Administrative hearings
• Local government quasi-judicial hearings
• State/federal court hearings
• Eminent domain entitlement analysis