CITY PLANNING
City Planning and Zoning
LGSS offers comprehensive planning, revitalization and zoning services to a wide range of communities – large and small, urban and rural, cities and townships – and development services to the private sector. The firm’s professional staff includes trained urban planners that possess diverse professional backgrounds and extensive experience in formulating, writing, and implementing community plans and land development regulations and successfully securing the appropriate approvals for private clients.
With our practical planning strategies we are able to integrate our client’s vision by facilitating discussion and building community consensus through citizen groups, public bodies, focus groups as well as more extensive strategic steering committees with supplemental task forces.
Development Code Writing and Updating (Zoning)
Zoning regulations control the use of land and the development of buildings within a community. LGSS has extensive experience providing zoning expertise to cities, villages, townships, and private clients. We work with the community to establish and revise regulations in line with a community’s specific short and long-term planning goals. Additionally, guidance and representation is provided to private clients seeking development opportunities within communities. Our experience with zoning services includes:
- Preparing new and updated zoning codes.
- Utilizing “best practices” zoning regulations to meet specific client needs.
- Reviewing plans for zoning compliance.
- Evaluating the appropriateness of existing or proposed zoning district designations.
- Providing expert testimony.
Neighborhood and Commercial Revitalization
Communities are often compelled to identify new development opportunities on currently built sites. LGSS works with local governments, community development corporations, and private developers on these revitalization strategies. LGSS has responded to this trend through the preparation of detailed community development plans including data documentation, strategy development, and public participation in this redevelopment process. LGSS has experience in formulating these redevelopment strategies with the necessary critical insights into the ever changing economic dynamics and redevelopment complexities.
Development Services
LGSS provides planning and zoning services to the private sector clients – for projects on small sites to large projects on several hundred acres – which may include:
- Preparing site plans for commercial, office, industrial and residential – both conceptual and final.
- Providing supporting documentation for effective applications.
- Providing expert representation at community meetings to secure necessary project approvals.