Planning Services

At ZALIG  we offer urban planning, sustainability, urban design, public engagement and project management services.

We work with municipal and private sector clients to build strong and vibrant communities. We help our clients navigate the various stages of the land use planning process and offer customized planning services to meet each project’s needs and solve complex development issues. We collaborate with stakeholders involved in the land development process and take a multidisciplinary approach to provide urban planning and project management services from the initial concept development and schematic drawings to statutory plan approvals through to detailed design drawings.

We offer a full range of land use planning consulting services that include :

1. Planning Services

• Prepare Due Diligence Reports for land acquisitions
• Prepare documentation for the statutory plan approval process (Area Structure Plans, Neighborhood Structure Plans, Outline Plan and Zoning)
• Provide project management services and coordinate work plans and project deliverables from a multi-disciplinary team of professionals involved in the development approval process
• Create and formulate plans and  strategies for public engagement initiatives and spearhead the public consultation process
• Prepare Urban Design Briefs and Reports
• Create Concept Site Plans and Land Use Plans that portray an aesthetically appealing public realm and meets our client’s vision and budget
• Prepare Sun Shadow Impact Study for rezoning applications and other statutory plan applications
• Subdivision Applications
• Lot Splitting and Condominium Conversion
• Neighborhood Design Report

2. Due Diligence Report

ZALIG offers extensive experience and a custom approach towards understanding our client’s needs and prepares Due Diligence Report prior to land acquisition. Our highly experienced team conducts planning research, reviews statutory plans and zoning regulations, and works closely with municipal planning staff to provide recommendations and alternatives to our clients.

3. Statutory Plan Approval Process

Statutory plans are defined by the Municipal Government Act and include:

• The Municipal Development Plan (MDP)
• Area Structure Plans (ASPs)
• Area Redevelopment Plans (ARPs)
• Outline Plan (OPs)

Landowners can apply to change any one of these plans to facilitate development on their land.  In some instances, landowners may prepare statutory plans when no plan governs the area they wish to develop. The statutory plan amendment/approval process requires a significant investment of time and resources from both the municipality and the landowner. At ZALIG, our Team has developed a process to ensure that the approval processes run smoothly as we collaborate with all stakeholders, from the draft report stage that captures the development intent to the public consultation stage and bylaw adoption by the council.

4. Project Management and Work Planning 

At ZALIG, we emphasize proactive and sustained project management processes from the early stages of initiation and planning to execution, monitoring and controlling and closing. Implementing urban planning projects could be an extremely complex undertaking as evidence from the industry suggests that projects may suffer from cost underestimation, scope creep, budget overruns, and schedule slippage. Our experienced team utilizes PMI processes and PMBOK principles to ensure that cost, scope, and schedule constraints are maintained and controlled. We utilize work planning techniques and tools to coordinate and complete tasks, with an emphasis on delivering value and innovative solutions for our clients