Land Planning Services

Land Development
Before construction can begin, land use issues must be addressed by the landowners or the developers of a site. Our land planning program will help to answer the following questions:

  • Is my plan compatible with existing zoning?
  • What are the requirements for zoning changes, community unit plans or planned unit developments?
  • What is the availability of public facilities and services, such as private and public utilities?
  • Are there any drainage considerations or flood issues?

Concept Plan
A concept plan will be developed based on the factors discovered during the Land Use investigation. The purpose of the concept plan is to establish the developers' intentions for utilizing the land, indicating areas to be used for drainage purposes, open space, common community space, access to the site, and delineate areas for residential and commercial uses.

Subdivision Design
Once the developer and the local zoning and subdivision authorities have agreed with the general concept of the concept plan the next step is to acquire an accurate topographic survey of the site. The topographic survey will allow the subdivision designer to take into consideration the specifics of any drainage concerns, points of connection with utilities and site access issues. Together with the considerations that need to be made in regards to the infrastructure of a subdivision, the type of construction and marketing strategies play a very important role in the design of a subdivision whether it is a residential, commercial, industrial or a mixed use subdivision.

Preliminary Plat
Once it has been determined that the subdivision design is functional and will meet the requirements of the developer, the preparation of the preliminary plat may proceed. At this time it becomes necessary to make detailed considerations for site grading to insure that appropriate drainage considerations are being made in conjunction with the requirements for the underground infrastructure, such as the depth and grade of the sanitary sewer system. Once the design and infrastructure issues have been resolved and the requirements of the local subdivision regulations can be met, the preliminary plat can be submitted for consideration.

Final Plan
Upon approval of the preliminary plat, the final plat is prepared and submitted for approval by the various approving authorities. Upon completion of the approval process for the subdivision, including meeting all of the requirements and making all of the required guarantees, the plat is forwarded to the Register of Deeds for recording and the construction process may begin.

Planning Board / Town Board Consultation
Many of our clients rely on us to help present their projects to various planning boards. We help assure the board that all projects will meet municipal zoning codes, subdivision regulations, street, water and sewer specifications, etc. as well as state and federal codes, regulations and permits. Combs and Associates, Inc. will represent clients at board meetings as necessary to discuss and inform the Planning Board and Town Board of the design requirements necessary to grant approval.