Dodson & Flinker helps communities preserve their character by reviewing development proposals for Towns, Counties and Non-Profit Organizations. We frequently review development proposals in relation to their “fit” with the existing landscape as well as their compatibility with the existing zoning and regulatory framework. For over twenty years Dodson & Flinker has been involved in helping to preserve important natural, cultural or historic resources by promoting “limited development” that creates equity without destroying the existing character and value of that specific site.
Our experience has shown that superior design coupled with the full participation of the community (and most critically of the land-owners and equity-holders themselves) can achieve creative consensus. This process successfully draws the community together and gives it the confidence to tackle other problems in a truly civic and collaborative way. It can also significantly speed up the permitting process for developers and make it more predictable. Conversely, if the proposal is inherently flawed, testimony and analysis plans from Dodson & Flinker can provide communities the basis to deny permits or to send applicants back to the drawing table.
Dodson & Flinker has provided expert testimony on development proposals and to their relation to existing Site Plan Review Standards or Masterplans for Planning Boards, and County Planning Departments from Tennessee to New Hampshire. We have also worked for private, non-profit groups such as the Nature Conservancy, the Regional Plan Association and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Dodson & Flinker has worked to identify design alternatives to help preserve important Civil War Battlefields as well as to encourage linking the preservation of important agricultural land with the provision of affordable housing.