Empowering Communities: SRF’s Comprehensive Planning & Zoning Services

SRF works with cities, counties, and townships to prepare comprehensive plans that address aspects of growth, development, redevelopment, community values, and quality of life. Our community planners are committed to and embrace the fundamental goals of planning. Through the planning process, SRF can: 

• Help your community to envision its future
• Preserve what you love about your community in planning for growth and change
• Ensure that growth is compatible with the surrounding infrastructure
• Define actionable and realistic steps to move the community towards its future vision

SRF has extensive experience in the creation of plans from all aspects of the process. We can help with all or any part of the following:

• Stakeholder and community engagement
• Associated growth management and land use planning 
• Zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations 
• Planning/zoning technical assistance; on-going or on a case-by-case basis 
• Small area plans and master plans 
• Transportation planning
• Training of staff, planning commissions, and elected officials

Our team works hard to simplify complex technical information. This ensures all stakeholders are informed and able to actively participate in the decision-making process, throughout all stages of each project.

Related Comprehensive Plan Project Experience

---

Related Zoning and Land Use Project Experience

Our planning and zoning team has practical and pragmatic experience, having worked as both public sector planners and planning consultants. We understand what it’s like to serve as local planning staff – charged with the role of interpreting, administering, and enforcing the zoning ordinance. We also understand the need for creative approaches to regulations that have become barriers to desired forms of development.

As a team, we embrace the following goals in improving development regulations:

• Focus on simplicity – the simpler the code, the easier it is to explain and interpret
• Understand local needs – each community has a unique set of needs so we work with agency staff and the community to understand their specific circumstances
• Apply zoning flexibility into the urban fabric – we have worked with form-influenced codes and prepared planned unit developments (PUDs)

Scott Harmstead, MPA, AICP

Scott has 18 years of planning experience in the public and private sectors. His work includes the development of comprehensive and other long-range plans, including constraints analysis, public involvement, and the development of context-sensitive recommendations and policy language. He enjoys working to improve development regulations that make everyone’s life easier—residents, developers, staff, elected leaders, and other.
sharmstead@srfconsulting.com | 701.354.2405

Stephanie Falkers, AICP

Stephanie has 13 years of experience as a community planner and has participated in the development of a number of comprehensive, land use and growth management plans throughout the Midwest. Her engagement approach focuses on providing everyone with a seat at the table, creating opportunities to share ideas, and facilitating discussions of strategies to define a collaborative outcome.
sfalkers@srfconsulting.com | 763.249.6790

David Sweeney, AICP

Dave specializes in land development analysis and its connection to other facets such as the natural environment, economic development, and transportation. He has worked with communities across North Dakota and Minnesota on a variety of planning activities and ordinance updates using tools such as GIS mapping.
dsweeney@srfconsulting.com | 701.893.7426