Planning Brochure

PUBLIC PLANNING SERVICES PUBLIC PLANNING SERVICES “If you fail to plan, you are in fact, planning to fail.”

• Long Range Planning and EAR-Based Plan Amendments

• Marketing and Graphics

• Code Amendment Preparation and Form-Based Code Writing

• Public Outreach

• Urban Design and Master Planning • Long Range Transportation Planning and Complete Streets Design • Park and Greenways Planning and Design

• Environmental Planning and Policy • Survey and Mapping • Civil Engineering

COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING Comprehensive planning is a process that helps a community define its goals and objectives -- effectively guiding growth and development. It employs a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding and balancing the impacts of growth on physical, natural, cultural and historical resources and the economy. The Comprehensive Plan is the formal document that results from this process. It lists the goals and objectives for different parts of the community and states the policies of the local government that will direct programs, budgets, and policy decisions. The comprehensive planning process requires local governments to monitor numerous community characteristics, or elements, relating to population growth and development, redevelopment, transportation, education, public services and facilities, and environmental and water resource management.

As many communities and their priorities change over time, the Comprehensive Plan is also designed to be a living document and respond to those changes. Response to change comes in part through comprehensive plan amendments, revisions to the methods of the plan’s implementation, and through the evaluation of the comprehensive plan, whether it be the need to re-evaluate all aspects or just a particular element.

As one of the largest multi-discipline consulting firms in Florida, WGI has a diverse group of professionals that are integral to the comprehensive planning process, including planners, landscape architects, urban designers, transportation planners and engineers, civil engineers, marketing and graphic designers, environmental scientists, and surveyors. With offices throughout the state, we maintain close working relationships with public agencies at the local, state and federal level.

greenways planning bus shelters density & intensity

community

streetscape the downtown

amenities

waterfront

parks

diversity

population

neighborhoods

cultural assets

mixed use

walkability

public spaces

urban design

schools & universities

long range planning studies

cultural assets greenways sense of place

SERVICES WE PR LONG RANGE PLANNING AND EAR-BASED PLAN AMENDMENTS WGI has the professional skills and technical knowledge necessary to analyze and develop environmentally sustainable long range plans and complete planning studies to meet a community’s needs. With over 30 years of comprehensive planning experience, WGI comes with an understanding of the process of evaluating local government comprehensive plans to meet state requirements and changes in local conditions. WGI can complement local government planning departments with evaluating and updating their comprehensive plans consistent with the current vision of the community. WGI recognizes that our clients are the experts when understanding their community. In this regard, WGI listens to the community and its leadership. As we believe that working relationships must be based on trust and mutual respect, WGI works closely with the public planning staff, elected and appointed officials, community and business leaders and neighborhood representatives to complement that knowledge with innovative ideas, community visioning, data collection and research skills. WGI planners’ technical and creative writing expertise are invaluable assets that bring a fresh approach to the comprehensive planning process, resulting in efficient and effective solutions that reflect the diversity of community interests.

CODE AMENDMENT PREPARATION AND FORM-BASED CODE WRITING The regulatory document that implements the goals and objectives of a comprehensive plan is the land development code. WGI staff has extensive knowledge in code amendment preparation ranging from zoning, land use, building and site design, transportation, environmental conservation, landscaping and signage. In addition to conventional zoning preparation which guides the regulation for privately-owned land, WGI can lead the process of developing form-based codes, which place the priority of land development regulation on a community’s public space by controlling building form first and building use second. Form-based codes elevate the public realm as an invaluable asset to promoting community identity, creating a sense of place and improving the overall quality of life. A typical form-based code prepared by WGI staff would incorporate a regulating plan, building form standards, street standard sections, building and lot types, and other elements needed to implement solid planning principles.

Landscape Architecture/ Urban Design Transportation Planning Creative Graphics Public Outreach

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URBAN DESIGN AND MASTER PLANNING

PARK AND GREENWAYS PLANNING AND DESIGN

Blending the art and science of design into planning documents provides the perfect complement by graphically illustrating policy language. Urban design is about making the right connections between people and places, nature and the built environment. Urban design draws together the elements of place-making, environmental stewardship, social equity and economic viability to create places of distinction. WGI’s urban design work gives form, shape, and character to groups of buildings, neighborhoods or Business Districts. We take the framework for the design and arrangement of buildings with one another and to the street, sidewalks and other areas within the public realm, and incorporate them into long range plans, land development regulations and form-based regulating plans.

Historically thought to be only places for recreation, public gathering and the preservation of open space, today, the role of parks in cities and towns has a much greater impact on the public realm. WGI understands the significance that parks and greenways play in shaping the urban form, adding economic benefit to communities and improving the overall quality of life. Greenways not only enhance existing recreational opportunities, they also provide an alternative transportation option to connect people and places. WGI can assist local communities in strategic vision planning for greenways and continued greenways maintenance through the preparation of operations and management plans. As our Florida communities take on more urban landscapes, WGI’s approach to park and greenways planning is an interdisciplinary style that includes our environmental resource management, engineering and landscape architecture staff.

At WGI, we pride ourselves on sustainable landscape architecture in the planning and design of outdoor space. Our goal is to create a plan that combines nature, culture, architecture and thoughtful design in order to create a sense of place in which a community can grow and recreate. In the public arena, the scope of work performed by WGI Landscape Architects includes site planning, landscape design, stormwater management, environmental restoration, parks and recreation planning, and green infrastructure planning. Through the process of master planning, WGI staff can visually illustrate the results of a planning process which accounts for the desires of the community.

LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND COMPLETE STREETS DESIGN WGI Transportation Planning success is derived from the understanding of our clients and their particular needs as well as the experience and expertise in the latest transportation modeling and design software. Our vision for transportation planning is choice. We understand that people are seeking out different modes of transportation and it is our job to properly design for them. Transportation solutions should support quality places to live, learn, work, and play. Adhering to the “Complete Streets” principles, WGI’s transportation planning and design approach for streets enables safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities regardless of their mode of transportation, but with the emphasis being on the pedestrian.

PUBLIC

PLANNING

MARKETING AND GRAPHICS WGI Creative Services staff are skilled in making lasting impressions. Their approach is unconventional, by marketing with the eye of an engineer, the heart of an artist and the boundless enthusiasm of a child! Our ability to create illustrative plans and renderings, interactive documents, beautiful brochures, provocative advertising, memorable logos and effective websites creates social media platforms that educate and engage the public. They are a vital component to comprehensive planning in the new millennium!

PUBLIC OUTREACH WGI listens to the needs of a community. We are skilled in place-making by understanding the uniqueness that each community offers. Through our experience with orchestrating charrettes, WGI staff offers a forum for ideas that gains immediate feedback and allows everyone who participates to be an author of the plan. We tailor each workshop or charrette by taking into account the findings of the initial site analysis, input from staff, information obtained from previous meetings and interviews with the local officials and the public. We are skilled at translating community-based ideas into planning and design. Finally, we understanding challenging political climates and have the “know how” to overcome and gain consensus.

Civil Engineering Environmental Science Surveying/LiDAR GIS/Long RangePlanning

SUPPORTING SERVICES ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND POLICY While keeping abreast of federal, state and local environmental regulations, WGI Environmental Scientists provide up-to-date knowledge on issues that impact community resources, including wetlands, protected habitat, threatened and endangered species, water quality, and historical and archaeological assets. Their daily hands-on field work assists planners in developing creative and effective environmental policy. WGI Environmental Scientists maintain the necessary certifications required to solve any environmental issue.

SURVEY AND MAPPING As the technological advances of surveying and mapping evolve, so too has WGI in delivering the most accurate data to our clients. WGI understands that municipalities are looking for innovative ways to manage and develop their communities. With this understanding in mind, WGI owns and operates cutting-edge, air/ vacuum excavation and ground penetrating radar systems for subsurface utility engineering. Further, WGI made a significant investment in mobile LiDAR technology that is changing the way cities manage their assets and execute infrastructure improvements. LiDAR is the most precise, expeditious and versatile measurement technique available and WGI is one of only two firms in Florida that maintains the equipment in-house. WGI Surveyors are able to map roadways at posted speed limits in minimal time, collecting information required for comprehensive asset management and improvements of the various features owned and maintained by a municipality. With the quality of today’s available technology, mobile LiDAR goes beyond just asset management applications, allowing for design grade base mapping when infrastructure improvements are required.

CIVIL ENGINEERING Since 1972, WGI has been providing engineering services to a vast array of public sector entities, building an excellent reputation for our comprehensive range of knowledge. WGI Engineering staff expertise extends from subsurface to structural engineering. Our civil engineering services include water management, wastewater collection and water distribution system designs, facilities, recreational, roadway and streetscape design and both conceptual and final engineering design. WGI Structural Engineers take on more than the basic components of engineering by being mindful of the aesthetics, safety, maintenance and repair of projects ranging from complex interstate highway bridges to pedestrian walkways, seawalls and piers. Many WGI staff members are LEED Accredited and have years of experience in Local Agency Program coordination, grant funding assistance, and preparing feasibility studies.

www.WGInc.com 866.909.2220 Offices throughout Florida ENGINEERING // TRANSPORTATION // STRUCTURES // ENVIRONMENTAL // SURVEY // SUE // PLANNING // LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE // WATER RESOURCES // CREATIVE SERVICES