Site Visits
Zoning Practice — February 2005
By Stuart Meck, FAICP
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When a developer or property owner submits a proposal for a new development to a government, it is standard practice for professional planners to conduct a site visit. A site visit's purpose is to obtain current, firsthand knowledge of the site and surrounding properties for eventual incorporation into a staff report.
The conditions affecting each development are unique, and professional planners must account for them in determining whether planning policies and approval standards and criteria are satisfied. Even if a planner made previous visits to a site, changed conditions and the dimming of memory make a new visit for a new proposal an imperative.
This issue of Zoning Practice discusses recommended practices for site visits, including what to take to the site and which site characteristics to record.
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About the Author
Stuart Meck, FAICP
My website: http://bloustein.rutgers.edu/meck/