Now that you've found me, how did we get here?  Short story long... my dad had two diplomas on the wall and when I was little I asked why, and he said one was his Master's degree.  Well, I just had to have one too, just like dad.  After an undergraduate degree in Interior Design, and few years of random just out of college jobs, I found myself at USAID and thought the things going on in the Urban Section of the Environmental Center seemed pretty interesting.  And boom!  I was headed to University to get my Master's in Urban Planning.

 

All these years later, I've compiled a resume full of private and public sector work.  Notably, while working for local government, I was asked to fill the role of Deputy Director in a Planning & Zoning department - and filled in as an Acting Director.  While Deputy, I oversaw a staff of planners handling every aspect of development review for an entire county of over 500K citizens.  My specialty had always been site plans and subdivisions and the best part was now I could mentor younger staff to grow and eventually, maybe they'd want to be at the top of a Planning & Zoning office too.  As the state of Maryland has only 23 counties, that means only 23 Planning Directors and to get to that level, you need to know your stuff.

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2020 was a weird year for most, and it brought a big change, moving from public sector back to private.  I was now gainfully employed by a Fortune 500 home builder doing what I do best but now on the opposite side of the table.  It was certainly an eye-opener with the never-ending press to beat timelines and know everything there is to know about a piece of property.  Crucially, how long and what would it take to get a house built - when would that building permit be in hand!

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I've turned into a bit of a data geek, compiling extensive spreadsheets to track processes and costs across many of Maryland's counties (and a little WV, PA, and DE).  Even with data in hand, there's always the chance of a surprise - land use and development is anything but a sure thing.  However, what I've learned and what I want to give to clients is everything I've gathered over the years from citizens, zoning and planning commissions, planners of all backgrounds, public works departments, solar developers, septic installers, state agencies, and more.

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D.I.G. was the first idea for when this LLC paperwork was filed back in 2023 - Development / Insight / Guidance - and is still the premise.  The reality is not every answer is one a client will like, but it will be well-researched and provide the information needed to make a good decision or to avoid making any further bad decisions.  I want to make the most frustrating, maddening, confusing, obtuse, opaque, and plain awful process (which I strangely like) into something my clients can understand and get through because they know someone is there for them, by their side, every step of the way.