Environmental Development Reviews
Some municipalities require that development proposals be reviewed by ACD to consider natural resource limitations and environmental impacts. Development reviews involve an inspection of the site, a summary of the soil, water and vegetative resources, a summary of resource degradation potential, and recommendations on the preservation and protection of the resources. This includes but is not limited to site specific information on soil limitations to construction, erosion control practices, tree species and protection strategies, rare and regionally significant natural resources, unused wells, wetlands identification and protection, archeological sites, solid waste disposal and septic system construction. Fees are charged for this service.
The more progressive communities are involved in ACD's Development Review Team (DiRT) that involves a site inspection with representatives of the city, the developer and ACD to consider natural resource implications prior to the development of a concept plan. This is the most effective method of incorporating road and lot configuration strategies that take advantage of available natural resources instead of conflicting with them such as placing septic systems in the most suitable soils, lawns in areas with high organic matter, and roads on solid mineral soils.