A division of CSA International, CSA Planning began offering community planning services in 1990, including the development of comprehensive plans, preparation of comprehensive plan evaluation and appraisal reports, permit processing, and expert zoning testimony. In 1997, the Planning Division expanded its services to include emergency management, risk assessment, and hazard mitigation planning. Since then, CSA Planning has specialized in providing hazard mitigation planning services primarily to local and state governments. CSA Planning staff has also been active in promoting mitigation nationwide through presentations and workshop development. Brief overviews of our experience are provided below, while additional details can be found on our services pages.

Growth Management Foundation
While CSA Planning specializes in hazard mitigation projects, we feel it is important to stay current with growth management and community planning trends to strengthen our planning foundation. We have an extensive background in urban and regional planning and apply this knowledge to all projects. The company has been involved in the preparation of local comprehensive plans and evaluation and appraisal reports in Florida, a state with renowned growth and coastal management regulations. These efforts involved analyzing issues relative to land use, transportation, coastal management, conservation, infrastructure (e.g., potable water, sewer, solid waste, storm water management, aquifer recharge), recreation and open space, intergovernmental coordination, and capital improvements. In addition, we have helped local communities evaluate the effectiveness of their comprehensive plans and recommend ways to adjust the plans to accommodate changing conditions. CSA Planning also has analyzed many communities’ land development regulations and proposed modifications with the objective of reducing negative impacts of hazards.

CSA Planning also possesses environmental planning experience. We were involved in a landmark project in the early 1990’s that included development of the first Water Quality Management Plan for a national marine sanctuary. CSA inventoried, mapped, and assessed impacts of land-based activities and facilities on water quality in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, resulting in a number of recommended actions to improve water quality. A cornerstone of the planning process was public involvement. Extensive meetings were held with the public throughout the 2-year planning effort.

Hazard Mitigation Planning Focus
CSA Planning is unique in our focus on hazard mitigation planning and ability to unite emergency management with community planning. Our team has worked with local governments to assist them in developing their local mitigation strategy (LMS) plans and in becoming compliant with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. We also have reviewed and updated comprehensive emergency management plans and conducted emergency planning workshops (see the All-Hazards Planning & Emergency Management page for more details). CSA has established expertise in wildfire hazards, preparing wildfire mitigation plans for several communities (see the Wildfire Mitigation Planning and Training summary sheet) and has been at the forefront of wildfire education efforts, including conducting and assessing wildfire mitigation workshops. Recently, we were able to create an innovative countywide post-disaster redevelopment plan that resulted in both a process and actions for implementation before and after a disaster. Our passion lies in integrating hazard mitigation into local everyday planning, and we have been able to assist 32 counties and 10 municipalities in Florida in beginning to do so. In addition to plan development and analysis, we also offer workshop and training development and facilitation services as well as grant writing and consultation.