Services: Environment Entitlement Solutions

Team

Kent Sharp, Principal
Kent’s industry knowledge combines 14 years with SE Group, eight years as the Winter Sports Administrator for the U.S. Forest Service in Summit County, Colorado, and several winters spent in mountain resort operations. Specializing in strategic planning and environmental analysis for mountain resort developments, Kent applies his skills to a wide range of project assignments which include Master Planning, regulatory compliance and market and financial analyses. Through his involvement and oversight, SE Group is able to anticipate issues early in the planning process and bring tested solutions to address the complexities of resort planning, entitlement and development.

Mark Kane, Director, Environment Entitlement Solutions
Mark brings nearly 20 years of experience in environmental and land use planning and analysis to the SE Group team. Mark often focuses on the permitting and entitlement issues of projects, in addition to providing consulting and expert testimony related to aesthetic and land use alteration and developing strategies and techniques for promoting environmental sustainability on land development projects. Mark is a consummate strategist; as the principal overseeing all aspects of the company’s land planning and design projects, he always has an eye on the bigger picture issues.

Jason Marks, Senior Project Manager/Environmental Analyst
Combined with 11 years at SE Group, Jason brings an educational background in natural resource policy to our environmental practice. While his role is primarily focused on permitting and entitlement processes related to ski area planning, his experience working alongside SE Group’s mountain planners give him unique perspective in assembling master planning documents that will ultimately require analysis and approval at the State and Federal levels. As one of SE Group’s senior project managers, Jason leads teams composed of internal staff and specialty sub-consultants to fulfill the needs and expectations of clients in today’s complex regulatory environment.

Travis Beck, Senior Project Manager/Ecologist
Travis’ background in environmental science and policy provides a technical foundation to work through complex environmental and regulatory issues facing land management projects. As both a senior project manager and certified wetland scientist for controversial NEPA projects, Travis brings a unique blend of technical expertise and strategic insight to SE Group’s environmental services. Travis’s role at SE Group extends beyond field work and project management, as he works with clients and SE Group’s mountain planners in addressing ski areas’ planning needs. Additionally, Travis’ eye for public involvement led him to create an online portal for the public to engage in planning and NEPA processes, which allows the public to both review and comment online though a customized commenting system.

Melissa Sherburne, LEED AP, Environmental Planner/Policy Planner
Melissa Sherburne, LEED AP, is an environmental planner with over eight years of experience in land use and natural resource policy and planning. She has served as project manager on a number of award-winning and innovative community planning projects in places such as Mountain Village, Gypsum, Steamboat Springs, and Fruita, Colorado. Melissa’s technical expertise, coupled with her understanding of the challenges that resort and rural communities face, allow her to develop plans that balance the complex goals and needs of these unique places. Additionally, her Masters of Environmental Management degree and diverse experience in environmental planning and geospatial analysis have led her to work on a wide range of permitting and compliance projects throughout the country.

Expertise

SE’s Environment Entitlement Solutions group has a distinguished history of assisting clients in navigating the complexities of Federal, State and Local regulation and permitting. Known as the industry leaders for Ski Resort NEPA analyses, our team has successfully completed hundreds of Environmental Impact Statements and Environmental Assessments for projects on National Forest and BLM public lands. We are expert strategists and believe that disciplined thought and project planning in the initial phases of an entitlement process are critical to a successful outcome. Our broad experience and process knowledge is not only beneficial to our clients, but is sought by agency representatives.

In conjunction with our role leading analyses under NEPA, our team provides dedicated expertise in wildland hydrology, wetlands delineation and permitting, social/economic analysis, silvicultural inventories and planning, and the assessment of complex recreation uses and needs.

Our environmental and sustainability planners routinely work with private and public sector renewable energy developers on evaluating site suitability, environmental constraints, and permitting. Our visual and environmental resource analysis services identify challenges and communicate opportunities in a manner which is approachable by the public. We work from the strategic perspective; aligning sustainability objectives with operational goals, financial realities, and programmatic needs.

Our Environment Entitlement Solutions Services List

Related Services

SE Group is a multi-disciplinary team of specialists, with a diversity of expertise and experience. Our EES team provides a wide range of services tailored specifically to navigating the complexities of the regulatory environment.

We believe the planning and entitlement processes are strategically integrated. Intentional planning should begin with an understanding of the subsequent environmental and permitting parameters. Our team of environmental planners and analysts work closely with our Resorts and Landscape Architecture Studio teams to ensure the planning process is proactive to the anticipated needs of the ensuing entitlement requirements. After all, “a plan without an approval is just a plan.”

Clients

SE Group has had the pleasure of assisting Resort Operators, property owners, municipalities and government agencies with a myriad of environmental and entitlement services throughout our extensive history. For many of our clients, SE Group’s comprehensive process and project knowledge is the “go-to-source” for all of their regulatory process needs.

For our private sector clients we focus on identifying key strategic goals to guide long-term planning. Whether resort operators or commercial developers, our client focus is to be responsive to need, diligent in execution, and considerate of costs. We anticipate risks, identify options and speak the hard truth if needed. Clients respect our understanding of how to “get things built” and commitment to assisting them in achieving their goals.

Working for State and Federal agencies, our team understands the critical importance of transparency and clarity. We provide our public sector partners with our expert opinions, strategic guidance and thoughtfulness on specific regulatory process. We work efficiently and effectively, respectful of the public – with practical experience on how to engage them in constructive ways.

Our Environment Entitlement Solutions client list.