Consulting services for land development, and public engagement. Over 30 years helping land owners, developers, municipalities and investors navigate planning approvals.

ABOUT MYSELF

Jennifer Dobbin works for her clients on planning and development matters with municipalities throughout Western Canada.

Her specialties are real estate and development, redesignations (rezoning), changes of use, DP management, development management, and neighbourhood planning. If you are seeking to develop or intensify your land, I’m here to help with assessment and the processes involved.

group of people looking at landscape and architectural drawings

Engagement

Responsive, collaborative, well documented engagement aligned with the requirements of your municipality.

Persuasive, engaging materials are developed for engagement needs that make information about your development accessable and clearly understood by the public (examples below, click to open PDFs): 

infographic of heritage building asset inventory map and statistics
infographic of statistical information about proposed building

Customized Solutions for Your Land Development Needs

With over 30 years in land planning and construction experience, I can assist you with your land assessment, planning, public engagement and application management at municipal and provincial levels.

group of people looking at landscape and architectural drawings
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Land Planning

  • Re-zoning / Redesigation
  • Development Permits
  • Neighborhood Concept Plans
  • Change of Use 
  • Heritage loss offset
  • Land swap / City lands
  • Appeals
    two pages of infographics on proposed building used for public engagement

    Public Engagement

    • Engagement plans
    • Flyers and infographics
    • Open houses
    • Online engagement websites
    • Direct mail design and management
    artists drawing of streetscape in Kensington Sunnyside calgary

    Development Management

    • Project planning and scheduling
    • Design policy alignment
    • Multi-project coordination
    • Contractor management
    • Site visits
    • Documentation and compliance
    • Quality control and materials confirmations

    About

    Jennifer Dobbin profile image standing in front of brick wall

    JENNIFER DOBBIN

    Planner, Founder

    Jennifer has a talent for distilling complex planning issues down to human-level communications and interactions. With a collaborative approach to public engagement, she seeks to create and document alignment of stakeholder concerns and developer responses to find a balance of ‘give and take’.

    With over two decades of experience in home-building (operating as Jen Mar Homes Ltd.) and commercial land planning, Jennifer’s many successes reflect her depth of experience in the development industry.

    “I always have
    difficulty describing myself, because the sort of things that I do are unlikely enough that putting them together is credibility reducing.”

    ~ Nathan Myhrvold,
    The Creative Brain, Netflix

    METHODOLODY

    This Methodologies Matrix explains the steps in land planning and applications including: Research, Strategy & Planning, Pre-Application Engagment & Municipal Meetings, Application, and Wind-up.  (I note that this copy of the Methodlogies Matrix is specific to the municipality of the City of Calgary.)

    THE ROLE

    WHAT DO LAND PLANNERS DO?

    Major land development projects typically involve three distinct leadership roles. Understanding how they work together helps landowners reduce risk, control costs, and secure approvals efficiently. On most mid-size or complex projects, all three roles are recommended to reduce approval delays, cost overruns, and political risk.

    Land Planning Consultant (Approvals & Public Engagement)

    • Leads redesignation (rezoning) and development
      permit applications.
    • Prepares planning rationale and policy
      alignment documentation.
    • Manages public engagement and stakeholder communication.
    • Represents the project at Calgary Planning Commission and Council hearings.
    • Navigates discretionary use approvals and
      relaxation strategies.

    Development Manager (Owner’s Representative)

    • Represents the landowner’s financial and strategic interests.
    • Controls budget, schedule, consultant team, and lender coordination.
    • Oversees approval strategy and construction delivery.
    • Manages risk from concept through occupancy.

    Prime Consultant (Design & Technical Lead)

    • Leads architectural and civil design.
    • Coordinates engineering disciplines (structural, civil, mechanical, electrical).
    • Prepares development permit and building permit drawings.
    • Administers construction and reviews contractor work.

    How These Roles Work Together

    • The Development Manager protects capital and aligns approvals with financial objectives.
    • The Land Planning Consultant secures political and regulatory approvals.
    • The Prime Consultant delivers compliant design and oversees construction execution.

     

    Key Distinctions

    Issue Land
    Planner    		 Dev. Manager Prime Consultant
    Political
    Risk    		 Manages Oversees Informed Only
    Budget Control Advises Owns Influences
    Technical Design Coordinates planning elements Oversees Leads
    Public Engagement Leads Supports Informed Only
    Council Hearing Leads Supports Informed Only
    Construction Admin None Oversees Leads

     

    My clients include: