Upfront Planning & Entitlements leads the way for small and rural Arizona communities

MESA, ARIZONA (Sept. 6, 2024) – Upfront Planning & Entitlements is a land planning consulting firm that serves public and private sector clients throughout Arizona. However, company owner Jessica Sarkissian has found a niche serving the needs of small and rural communities across the state.

“I love the positive impact and real appreciation these communities have after working with them and helping them to have General Plans and Codes that are in line with what the big cities have,” Sarkissian said. “It enables them to be more competitive to help them grow and find solutions to their small community struggles.”

Sarkissian has led her firm to help complete projects all over the state while meeting their tight timelines and budgets. Most recently, she worked with Yavapai County, conducting public outreach meetings and getting them to the finish line on their recent Comprehensive Plan Update and then quickly began work for the Cities of Douglas and Kingman to meet their tight deadlines to make the ballot for the 2024 Primary Election requirement.

Working within those communities, taking photos, and meeting with residents is really educational for the project, as it ensures that the Plans are tailored to the communities’ needs and future vision.

For instance, in Douglas, the growth of the new port of entry will have major impacts on how the city grows, and the Upfront Planning team took that into account with the General Plan Advisory Committee to propose what could be given all the opportunities ensuring that the plan enabled the opportunities to encourage industries that may not yet be known.

It was another rewarding experience to see how the City of Kingman is not just Route 66 but a booming market with ample possibilities due to the growth of the industrial area, the airport, and new proposed interchanges along Interstate 40. Its citizens and City Council are eager to provide more housing and employment opportunities for the residents.

The Upfront Team encouraged the expansion of the General Plan study area to encompass all these new opportunities to ensure Kingman had a stake in those areas of future growth and to ensure it would be planned with purpose.

Upfront Planning also excels at writing and updating code. Not all firms write the same, but Sarkissian has a wide background in working as a public sector planner, as an applicant for private projects, and the one who hears the presentations as a Planning Board member. Her insight is valuable when writing code and knowing what has and has not worked over the various projects and municipalities.

The Upfront Planning Team is currently conducting a massive overhaul of the City of Nogales and Greenlee County Zoning and Development Codes. Nogales has not been updated entirely since 1999, and Greenlee has not been updated since 2012.

These updates are providing much-needed reorganization. They are adding new uses and standards and enabling the opportunities to increase housing stock, housing types, and higher densities. This allows for creative development styles while keeping the character of rural and small towns in place.

“Development can provide more intensity and density without compromising community character; it just depends on how you provide those allowances,” Sarkissian said. “What do they have to do for the design and community to get there. Just because it’s a rural or small-town community, residents shouldn’t allow anything to be built because they are eager for new development.”

Sarkissian and the Upfront Planning Team enjoy meeting with and being a partner with rural and small communities to help provide a service they need to grow and provide them insight on the best ways to get there.

“Becoming part of the community if only for a short time is very exciting and rewarding to know that you left them with something that will only make their community that much better in the future. I can’t wait to visit these communities again and see how they have grown and expanded on what we helped them start,” Sarkissian said.