Design & documentation · Nationwide
Environmental and Sensitive-Site Coordination
Environmental questions can change a project’s footprint, investigations and approval sequence. True North coordinates the project information and specialist interfaces needed to resolve those questions without treating a desktop record as final clearance.
For owners, project teams and delivery partners nationwide. The written scope identifies True North’s work, the responsible professionals and any separately contracted construction.
- Property investigations and design
- Building hazardous materials
- Ecology, waterways and cultural resources
What the scope can include
Select the work and handoff your project needs. The agreement identifies the included deliverables and responsibilities.
Property investigations and design
Coordinate environmental due diligence, contaminated-site information, spill-prevention/SPCC interfaces and investigation access. Responsible environmental professionals evaluate findings and applicable obligations.
Building hazardous materials
Organize asbestos, lead or other material surveys and their relationship to demolition, renovation and abatement work. Qualified parties define sampling, handling and clearance; drawings identify the resulting work limits.
Ecology, waterways and cultural resources
Coordinate wetlands, habitat, trees, waterways, historic or archaeological review and land-management interfaces. Include staging, temporary access and other disturbance, not just the finished structure or route.
Prepare for the assignment
You can start with incomplete records. Tell us what is available and what still needs to be established.
Information to bring
The full project footprint, property history and reports, demolition/renovation limits, route or site alternatives, available environmental records and access authorization.
The agreed handoff
A specialist study and decision register, coordinated project exhibits and a record of conditions, unresolved findings and design changes.
Decisions, fees and timing
Scope and dependencies determine the proposal. No universal price or approval date is assumed.
Confirm the basis and responsibility
Review the available records, intended endpoint and authority to use the information. Assign missing inputs, technical decisions and the parties who can authorize changes.
Coordinate and review the work
Prepare the included documents from agreed inputs, resolve interfaces with responsible specialists and track revisions. Record external decisions and conditions separately from work prepared for review.
Account for project-specific dependencies
Field seasons, study limits, site access, sampling, agency review and changes to the construction or staging footprint.
Deliver the defined milestone
Provide the controlling documents and remaining-action record. Identify what is accepted, what still requires a decision and what belongs to a separately contracted next stage.
Construction stormwater plans, coverage and closeout
A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP, also called SWP3 in Texas) addresses construction pollution controls. First identify the governing permit program, full disturbance/common-development scope, operators, receiving waters and construction sequence. EPA and state programs have different applicability and filing requirements.
Plan and erosion-control exhibits
Use grading plans, drainage/outfalls, soil information, disturbance limits and staging areas to coordinate erosion and sediment controls, stabilization, material storage and pollution-prevention procedures. An erosion-control plan is a drawing component; the complete SWPPP/SWP3 also assigns responsibilities and records. Confirm who prepares, implements, maintains and updates each element as construction changes.
NOI, inspections and NOT
A Notice of Intent (NOI), where required, requests coverage under the applicable general permit; it does not replace the plan or field controls. The operator’s implementation, inspections, corrective actions and records continue under that permit. A Notice of Termination (NOT) concerns ending coverage when its conditions are met. Coordinate signed filings, receipts and closeout evidence with the responsible operator; filing a form alone does not prove compliance.
Environmental due diligence is a set of distinct reviews
Property history, proposed disturbance and the transaction or development purpose determine which specialists and records are needed. A Phase I ESA, sampling program, water authorization and historic review are not interchangeable approvals.
Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments
A Phase I environmental site assessment (ESA) examines history, records and site information for environmental concerns through a qualified environmental professional. A Phase II investigation uses a defined sampling and laboratory scope to investigate identified concerns. Supply prior reports, site access and the intended reliance/use. Coordinate findings and investigation limits with design and transaction advisers; assessment is separate from remediation and does not establish a legal liability conclusion.
Vapor intrusion and underground storage tanks
Vapor intrusion concerns subsurface chemicals migrating into a building. The environmental specialist defines the investigation and any mitigation or monitoring interfaces with foundations and ventilation. For an underground storage tank, gather its contents, location, operating and closure records, and any release information. Coordinate the applicable regulator, qualified testing or removal provider, and restoration documents. Sampling, tank closure and cleanup are separate scopes. Their findings can change the redevelopment plan.
Section 404 and water-related review
Clean Water Act Section 404 concerns discharges of dredged or fill material into waters within that program’s jurisdiction, including applicable wetlands. Start with the full work/staging footprint, water-resource information and proposed alternatives. Specialists and the responsible agencies evaluate jurisdiction, impacts and the appropriate authorization. Coordinate exhibits and conditions with civil plans; a property map or building permit does not settle the water authorization.
Historic-preservation and cultural-resource review
Identify existing designations, prior surveys, the proposed alteration/demolition and any federal assistance or approvals. Local historic review and federal Section 106 review can have different triggers and decision makers; the federal agency determines Section 106 applicability. Coordinate qualified documentation, consultation inputs and design changes with the responsible parties. The deliverable is an evidence/decision record for the agreed review, not a blanket clearance for every project.
Before you begin
Common questions
Does a mapped environmental feature decide whether a permit is required?
A map is an initial screening input. Qualified specialists and the relevant authorities determine applicability using the actual project and supporting evidence.
What happens when the design changes after a study?
Compare the changed work and disturbance against the study’s limits. Obtain the specialist’s disposition and any revised review before relying on the earlier findings.
Is a construction stormwater plan enough to close permit coverage?
No. The applicable permit determines operator responsibilities, inspections, stabilization, records and termination conditions. Coordinate evidence of those steps and any required Notice of Termination. Plan preparation and field implementation are different scopes.
Your next step
A project in mind?
Let’s give it direction.
Start with what you know. We’ll help define the path ahead.