AGPROfessionals has a team of highly qualified consultants specializing in land use planning. Whether you are purchasing farm or ranch land, property for a new business venture, subdividing your land, or seeking development approvals, our experts provide comprehensive guidance to streamline the process.

Land use projects involve navigating a complex web of laws, regulations, permits, and approvals. With years of industry experience, we have helped hundreds of landowners and businesses successfully manage these challenges. Below are key aspects of land use and planning, along with the expertise our consultants bring to your project.

Land Use Due Diligence

Successful land development starts with thorough due diligence. Many clients consult AGPROfessionals to assess feasibility, site plans, and regulatory requirements before purchasing land or expanding operations. Our due diligence services help identify opportunities, challenges, and compliance requirements in advance, ensuring informed decision-making.

Remember the three Ps: “Preparation Prevents Problems!”

Key Due Diligence Services:

• Feasibility Studies
• Environmental Assessments
• Code Analysis and Concept Plans
• Boundary Surveys, Improvements Survey Plats, and ALTA Surveys
• Water Rights Analysis
• Utility Service Availability Evaluation
• Pre-Application Meetings

Bella Ridge Golf Course is the dream that’s becoming a reality for the Podtburg family of Johnstown, CO. For years, the family had discussed turning their longstanding dairy farm into an 18-hole golf course and, eventually, a residential and commercial development. Their vision began to take shape in 2022.

Construction was underway on the golf course when the long-time client asked AGPROfessionals to help solve a problem. They discovered that neither they nor their contractor had obtained a required state-issued stormwater permit, and they needed urgent assistance to avoid missing critical deadlines. As a multi-service firm specializing in engineering, permitting, environmental, and planning services, we acted quickly and efficiently to help solve this problem.

Having worked with us for years, the Podtburgs trusted our expertise and ability to step in where needed as other needs arose throughout this project.

Stormwater and Drainage

AGPROfessionals’ Civil Engineer, Valene Cauhorn, was brought in at the early stages of construction to advise the client on drainage solutions as they worked with the nearby irrigation ditch company to ensure the ditch was protected from stormwater runoff during and post-construction. AGPROfessionals’ Land Planner, Hannah Dutrow, was able to oversee the Construction Stormwater permitting process and assist with third-party Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) inspections. AGPROfessionals will continue supporting the client by providing ongoing stormwater management oversight as the project continues.

When the Boer family wanted to expand their Gooding County dairy, they knew they would need help to ensure their site design met all county and state requirements and was properly permitted. AGPROfessionals has deep expertise in doing just that!

Although they were not seeking to grow their overall herd, the Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Boundary expansion plan did include adding 80 acres along with a new cross-vent barn, rotary milking parlor, manure separator, and lagoon. These improvements meant obtaining Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) approval as well as Gooding County approval.

“Their ability to navigate this challenge was invaluable…”

A critical part of this project was ensuring that the proposed new lagoon could be positioned to allow the manure handling system to operate with maximum efficiency without requiring major changes to the existing site layout. This meant requesting a variance for the setback of the lagoon. We effectively managed this process so that the Boer’s timeline was not impacted.

“They managed every detail…”

AGPROfessionals prepared the Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) and received ISDA approval quickly. We completed the county application with narratives, water rights summaries, and maps to address the setbacks. Finally, we represented the Boer family at the public hearing for both the CAFO Permit Modification and the variance request where both were approved unanimously.

At AGPROfessionals, we take pride in walking alongside our clients as they make the exciting decision to expand their operations. Kettle Butte Dairy partnered with AGPROfessionals for expert guidance in county permitting, Nutrient Management Planning, and the structural design of both their milk barn and cross-vent barn. This summer marked a major milestone in construction activities: Kettle Butte Dairy’s state-of-the-art rotary barn is now fully operational, and cows are being milked.

AGPROfessionals played a key role by providing a comprehensive set of construction and architectural drawings, ensuring every detail was meticulously planned. Throughout the process, weekly calls were essential for reviewing plans, addressing changes, and keeping contractors updated. Thanks to AGPROfessionals’ agility and dedicated team, updates were made efficiently to keep the project on track and aligned with the dairy’s timeline.

Here’s a snapshot from our summer site visit, where progress, precision, and partnership came together to bring this vision to life!

In this Featured Project, we prepared and submitted a Commercial Site Only Plan application to the City of Twin Falls Planning Services. This was a multi-faceted effort that clearly demonstrated AGPROfessionals’ wide array of competencies and service offerings.

The finalized site plan included a complete site plan with property lines, lot dimensions, and setback details to meet city requirements.

We created a permit-level grading plan with proposed topography, spot elevations for buildings and parking, curb and gutter details for streets, and a retention pond design with calculations.

We provided a utility plan to include water, sewer, and irrigation. This involved coordinating with structural engineers on building size and water demand. The client was responsible for securing utility taps and irrigation shares.

Finally, the roadway design detailed the layout for an extension to a road, including Right of Way and Easements. The client was responsible for obtaining the necessary easement to the north of the property.

Scott and Ryan Steele had a feedyard in Idaho Falls which was being encroached upon by gravel pits and development. They decided to move their feedlot, consisting of beef calves and dairy heifers, to a more rural area outside of the city, in Jefferson County where they would have the opportunity to expand their operation.

The Steele’s brought AGPROfessionals in before purchasing the property for the new feedyard. They chose AGPROfessionals for our complete package of services, experience in Best Management Practices (BMP), and the knowledge of Jefferson County Code, Idaho Statutes, and Administrative Codes.

Completing this project included developing a due diligence report on the new site, representing SRS Cattle through the Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) permitting process, feedyard design including waste system design and waste management plan, and grading plans.

Due Diligence and Permitting

We completed a site visit and due diligence report prior to the client purchasing the piece of property for the new feedyard. During this process, we reviewed water rights, surface conditions, and county requirements. We believed the site to be ideal for the new feedyard due to its rural nature (no neighbors), availability of feed, depth to groundwater, and topography.

In this AGPROfessionals Featured Project, we helped a client obtain a necessary commercial building permit and a new Use by Special Review (USR) permit from the Weld County, CO, Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). These permits will allow our client to operate an oil and gas support business that fabricates and maintains containment liners for installation at oil and gas operations.

The site of this project was previously used as a commercial hemp processing operation, operating under a USR permit. The different industry proposed by the new landowners constituted a land use change. The preference was to utilize as much of the existing site design and structures as possible, limiting the number of changes needed. Rather than amend the current USR, the county requested a new USR application since the principal uses differed. To accomplish this, we worked closely with the county to address their requirements.

This project involved a completed USR application, drafting a revised Site Plan, and presenting the application at a Planning Commission and BOCC hearing.

We obtained an approved USR, along with the previous USR's vacation, and a building permit to complete inspections for the existing on-site commercial building. Our client is satisfied with being able to use existing site design and structures to operate their new business.

Overview

AK Feeders in Canyon County sought to expand its operation from an Animal Feeding Operation (AFO) with fewer than 1,000 beef animals to a Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) with more than 1,000 beef animals. To achieve this, they had to navigate the Canyon County CAFO permitting process, which included a neighborhood meeting, a Siting Team evaluation, and a public hearing.

AK Feeders was working with a local land planner who recognized that working with a skilled engineering team would be critical for the process and project's success. So, they reached out to our team at AGPROfessionals based on a referral from the feedyard's nutritionist.

AGPROfessionals Engineering Expertise

We met with the owners to start laying out the facility and provide options for them to meet their ultimate goals. Once the draft designs were completed, the owner and land planner held a neighborhood meeting to share the plans for the facility and gather input on the project. Our team of experts worked closely with the feedyard's land planner and attorney to understand the concerns related to truck traffic and the vicinity of neighboring houses. The design was then tweaked to address those concerns.

Overview

Sandy Hills Family Dairy, LLC faced a dilemma. A residential developer had been eyeing property near the long-time dairy operation. To safeguard their dairy operations and growth plan, they would need to navigate the land use process to avoid developer encroachment.

The Morgan County dairy wanted to amend its current Special Use Permit (SUP) to expand its existing dairy to 14,500 head and expand its on-site operations. In addition, the county required a variance to Morgan County municipal zoning regulations to allow the expansion of their dairy to be constructed within the 1,320-foot setback of residences.

The dairy operation’s expansion includes plans for the construction of heifer pens, two new wastewater ponds, a manure compost area, a manure storage area, and an anaerobic digester area, along with the construction of an additional dairy parlor, free stall barns to house up to 2,000 dairy cows each, exercise lots, and wastewater ponds.

Sandy Hills Family Dairy reached out to AGPROfessionals because of the many services we offer, many of which were called into play on this project. Amending the SUP and obtaining the variance required expert study, careful preparation of documents, and authoritative testimony to government officials.

We are proud of our design and engineering work at Wolf Creek Dairy. It is a state-of-the-art facility that attracts visitors from across the nation for tours.

The video shows the plans for the 5,000-cow milking facility, which includes a 110-stall Holstein rotary. The barn also features a walk-under entry, an automatic sorting system, and full herd management rails. Additionally, the barn features a fully operational office at the front, facilitating dairy-related operations.

This 5,000-cow state-of-the-art facility we designed and engineered for our client includes a fully enclosed 12- row tunnel vent freestall barn.

We utilized a tunnel vent system since the owners were concerned about air quality in all the pens inside the barn.

A tunnel ventilation system ensures consistent airflow throughout the entire building, promoting uniform air distribution in each pen by equalizing the air over their distances.

This barn demonstrates two drivelines, accommodating four distinct cow pens. It features an enclosed feed lane, a designated feed access road, and flushed cattle guards for cleanliness and convenience. The end of the building is closed, so the feeder can easily drive under the roof to reach the pens.

We designed and engineered this hospital barn for a client in Nevada. The double 16 herringbone hospital barn can accommodate 150 milking cows and 100 fresh calves. It was designed for ease of treatment, including a milk area, a prep area, and a drive-through calf bottle filling station. There is also a treatment room, a flushed cow deck, a holding pen, and plenty of room in the front area for work.

4 Million Bird Layer Facility – Opal Foods

Our AGPROfessionals staff prepared an Amended Use by Special Review permit with Weld County to increase the capacity of an existing egg laying facility to 4.4 million layers including 8 new layer barns and updates to the egg processing facility. The project included permitting and civil engineering design for site grading and CAFO compliance. '

Our engineers designed and engineered the water system, including a 351,000-gallon water storage tank for the poultry watering system. Biosecurity buildings were designed to maximize biosecurity and minimize contamination.

This project was initiated as part of California Proposition 12 compliance.

It is very rewarding seeing the facilities you helped plan get built! We worked on the manure management system for the new Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Livestock Center.

This is a great project for Colorado, livestock exhibitors, and for agriculture!

We are proud to be a part of this project!

National Western Stock Show - Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Livestock Center

AGPROfessionals has had the privilege of working on the design of the

University of Idaho College of Agricultural & Life Sciences CAFÉ research dairy located in Rupert Idaho. Once completed, it will be the largest research dairy in the country.

The design process started in 2020, and the ground has officially been broken on the milk parlor. The design for Phase 2 will hopefully kick off soon.

This is a great opportunity for Idaho to bring cutting-edge research to the state of Idaho!

Our AGPROfessionals Idaho team has been busy!

This is a feedyard expansion project for Intermountain Beef.

They utilized roller compacted concrete to line their pens and runoff pond. The first in the state of Idaho and one of the first in the Western United States to use this technique for feedyards. With the winter weather, the new pens have kept down the mud and made cleaning pens so much easier.

The video shows the start of the project, including the crushing operation, clearing out existing pens, grading, and installing the roller compacted concrete. AGPRO assisted in the feedlot layout, grading plans, and engineering of the lined pond.

If you have a dairy or feedyard project, whether it is a new build or an expansion, our experienced team can help.

At AGPROfessionals, we work to make things simple and efficient for our clients, whether we are designing a facility or helping them make decisions that positively impact their operation.

These are the plans of a commodity barn for a 5,000-cow dairy, for which we designed the entire facility and layout. The feed center is located in a central area, providing ease for delivery and feed trucks. It also includes stationary mixers, delivery wagons, and a drive-under delivery system. Smart facility design creates efficient delivery trips, increasing speed and improving the time it takes to deliver feed.

Meridian Trust Federal Credit Union

Our team at AGPROfessionals completed the subdivision re-plat and site development plan for the Wellington Pointe Business Park in Wellington, Colorado, for Meridian Trust Federal Credit Union. The business park development project included lot layout, road and utility plans, off-site engineering for water, sewer, and storm drain re-alignment, and landscape plans. We prepared a Request for Proposal (RFP) document, assisted Meridian in contracting a construction contractor, and acted as the owner’s representative throughout the construction process.

Our AGPROfessionals team has successfully completed the permitting process to convert an existing dairy operation to a beef feedlot for our clients in Southern Idaho.

Prior to our client's purchase of the property, we conducted a feasibility study. The process included a formal evaluation of the property and available Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) permits in consideration for potentially purchasing the property. Our development team reviewed available permits, identified existing entitlements, water rights, and potential impacts of proposed site amendments, assessed the historical background of several sites, reviewed potential effects on amendments of the site, and an expected timeline for permitting.

We prepared a formal report and were able to provide a thorough assessment to allow the clients to make their determination on whether to purchase the property.

In preparation for the submittal of the county land use applications, AGPROfessionals conducted an evaluation of the property's water rights and the needs for the feedlot in comparison to the previous dairy operations. Our engineering team also assessed the site's existing stormwater drainage facilities within the existing layout. For the design of the feedyard, we were able to effectively evaluate the site and complete a design that utilized as much of the existing layout and repurposed the dairy structures that were no longer needed. Finally, the development team coordinated with the required referral agencies to review the facility conversion request in preparation for submittal to the county.

Stormwater Detention Ponds

AGPROfessionals has a full team of professional engineers that can prepare complete drainage reports and design and engineer stormwater detention ponds and stormwater conveyances for both agricultural and commercial applications.

Stormwater runoff is produced by precipitation like snow or rain that falls onto an impervious or partially impervious surface like roofs, driveways, roads, or structures and is not absorbed into the soil. As the runoff flows, it picks up pollutants and sediment along the way that can be transferred into nearby waterways. Stormwater controls help to manage this by filtering and/or preventing pollution by controlling those sources.

Purpose For Construction Stormwater Management

Construction sites pose a higher risk of transporting pollutants into water. The disturbed ground is less stable, increasing the chances of erosion and/or runoff. The construction equipment and materials (i.e., stockpiles, oils/grease, etc.) found on construction sites may release pollutants onto the ground that can then be transported off-site in a potential discharge event.

Construction stormwater management practices help keep the property in compliance with the Clean Water Act and local, state, and federal stormwater regulations. The proper placement and installation of erosion and sediment control features keep runoff from exiting the site or filters runoff reducing/preventing pollutant runoff.

We prepared a Fort Lupton Site Plan Review for an outdoor boat and RV storage facility.

This project included land use permitting, civil engineering design, landscape design, and public hearings. The 14.25-acre site will be developed in two phases. Phase 1 will have 394 parking stalls. Phase 2 includes offices, carports, and two 5,000 SF buildings, and will have 323 parking stalls.

Water storage tanks were designed to meet fire protection requirements in lieu of costly off-site infrastructure improvements.

Construction phasing, future buildings, and commercial truck parking were incorporated into the plan to accommodate the vision for the site at full build-out, while minimizing up-front construction costs.

We designed and engineered a new office and maintenance facility for the Water Conservancy District in Colorado. The project scope included the design of the office area with three offices and a maintenance hub. The maintenance hub is comprised of a break room, storage, and an area for maintenance and storage of equipment.

Since our clients were able to identify the equipment that would be stored and worked on at the facility, we were able to design the facility specifically for ease of use. In addition to design and engineering services, our team at AGPROfessionals provided planning and permitting services for this project.

Project construction by JD Builders

Highland Industrial Park PUD

Our team at AGPROfessionals completed the Industrial Planned Unit Development subdivision for the Highland Industrial Park PUD in the Town of Ault. Along with the approval of the PUD, our team prepared an Estimate of Probable Cost for utilities and infrastructure, building construction, landscaping, and site improvements.

Engineering and design, grading, drainage reports, interior roadway design, and on-site sewer and water distribution systems were developed for the construction of the site.