Marissa Koop Joins B&A to Lead New Environmental Planning Service Area
Environmental policy has increasingly become more demanding in recent years, and timing of environmental approvals has become a limiting factor on many planning applications. The number of environmental policies that are required to comply has seen a large increase, as has the complexity involved in planning applications.
As B&A is continuously looking to find ways to support our clients, we identified an opportunity to bring the increasingly demanding service of Environmental Planning in-house. This service area expansion provides us with the advantage of identifying issues and opportunities at the onset of projects, identifying efficiencies and helping our clients navigate their complicated approval processes.
B&A is thrilled to announce our hiring of Marissa Koop, whose 15-year career in Environmental Planning has paralleled the evolution and growth of the industry on both a municipal and provincial level. As the Environmental Planning Strategic Lead at B&A, Marissa will help navigate our projects by translating the science of environmental requirements and processes into planning principles that will help our clients facilitate efficient and smooth processes.
With an understanding of process, policy, limitations and strategic solutions, Marissa recognizes what options are available to balance interests of all parties, while looking at the “big picture”, to determine how one piece of policy aligns with project goals and objectives.
Marissa will work with our sub-consultants to help guide the Environmental Planning process and assist through approvals, translating results into opportunities and constraints in many areas including natural areas, waterbodies and wetlands, environmental site assessments and historical analysis.
Marissa has been the Environment Committee Chair for BILD Alberta for five years, where she has been a strong voice in advocating changes to wetland policy. This passion and knowledge has led Marissa to be awarded the 2018 BILD Alberta Exceptional Service Volunteer Award.
