Our Locations

Portland to the Columbia. Oregon to Washington.

We opened our Portland office in 2018 because we fell in love with the City and State — we wanted to establish roots in a place we previously only played in. Our Portland team does the site civil work that makes projects move: grading, stormwater, utilities, right-of-way improvements, and the agency coordination that determines whether your schedule holds or slips six months. We work across the metro on multifamily infill, mixed-use on former surface lots, industrial repositioning in the Columbia Corridor, and K-12 modernization. We know the agencies. We know the process. We know the small details that fast-track projects — predictable BES stormwater comments, PBOT ROW requirements we've run block by block, and land use review timelines that actually hold.

Portland's regulatory environment has real specificity. BES stormwater compliance plans aren't boilerplate. PBOT right-of-way requirements change block by block. Type II and Type III land use reviews have their own documentation cadence, and a weak Pre-Application Conference submission can cost you a full cycle before design even starts. We know how this works because we've run it repeatedly across the metro.

Some of the Jurisdictions We Work In

Our Portland team regularly manages grading permits, stormwater plans, and utility coordination across the region:

• City of Portland
• City of Beaverton
• City of Hillsboro
• City of Lake Oswego
• City of Tigard
• City of Tualatin
• City of Gresham
• City of Oregon City
• Multnomah County
• Washington County
• Clackamas County

We coordinate directly with BES, Portland Water Bureau, PBOT, PGE, Pacific Power, ODOT, and Clean Water Services depending on project location and scope.

BES Stormwater & Green Infrastructure

BES compliance plans are not something you can template your way through. Portland's Stormwater Management Manual sets specific thresholds for on-site retention, runoff reduction, and pollution control — and BES reviewers know the difference between a facility that performs and one that just checks a box. Green infrastructure requirements are real: ecoroofs, flow-through planters, vegetated swales, and pervious pavement are standard tools for most Portland infill sites, not optional upgrades.

We design for actual BES review, not the easy version. That means sizing facilities against verified impervious areas, preparing operation and maintenance agreements that satisfy the Bureau, and building in the documentation BES needs to move your plan check forward on the first cycle.

PBOT Right-of-Way & Transportation

Portland Bureau of Transportation requirements go further than most cities. Street improvements, curb extensions, pedestrian connectivity, and bike parking aren't afterthoughts — they're scope items that get determined at Pre-Application or during Type II review, and they have to be designed and permitted alongside the site work. We coordinate PBOT right-of-way improvement plans, half-street construction drawings, bike parking placement per Title 33, and pedestrian path-of-travel upgrades as part of our standard site civil scope.

If your project is near a bike corridor or a planned PBOT improvement, that coordination starts early. Missing it late costs more than doing it right the first time.

Project Types

Typical Portland metro and Pacific Northwest projects include:

• K–12 schools (public, charter, BES compliance)
• Institutional and civic projects
• Affordable and market rate housing
• Streetscape and roadway projects
• Large scale commercial, retail, and corporate campuses
• Parks and public open space
• Municipal projects and on-call contracts
• ADA compliance and path-of-travel design
• Stormwater engineering (BES, Clean Water Services, NPDES)

Living in the Gorge. Working in the Gorge.

The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area has been federal law since 1986, and it created a permit environment unlike anything in the surrounding region. Having an office here means we already know the terrain, the wind exposure, the agency calendar, and the specific thresholds that trigger additional review.

We opened our Hood River office in 2020 to put a team on the ground in the Gorge. We serve developers, school districts, resort operators, and agricultural landowners across the region — on both the Oregon and Washington sides — on projects ranging from multifamily infill to rural winery sites. We know the agencies. We know the process. We know the small details that fast-track projects — the Scenic Area thresholds that trigger extra review, the wind exposure requirements, and the agency calendars on both sides of the river.

Some of the Jurisdictions We Work In

Our Hood River team regularly submits and manages grading permits, stormwater plans, and site civil packages in the following jurisdictions:

• City of Hood River
• City of The Dalles
• City of White Salmon
• City of Bingen
• Hood River County
• Wasco County
• Klickitat County (WA)

We coordinate with regional agencies including the Columbia River Gorge Commission, Oregon DEQ, ODOT, PacifiCorp, Hood River Electric Co-op, and Hood River Watershed Group depending on project scope and location.

The Scenic Area Overlay — What It Actually Means

The Gorge National Scenic Area divides the region into three tiers, and each one operates differently. Special Management Areas require Gorge Commission review for visual impact, vegetation management, and consistency with the Scenic Area Management Plan — sometimes including formal public hearings. General Management Areas fall under county jurisdiction and follow Hood River County or Wasco County codes. Urban areas within the City of Hood River operate under city zoning, urban renewal overlays, and downtown design standards.

Knowing which tier your site falls in — and what that means for your permit timeline — is the first thing we establish. Projects that cross tier boundaries require parallel submittals, and the sequencing matters.

Stormwater & Erosion Control

Oregon DEQ stormwater requirements apply across the region, but Gorge conditions add specificity that standard templates don't address. High-wind erosion rates here far exceed what most SWPPP documents are calibrated for. Low Impact Development principles are increasingly required on development within the Scenic Area boundary. We size detention, design infiltration systems, and write erosion control plans that hold up under both agency review and Gorge weather — not plans imported from a Bay Area project or a Portland suburb.

Project Types

Typical Gorge and Pacific Northwest projects include:

• Institutional projects (K–12 schools, civic, institutional campuses)
• Market rate housing and mixed-use development
• Streetscape and roadway projects
• Large scale commercial and retail
• Industrial
• ADA compliance and path-of-travel design
• Stormwater engineering
• General civil engineering
• Land planning
• Subdivisions and partitions

Rooted on Maui. Working across Hawaii.

Hawaii engineering has its own set of realities. Tropical rainfall intensities here require NOAA Atlas 14 Hawaii-specific data — regional generalizations from California or the Pacific Northwest don't apply. Island logistics shape every material decision, from pipe sizing to construction sequencing. Volcanic soils behave differently from continental fills. And the State Land Use District system adds a layer of entitlement complexity unique to Hawaii.

We opened our Maui office in 2013 because of our passion for the island vibe and culture. The local presence allowed us to put engineering on-island rather than running projects remotely from the mainland. We serve clients across Maui County, Oahu, the Big Island, and Kauai — from resort development to K-12 school campuses to affordable housing. We know the agencies. We know the process. We know the small details that fast-track projects — the County of Maui DPW review cycle, coordinating with Hawaiian Electric (HECO) directly, and navigating Special Management Area permits without surprises.

Where We Work

Our Maui team actively submits and manages permits across Maui County. We also take on projects on Oahu, where we've completed mixed-use site planning and K-12 school facilities work in Honolulu.

• Kahului
• Kihei
• Lahaina
• Wailuku
• Paia
• Haiku
• Makawao
• Pukalani
• Oahu / Honolulu

Agency coordination depends on project scope and location. We regularly work with the County of Maui Department of Public Works, Maui County Department of Water Supply, Hawaiian Electric (HECO), Hawaii Department of Health, Hawaii DOT, and the State Land Use Commission depending on what a project triggers.

Stormwater on Maui is its own design problem

Tropical rainfall intensity on Maui is not a footnote — it's a design driver. The 10-year, 24-hour storm event in Kahului is more than double what most mainland cities see. Using NOAA Atlas 14 Hawaii-specific rainfall data isn't optional; it's the difference between a system that performs and one that fails in its first rainy season.

Hawaii DOH administers NPDES stormwater permits, and Maui County's drainage standards reflect the island's sensitivity to nearshore water quality and coral reef ecosystems. That means stormwater systems here lean heavily on infiltration and on-site retention — not just conveyance. We design to those standards from the start, not as a retrofit.

SMA Permits and the State Land Use District

Projects near the shoreline or in environmentally sensitive areas require Special Management Area (SMA) permits through the County of Maui Planning Department. The review process involves public hearings, agency referrals, and findings that go well beyond a standard grading permit. We've supported clients through SMA review and understand what triggers it, what the process looks like, and how to prepare submittals that don't come back for missing information.

Hawaii's State Land Use District system — Conservation, Agricultural, Rural, and Urban — controls what can be built where at the state level before County permits even enter the picture. Knowing which district a parcel sits in, and whether a district boundary amendment is needed, is foundational to any feasibility review. We run that analysis at the outset.

Project Types

Typical Maui and Hawaii projects include:

• Institutional projects (K–12 schools, civic, institutional campuses)
• High-end single family homes
• Market rate multi-family housing
• Resort and hospitality development
• Shoreline engineering
• Flood plain engineering
• Large scale solar
• Large scale commercial and retail
• Industrial
• Stormwater engineering
• General civil engineering
• Land planning and subdivisions