The Mellgren Planning Group is one of Florida’s leading land use planning companies, providing quality and comprehensive strategic planning, community consensus building, and zoning and land use consulting services to governments.
Our significant background in corridor studies, planning a regional activity center, economic impact analysis of redevelopment, and zoning regulation writing make us uniquely suited to help growing communities plan for their future.
Our expertise in the neighborhood master and small-area development plan preparation, as well as plans for redevelopment and housing have helped rapidly growing and redeveloping municipalities gain control over current development issues, and create long-range plans for future growth and development.
Our community outreach and visioning programs have enabled fractured communities to achieve consensus on current and future development and move forward with community development and redevelopment.
Michele Mellgren, AICP
Principal
Ms. Mellgren has extensive experience in all phases of planning, zoning and land use matters, providing services to a number of local governments and private clients. Her experience includes undertaking land use plan amendments; rezonings; variances; redevelopment and corridor plan preparation; development research; economic impact and housing analysis; zoning code and land development code preparation, interpretation and application; and, providing expert witness testimony. She has provided expert witness testimony in more than 500 public hearings and has also qualified as an expert witness in circuit court. She also serves as the planning and zoning official for the Town of Southwest Ranches, Florida.
Ms. Mellgren worked from 1994 to 1998 for the Town of Davie, where she was the director of development services and was responsible for preparing and administering the comprehensive plan, the zoning code and land development regulations. From 1989 to 1994 she worked for the City of Fort Lauderdale as development programs manager. Before joining the public sector in Florida, Ms. Mellgren served in the private sector in the Washington, D.C., area from 1985 until 1989, working for Dewberry & Davis, and for Winchester Land, a land development and home building subsidiary of the Weyerhaeuser Company.
Michele Mellgren, AICP, holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from The George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, American Planning Association, and Florida and Broward County American Planning Association. Her recognitions include being selected by the DCA Secretary to serve on Florida’s Department of Community Affairs Evaluation and Appraisal Report Technical Advisory Committee (2004).
Jeff Katims, AICP
Senior Associate
Mr. Katims has two decades of public and private sector experience in urban planning, zoning and land use, including providing expert witness testimony. He undertakes land use plan amendments; rezonings; variances; development research; zoning code and land development code preparation, interpretation and application; and, providing expert witness testimony. He also serves as the assistant planning and zoning official for the Town of Southwest Ranches, Florida, including serving as the town’s expert witness in quasi-judicial land use matters, as necessary.
Mr. Katims worked from 1996 to 2001 for the Town of Davie, where he ultimately served as the planning and zoning manager. From 1993 to 1996 Mr. Katims worked for the City of Hallandale Beach as an associate planner. From 1991 to 1993, Mr. Katims provided professional planning services to the Albany Dougherty Planning Commission in Albany, Georgia, administering multiple city and county zoning and subdivision regulations; analyzed land development applications; and, prepared and implemented the county’s first ADA para-transit plan.
Jeff Katims, AICP, holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the Florida State University. He completed the Virginia Polytechnic Institute’s Academy for the New Urbanism, Form-based Codes Institute. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, American Planning Association, and Florida and Broward County American Planning Association, and is certified eligible for Group 13.6 work by FDOT.
