(1) Residential and small commercial design projects,
(2) Community/neighborhood related projects, and
(3) Technical support on A/E projects
In sum, we only take on projects that we have a personal interest in. This is a vastly different approach than just offering professional services to any "client".
The owner of COMMUNITY DESIGN and PLANNING is Stephen Kadar, Jr., AICP, Assoc. AIA, CSI who has over 20 years of professional experience in architectural design and planning. He has experience in both the public and private sectors, working as in-house design staff for various entities and as a community advocate employing technical knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems.
His professional affilations include:
* American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP),
* Associate Member of the American Institute of Architects (Assoc. AIA) and
* Professional Member of The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI).
Mr. Kadar also has prior experience as an officer of the former Richmond chapter of the Professional Construction Estimators Assocation of America (PCEA). He also is a member of the National Building Museum and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. At this time, Mr. Kadar is "in the process" of completing the examination for becoming a Registered Architect in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Mr. Kadar has specialized experience, skills and training in Accessible Design, Asbestos Abatement, Roofing Design, Estimating, Project Management and Specifications. He also maintains professional interests in educational and retail facilities design, housing and community development as well as with environment/behavior studies observing how environmental design impacts human behavior.
Mr. Kadar has served on various public boards and committees within his own neighborhood and in the metropolitain Richmond area at times applying his technical skills as a pro-active community advocate. He was one of the prime movers of the first Design Overlay District (DOD) in the Commonwealth of Virginia and continues to work in the areas of civic and community involvement. He also served as the Near West TEAMS chair through the former Neighborhood TEAMS Process via the City of Richmond Department of Community Development. In this role, citizens work with city officals on aspects of the government that promote strong neighborhoods. In his capacity Mr. Kadar met and worked with over 24 neighborhood organizations, the VCU Community Advisory Board, The Carytown Merchants Assocaition, The West Cary Street Corridor Advisory Board, and other groups. Mr. Kadar has also served on the boards of the Museum District Assocoiation (formerly The West of the Boulevard Civic Association) and The Better Housing Coalition. Mr. Kadar has also served as a adjunct instructor in the Department of Interior Design at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and as Guest Lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at VCU.
Since moving to the Peninsula, Steve has become involved with the "Framework for the Future" which is the process of updating the Master Plan for the City of Newport News. He serves on the "Planning District IV" team by appointment of City Council working with city planning staff through monthly meetings.
Clients are important to any firm. Since this is a small firm, we only take on projects of personal interest to us...things we want to work on vs. having to take on a project to "pay the bills" like a larger firm with significant overhead. We do not take on projects past our scope and abilities, and we determine this by taking the time "up front" to analyze the project carefully and determine if we can perform the work in a satisfactory manner. If a project is beyond our scope or if we feel other significant expertise is required, we can often work with (or personally recommend) members of the Architectural, Enginering, Interior Design or Planning community.
Contrary to what you may hear, "Architecture is not free", and the more you spend on good design, including complete documents and the "how to solve the problem" phase "up front", the fewer surprizes in construction and cost overruns you should have.
We do ask for a retainer up-front to "get the project started", but we then we bill in increments with a final payment that is meaningful vs. the typical "5% remaining upon completion".
(Ask yourself this question: If you only had 5% left to gain after working with a client, and were starting new projects...how much would you committ to finishing what you started? The answer is "not much", and that is why we set up our billing the way it is.)
And we say we are done with a project, the project is done, period. We do not "walk away" when the project is in a certain state of completion or even after the construction is over. We are responsible for what we do, and we want to make sure the job is done and everybody is happy. If it takes dealing with governments, getting permits, working with contractors, so on, that is part of the job.
Reputation is everything. We take on projects that we are intersted in, work on them seriously, bill fairly and work for the best results possible. Ask yourself, would you want it any other way?
Contact Community Design and Planning at our new location of 721 Daylight Court, Newport News, Virginia 23602, by calling (757) 234-6294 or by e-mail at commdesiplan@yahoo.com so we can serve you
COMMUNITY DESIGN and PLANNING offers a wide range of services including:
QUALIFICATIONS and EXPERIENCE:
SPECIALIZED TRAINING and PROFESSIONAL INTEREST AREAS:
CIVIC and COMMUNITY SERVICE:
CLIENTS & HOW WE DO BUSINESS:
BILLING AND FEES:
SUMMARY...
Links to other sites on the Web
American Institute of Architects
American Planning Association/AICP
Construction Specifications Institute
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Our new home
More about the owner of CD&P