Services /
For developers & buildersLand Development Engineering in Whatcom, Skagit & Snohomish
If you develop land, the engineering is rarely the thing you want to spend your time on. You want to know what the parcel will support, how to lay it out, and how long the permitting will take. AXE works alongside developers and builders across Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish Counties on exactly that, from a single home placed on a difficult lot to a subdivision with its own roads, utilities and drainage. PE-licensed, from the Bellingham and Arlington offices.
What we design & deliver.
- Site planning and the best use of the parcel
- Subdivision layout: lots, road alignment and access
- Stormwater drainage design for the whole site
- Sewer, water and utility routing
- Land use permitting and project management through review
- Coordination with your surveyor, architect and the jurisdiction
From one lot to thirty
The same question scales. It might be where a single house should sit on an awkward parcel, or whether a large piece of ground will carry twenty or thirty homes. Both start with what the land, the drainage and the code will actually allow.
Through the jurisdiction, not around it
Every city and county applies its own zoning and planning requirements, and the differences are where schedules slip. We work in Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish regularly, so the submittal is built for the reviewer who will read it.
We cover the civil scope
Civil engineering, stormwater drainage, and land use permitting. We work alongside your surveyor and architect rather than replacing them, and we do not provide structural engineering, surveying or geotechnical work.
What people ask before they call.
Do I need an engineer before I buy the land?
It often pays to ask first. A feasibility look at drainage, access and the zoning will tell you roughly what the parcel supports before you commit, and it is a great deal cheaper than discovering a constraint after closing.
Do you do the survey as well?
No. We work alongside your surveyor, and if you do not have one we will get you lined up with somebody. The surveyor sets the boundaries and the lot lines; we handle the civil design, the drainage and the permitting on top of that.
How many lots can I get out of my parcel?
That depends on the zoning, the access, and what the drainage and critical areas allow once they are looked at properly. It is the first question most developers ask and the honest answer needs the parcel in front of us, which is usually a short conversation rather than a study.
Can you manage the permitting as well as design it?
Yes. Land use permitting and project management is a service in its own right here. We prepare the submittal, respond to review comments and keep the application moving, which is normally where a project loses the most time.
What makes a project go faster?
Knowing the jurisdiction, and submitting something a reviewer can act on first time. Most delay comes from resubmittals, so the work that goes in before the application is filed is what protects the schedule.
Often paired with.
End-to-end
Land Use Permitting & Project Management
Design, plan, and manage your project from conceptual planning through final construction — backed by deep working relationships with local, state, and federal jurisdictions.
Core service
Civil Engineering & Stormwater Design
Site plans, grading, utilities, and drainage design for classic civil engineering projects including commercial & multifamily developments, short plats & large subdivisions.
Before you buy
Site Feasibility & Due Diligence
A written civil feasibility memo in five business days — stormwater outlook, critical-areas flag, and jurisdictional path — for a flat $500.
Schedule a call today.
Whether you're planning a subdivision, a single-family home, a commercial site, or just trying to figure out what's feasible — we're happy to talk it through.