11. Bridget Grant, Co-Head of Zoning, Entitlement and Land Use for Moore Van Allen

With more than 10 years of land planning and urban design experience in both the private and public sectors, you’ll find our November 2023 interview with Bridget Grant, guest on the podcast Getting Real with Rob, to be entertaining and educational.

Bridget is the co-head of zoning, entitlement, and land use for Moore Van Allen. But we also discovered she is an accomplished artist. Balancing her professional life with the absolute commitment to dedicating one day a week to her craft, that of painting landscapes in oil. 

As our conversation segued from personal to professional, she was quick to point out that she believes the entire entitlement and land use process needs a “more thoughtful approach.” She believes that we all need to come to the table willing to tie every process to understanding the original “why” for the development. By uncovering that original story or vision, she shares, all parties can infuse the process with elements that help create a better overall project, ultimately making it better for the entire community.

Her responsibilities are vast with Moore Van Allen, and center on helping clients navigate various regulatory environments associated with entitlement and permitting processes, including rezoning efforts, subdivision compliance, land use ordinance and planning projects and transportation and master planning matters. Bridget’s planning and design experience includes zoning interpretation, land development permitting, long range comprehensive land use planning, land acquisition for public spaces, greenway master planning and construction management, and corridor revitalization initiatives. Her experience has given her extensive knowledge in coordinating public/private projects and developing solutions that balance community interest, regulatory standards, and real estate trends.

Before joining the firm, Bridget was a planning coordinator for the City of Charlotte providing technical and design guidance on complex development projects, policy implementation, and community planning. She served as the project manager leading the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Zoning Ordinance rewrite, administered the City’s Mixed Used Development District and was involved in day-to-day land development and policy decisions for south Charlotte including the Park/Montford, SouthPark and Ballantyne areas, as well as many other projects.

Moore Van Allen recently announced that Bridget has been selected as a Connect CRE (Commercial Real Estate) 2023 Women in Real Estate Awards winner in the Atlanta & Southeast region. Grant was selected as a winner from among more than 500 submissions from companies across the country. 

Bridget is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), serving on the ULI Charlotte District Council as a member of the ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative and as a local ULI mentor, and as a former member of the national ULI Urban Development Mixed Use Product Council. She is also a member of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, and NAIOP, one of REBIC’s Primary Members.

Enjoy this episode!