Burgis Associates was founded in 1988 and has subsequently emerged as an award-winning professional planning, urban design, and landscape architectural firm. Our team offers a broad range of experience and expertise to help serve the diverse municipalities of New Jersey and New York.
Principals
Joseph H. Burgis PP, AICP
Joe Burgis has been actively engaged in the field of planning for over 35 years. He has extensive experience in land use planning, the preparation of master plan elements, central business district analyses, housing plans, redevelopment plans, and regulatory ordinances including performance based zoning mechanisms and site design criteria.
Joe has testified on numerous occasions before local approving authorities and governing bodies, and has been accepted as an expert in New Jersey Superior Court and New York Supreme Court in many jurisdictions, as well as the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. He founded Burgis Associates, Inc. in 1988.
Edward J. Snieckus, Jr. PP, LLA, ASLA
Ed Snieckus is a partner in Burgis Associates, Inc. and has been with the firm since 1994. Mr. Snieckus holds licenses as a Landscape Architect in New Jersey and New York and as a Professional Planner in New Jersey. As senior site planner, Mr. Snieckus heads the design and direction of the firm’s site planning and landscape architectural projects. His expertise includes the conceptualization, design development and construction supervision of both public and private sector improvement projects.
In addition, Mr. Snieckus combines this expertise into the professional planning consulting services for the firm’s municipal and private sector clientele. He possesses considerable experience in the review of subdivision and site plan development applications, and in the preparation of land use regulations and municipal master plan elements.
David Novak PP, AICP
David Novak began his planning career working for nonprofit organizations and community development corporations. Since that time, he has worked with a wide range of communities throughout New Jersey.
He has experience in collaborating with municipalities in reviewing development applications as well as preparing master plans, reexamination reports, redevelopment plans, and land use development regulations. He has also provided professional testimony on numerous occasions before local approving authorities, and has been accepted as an expert in New Jersey Superior Court.
Associates
Thomas M. Behrens, Jr. PP, AICP
Tom Behrens began his planning career at Burgis Associates in 2013. As a graduate student at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, Tom focused on environmental and physical planning, as well as housing and real estate.
His prior work experience includes liaising between developers and local officials, and assisting in the development of the New Jersey Green Home Remodeling Guidelines, 1.0 while serving the Rutgers Center for Green Building as a research assistant.
Beatrice M. Burgis, MCRP
Beatrice Burgis joined the firm with a wealth of prior experience ranging from 15 years in management positions for international publications, including The Economist, as well as her time as an elected official where she served as Councilwoman for the Borough of Edgewater. She travelled nationwide educating non-profits and community groups on land use and zoning issues in support of affordable housing.
Ms. Burgis has also lobbied federal and state officials on smart growth and adaptive planning. Fluent in German and Spanish, she has consulted with various organizations seeking planning and community development guidance and training.
Allison Fahey, AICP
Allison Fahey began her career within the planning and design industry by working in a business development and marketing capacity for a global engineering and planning consulting firm. Ms. Fahey enrolled in the Master of City and Regional Planning Program at the Bloustein School and slowly transitioned from the business development side of the business into an environmental planner.
Since joining Burgis Associates, Inc., Ms. Fahey has provided planning analysis for an array of clients. The bulk of her experience lies in the preparation of comprehensive master plans, land use and development regulations, development application reviews, fiscal impact analysis, and the preparation of Housing Elements and Fair Share Plans.
Steven M. Lydon PP, AICP
Steve Lydon has over 20 years experience including tenure as a municipal planning director in the public sector; preparing master plans, housing plans, redevelopment plans and grant-writing projects.
Steve’s experience also includes reviewing subdivision, site plans and use variance applications and recognition by New Jersey courts as an expert in professional planning In the private sector, Steve’s experience includes planning and development consultation in the design and analysis of subdivision, site plan, redevelopment and zoning variance applications.
John P. Szabo, Jr. PP, AICP
John P. Szabo, Jr. is an innovative planning professional with over 35 years of experience in all aspects of comprehensive land use planning. Mr. Szabo holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Planning and Design from Rutgers University, and a master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University.
Based on his extensive planning experience, he is a multifaceted planner with expertise in the areas of comprehensive master planning; zoning ordinance analysis and preparation; redevelopment planning and urban design; environmental planning and sustainability; and affordable housing regulations and plan preparation.
Robyn Welch, AICP
Robyn Welch, PP, AICP, is a Senior Associate with Burgis Associates, Inc., and has been a planner with the firm since 2004. Ms. Welch holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography degree from the University of Washington and a Master of Science in Planning degree from the University of Arizona. Ms. Welch’s expertise lies in the areas of affordable housing, fiscal and socio-economic impact analysis, geographic information systems (GIS) mapping and analysis, and code drafting.
She has significant experience in the preparation of comprehensive master plans and reexamination reports, including Housing Elements and Fair Share Plans, area in need of redevelopment studies and redevelopment plans, and land use regulations for municipal clients. Her experience also includes the review of rezoning requests and subdivision, site plan, and variance applications for governing bodies and land use boards, as well as the preparation of socio-economic and fiscal impact assessments on behalf of both public and private sector clients.