Sunday, September 21, 2008

Chapter 12- Stage Two: Refinement of the Idea

Objectives of Stage Two:

The developer's idea must either evolve into a particular project design associated with a specific piece of land or be abandoned before extensive resources are committed to the concept.

Primary steps are:
  1. legal and physical feasibility

  2. acquiring a site
    • crucial
    • 10-30% of proj's tot cost
    • location is the key to realizable rent
    • issue between tying up the site early with uncertainty but a greater margin for profit or taking time, increasing costs and exposing financial interest in the land
    • be sure to involve the public and get them on your side
Associated tasks:
  1. marketing
  2. financial tasks
  3. management functions
with all three looking good, the developer feels confident to permit an increase in resource commitment.


After making an assessment of the site you enter stage three: deciding to go for it or get out.

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A More Detailed Scanning of The Environment: Competitors and Governments

Need to understand local politics but remember they will continue to change
  • make friends with local officials/politicians/general public
  • learn about competitors
  • keep up to date
The Culture of Urban Growth Patterns
  • People can make urban growth happen!
    • book uses LA as an exciting example of what human beings are capable of
  • People congregate to pursue economic opportunities that are less avialable at lower social and physical densities.
Urban Econ Theory
  • Concentric Zone Theory
    • Cities grow in concentric rings
      • sort of outdated due to transportation innovations
  • Axial Theory
    • dev among transportation routes
      • provides access
      • commuting time rather than distance that dries location
  • Sector Theory
    • waves of development move outward from the central city
      • looks like a pie
      • agglomeration influences business location
    • involves careful analysis of growth over time
    • e.g. Atlanta
      • edge cities are a "often a worthwhile investment"
        • land availability
        • more opp for density

Choosing the Site:

Just be knowledgeable of the market and the area or use more technical ways.
  • GIS
    • Forecast where development will occur
  • Gravity Models
    • spatial interaction models help predict
      • population movement
      • traffic flow
      • store patronage
      • shopping center revenue
The Site's Physical Characteristics
  • establish the buildable sqft
    • environmental obstructions
      • flood planes
      • soil type
      • hazardous waste
    • some places require an archeological survey--just FYI
Site's legal Characteristics
  • Prices/dwelling unit are much more clustered than prices/SQFT of site area
  • check out current zoning
    • look for possibility of future changes
    • subdivision regs
      • specify the quality of infrastructure
        • ideally specifies the quality and not the material used
Initial Design Feasibility
  • Figure out if you need any environmental changes
    • gradient, runoff, drainage, etc.
  • Get building footprint from architect
    • determines whether or not the building and the parking can be placed on the site
    • must coordinate with the environmental stuff (obvi)
    • usually executed with the architect
    • land value relies more on the land's visibility and proximity to customers and services than on its inherent productivity.
Negotiating for Site (refer to notes from class--this just rehashes stuff already on the blog)

Financial Feasibility
  • Do a back of the envelope analysis only with better info (basics)
  • focus on how much start up capital is necessary
  • figure out where it will come from
Risk to Control in Stage Two
  • option and purchase agreements should contain contingency clauses and specify that protective warranties wil be included in the deed
  • ensure that the seller provided all possible guarantees to the title's quality
  • constructive notice to public
  • have release clauses and/or
    • possible in a seller financed mortgage
    • allows a borrower or developer to obtain a first lien on a portion of the land by paying a portion of the seller's financing note.
  • subordination clauses in the option or purchase agreement
    • a promise to move from a first lien position to a second lien position under specified circumstances.
    • must be written into any option agreement so that they are subsequently included in the seller's financing.
  • help to ensure that project is acceptable to the community
  • informally present to city officials
  • do good market research

?s ask rachel

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