Dan Hayes PE
Senior Project Manager
Proper site assessment sets a project up for success. It guarantees that the land a client is buying or will buy matches their plans and intended use.
Civil engineering firms such as Burkett Engineering provide all the crucial information to help you evaluate the development process, including whether a project makes financial sense. Our assessment also helps reveal any previously unforeseen costs a project may potentially incur.
A thorough site analysis also ensures a smoother path to compliance in later stages of construction.
Does Your Site Need a Land Development Site Evaluation?
A completed site assessment report serves several uses. It:
- Helps you determine if your project makes financial sense.
- Gives you an outline of next steps to help your build stay on schedule.
- Serves as your guide for the project.
- Serves as a guide that subcontractors can refer to to help avoid later constraints or issues.
Every client’s need for due diligence varies. If you’re borrowing money for the build, you’ll need due diligence to assure the bank that is lending you the money. If the project comes with risk, whether slight or significant, it helps to have more data before breaking ground.
However, if it’s a clean piece of land and you have ample experience building, you may not need a thorough site assessment.
Considerations for Land Development Site Analysis
During civil engineering site analysis, all environmental assessments are completed.
This determines all previous uses of the land, including whether it was ever used as a farm, gas station, dumping grounds, diesel storage site or something similar that would require remediation or similar type of clean-up work.
This phase starts with the basics, including:
- Address
- Parcel ID
- Ownership
With these pieces, we also determine zoning uses and limitations, as well as allowable future land uses. In some cases, the municipality’s zoning requirements may require you to undergo a rezoning process to alter the land’s use to match your needs. Building subdivisions will require a platting of the land, and may require rezoning, depending on the previous use of the land.
Phase Two is the more comprehensive study, which includes a deep dive into environmental site assessment. This phase utilizes aerial maps, FEMA flood plans as well as our own on-site examinations. Here is what is considered during this phase.
Stormwater
When we are gathering info about stormwater, we consult a soils map to determine your land’s drainage criteria. With this info, you’re better equipped to move forward with your plans, knowing how much land is buildable and how much needs to be designated for drainage.
In most cases, your plot must set aside 20% as unbuildable land delegated to stormwater runoff. For example, if you purchase 100 acres, and 50 of those acres can be developed, then a minimum of 20% of your 50 acres (10 acres) will be set aside as stormwater use only.
It’s crucial during the planning stages to not underestimate stormwater allotment.
Soil Testing
Soils also need to be evaluated. The better the soil composition, then the greater the site’s availability to store water underground rather than require additional water diversion and retention measures to be constructed.
Impaired Waters
Depending on its location, the build site may also need to take extra precautions to restore and protect impaired waters, whether it’s the Wekiva River Basin or The Butler Chain of Lakes. If the site’s water runoff connects to Lake Apopka or Lake Okeechobee, builders face additional water quality treatment requirements – all of which come at additional costs. You can learn more about these requirements at the St. Johns Water Management District (WMD) website.
Environmental Impact
A key piece of this phase is the overall evaluation of the environmental impact.
For example, if the land is near to or impacts wetlands, a plan must be made to avoid impact or to minimize impact. This can be achieved by purchasing wetlands mitigation credits to mitigate impact, but again, this is another budget line item in the build.
For larger projects, it might make financial sense to go ahead and mitigate to gain the additional square footage, allowing the most use from your land. For smaller projects, paying for mitigation might not make sense.
Another factor is the classification code of the wetlands; for example, impacting a Class 1 wetlands incurs a greater cost. But if the area is simply a low-lying area and not classified as an official wetlands, the fee is nominal.
Threatened and Endangered Species
Also included in our environmental site assessment is consideration of any possible threatened and endangered species associated with your land. In Central Florida, the species of note include skinks, gopher tortoises and bald eagles. Additional information about protected species can be found at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission website.
As with water concerns, any threats to animal species will be calculated in terms of severity and financial impact.
Next Steps After Site Assessment Completion
At the end of our due diligence process, we provide a narrative report of our findings. We explain what the codes require in terms of setbacks, building heights, and other code requirements.
We walk you through what those requirements are and how they match your building plans. In some cases, we also provide a conceptual plan to show how many lots can be configured on your land, or how much square footage is usable based on the criteria we assess.
At this stage, we can also offer suggestions to better determine what may need to happen before you break ground. Suggestions may address:
- Utilities
- Stormwater
- Permitting
- Department of Transportation build requirements
- Army corps of engineers build requirements
After due diligence is completed, then the next step is to ensure all plans and permits are ready and approved. Next, it’s time for site preparation for construction. This includes all clearing, grading, excavating work, erosion control and infrastructure work.
AH Burkett Engineering is a full-service land development civil engineering firm specializing in construction administration, permitting, rezoning and site design. Please contact us with any questions regarding your land acquisition and development plans.
