Plain talk on building and development
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Blog: Plain Talk

Plain talk on building and development.

Let's Line the Edges of Parking Lots with Small Shop Front Buildings.
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I think there are lots of great precedents for small single story main street buildings that work well.  Above are some studies David Kim and Will Dowdy did on small, shallow storefront spaces that could be used as parking lot liners or in conjunction  with small apartment buildings and cottage courts located behind the small commercial/flex building to provide mixed use without requiring the use of commercial steel pipe fire sprinklers that can be required if the residential and non-residential Occupancy Types were combined into in one mixed use building.

The intent was provide a wide/shallow space that could be flexible.  We settled on a depth of 26' as this leaves an 18' dimension between the 8 x 8 accessible restroom and the storefront.  We were also looking to keep any columns or other intermediate structure out of the floor plan and 20'-32' of depth is readily spanned without going nuts on the truss design.  You can get pre-engineered bar joists at 40' long, but we wanted to keep the construction technique within the skills of residential trades.

Keeping the depth modest allows for daylighting of the space from a transom and light shelf over the storefront and awning.  Spaces this small are easily heated and cooled with a ductless mini-split heat pump/air conditioner.

Using a single pitch roof truss, sloping from the street side to the rear, with a parapet on the street side can provide lots of room for signage, while screening compressors or kitchen hood fans from the street view. 

Buildings that are flexible enough to house small and inexpensive workspace for retail, services, food and drink, etc. should be in the Small Developer's tool box.  You may know an under-utilized parking lot that could be lined with something like this.  Could be good way to follow up on testing the location with some food carts.

Steve Mouzon has some very interesting thoughts along these lines.  His blog has better production values than mine does, so I encourage you to click through and check it out.  

Steve Mouzon's Blog Original Green

You're an Urbanist? Excellent. Why Aren't You a Developer Yet?

img_2295 I continue to ask Urbanists "why aren't you a developer yet?" That's a sincere and serious question. I am serious about recruiting Architects, planners, engineers, activists who consider themselves to be urbanists (New or otherwise) into the ranks of the small developer cohort because I think it is the best way for an urbanist to have an impact in a place they care about. If you have devoted thousand of hours of study and practice to what makes a good place, why leave the construction and renovation of buildings to developers? This question becomes a bit more pointed when you recognize that many conventional developers are doing work in urban settings under duress or without much of a clue how to make their efforts fit a more urban context.  I think the typical generalist/urbanist will do a better job than whatever big development outfits are working in their city.

While Urbanists are working to heal the city or build better places, they should hang onto some of the buildings that get built/rebuilt along the way.  Having a modest portfolio of buildings that pay rent will help them weather the next recession.  (It is really hard to make a living doing fee for service or consulting work when nothing is getting built).

With those reasons in mind, we still need to have a sober and realistic grasp of what is involved for someone making a transition to become a developer, given the arena they are likely to operate in.  This stuff ain't easy.

People tend to think that all real estate developers make a ton of money, because some developers have.  For every major league star in the real estate game there are scores of people hustling to make a living by making their neighborhood better.  Lots of people are fooled by the guy in the nice suit driving a  very nice leased vehicle.

I don't know how people arrive at the amount of money they assume is made on a development project. The assumptions may be ridiculous, but until somebody actually goes through the process, it is not reasonable to expect them to know the math.

I also recognize that until you can demonstrate otherwise, a new developer is part of a disgraced enterprise. So folks considering taking up this work should not expect thanks or regard.  Start small. Hustle on a small project will help you acquire the know how and relationships that will make larger or more complex projects possible, but hustle will only take you so far and you don't want to get into a project that will turn you into a former developer because it is too big or complicated.

How do I Get Started as a Small Developer? Find your "Farm".

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I got an email from an Architect in Florida looking to get started as a small developer.  She wanted to know how to pick a property to get her new enterprise started.   We always recommend that you think beyond the individual building and commit to the neighborhood as your project. Stake out a geographic area as your "farm"  the piece of town that you are going to know better than anyone else.  If you cultivate that farm, meet people, build trust with your neighbors and the folks who might oppose new construction , you have an edge that a big operator from out of town will not have.
Where should you look for your Farm?  No, I am not talking about an actual agricultural farm.  "Farm" is a metaphor for a neighborhood you are serious about cultivating long term.  Pick a place that you care about, that needs you.  For example, I really care about my old neighborhood; Prospect Park in Brooklyn -but Prospect Park, along with the rest of Brooklyn is booming.  So that place does not need me. Find a place in between where cool stuff is already happening and where things are still kinda lousy.  Work the seam.  If you can find a piece of a neighborhood that is on the seam between the two, you can have a significant impact and have real upside for the value of the buildings you build or renovate.
 Look for an area with multiple buildings to renovate and repurpose, or multiple vacant parcels to build new infill buildings on.  Map out your various opportunities, which properties are listed for sale.  For properties that are off the market, you dig into the local county assessor or recorder's office records to learn when the property last changed hands, are there any liens filed against the property, and who is the owner of record.  Sometime the County Assessor records are available online, but even if you use the online resource, go down the the assessors office and meet some people.  Learn how your local operation works.  Print out some physical maps to mark up as you walk or bike around your farm.
Commit to your farm. Buy a house in your farm, renovate it, and live there.  Look for something you might divide into a duplex or perhaps a small existing mixed use building where you could live in one unit rent-free while figuring out your farm.  Once you become familiar with what your likely rents, likely hard and soft costs to build or renovate might be you will be able to evaluate multiple properties and rank them for which ones you want to pursue first.  Working the project(s) on paper is the best way to get started. There is no risk other than your time and attention.
Get out and meet people.  Walk around.  Put your self in a place where you are likely to have some chance meetings, the farmers market, a coffee house, a neighborhood bar, a hardware store, a church, a community meeting, anywhere that helps you meet people who live and work within your farm.