Get the insights you need to navigate potential zoning, design and development challenges for the entitlement of your commercial property with a comprehensive SiteStudy.
Got questions? Our FAQs have the answers—streamlined, straightforward, and designed to keep you moving forward
SITESTUDY is a tailored service focusing on unlocking the potential of your site. We focus on providing a specific product and service that follows a proven formula for success. Our SITESTUDY is designed to maximize your return on investment by providing you with the tools needed to make an informed decision on the development potential of your project.
Our 5-part SITESTUDY includes a site development plan, vehicle sweep path analysis, and zoning compliance tables, along with an initial meeting with the city to review the plan and our 10 project specific questions.
Yes. SITESTUDY is based on the owner having an idea or “project” in mind of what they are looking to develop on their property.
This enables our team to focus its efforts on developing the necessary information for determining the development potential of your project with the city. This information is captured on our website with the SITESTUDY Request Form and during our initial consultation, from which we will finalize the design variables for the site development plan.
SITESTUDY saves owners time and money. Our services are competitively priced and are below what it would cost to hire conventional architectural or engineering firms. We aim to complete our design package in 3-4 days, and the total SITESTUDY within 7-10 business days, depending on timelines from the city. We have standardized the process for developing our plans and rolled those cost savings into our trademarked SITESTUDY.
SITESTUDY can also be used by your design team if you decide to move forward with your project, saving you 7-10% of your architectural and engineering fees on a project.
In addition, SITESTUDY can be utilized to obtain more accurate design proposals and early ROM (Rough Order of Magnitude) pricing, saving owners time and money.
Yes. SITESTUDY provides the owner with a Basis of Design (BOD) for their project.
An architect or engineer can use your SITESTUDY to provide a more precise scope of work for design services. SITESTUDY provides the owner with more control in obtaining accurate design proposals, leading to additional cost savings.
Yes. SITESTUDY provides total square footage of the building and its interior space types, along with the hardscaped and landscaped areas, paved areas, stormwater detention areas, and any non-developable areas.
These metrics can be used to develop preliminary ROM (Rough Order of Magnitude) project pricing with a general contractor or cost consultant. Developing ROM pricing before and/or during design can lead to cost savings for your project.
Yes. SiteStudy will provide the CAD file with your final PDF deliverable, which can be transferred to your design team.
Yes. SITESTUDY can handle any phase II services needed for your project, whether it’s additional planning, entitlement design and permitting, design development, construction documentation, and building permitting, along with preliminary construction costs and development fees.
We incorporate full-service architectural and engineering teams under one umbrella who manage projects nationwide. We also provide pre-qualification services for owners looking to work with separate design teams anywhere in the country.
Entitlement is the legal permission to use or develop land (zoning, variances, conditional use, subdivision, site plan). It confirms the project is allowed in principle. Entitlements often require public notices, hearings, CEQA/NEPA or environmental review and conditions of approval and typically involve planning/zoning departments, planning commissions, or city councils.
Building permits are the technical approval to construct according to approved plans and code; it allows physical work to start and triggers inspections. Permit review is administrative and technical with plan review and inspections and involves building departments and code officials.
Entitlement comes first (approval to proceed); building permits come after entitlements and design are complete.
SITESTUDY is designed to maximize your return on investment by providing you with the tools needed to make an informed decision on the development potential of your project.
Our resources are just the beginning. Ready to turn insights into action? Start your SiteStudy today and unlock your property’s full potential.
Review the land development code and coordinate with the city on specific requirements for your property and development project.
Issue Zoning Compliance Tables to our Architects to incorporate specific code and city requirements into your site development plans.
Develop a list of 10 project-specific questions to determine the level of support from the city for the development of your project.
Meet with the city to review the site development plans and 10 questions to determine the feasibility of entitlement for your project.
Issue a detailed summary report with answers to the 10 questions and recommendations on next steps for entitlement on your project.
SiteStudy provides a baseline for informed decision making on the development potential of your site, saving you time and money.
Step 1: Our expert planners review the local zoning codes to develop the zoning compliance tables to guide the project.
Step 2: Our expert Architects incorporate the tables into the design and optimization of the site development plans.
Step 3: Our planners review the SITESTUDY with the city to determine feasibility, leaving you with confidence to Go forward.
Our team at SiteStudy is made up of licensed professionals dedicated to unlocking the potential of your site. We are architects, engineers and planners committed to the value of SiteStudy and the benefits to an owner.
SiteStudy provides a baseline for informed decision making on the development potential of your site, saving you time and money.
Zoning compliance tables include compliance data, standards and definitions.
Compliance Data: includes information related to jurisdictions, zoning classifications, overlay zones, general and community plans, zoning entitlements, and development fees. We also include our compliance summary, which summarizes the zoning criteria for the project, highlights any potential challenges, and identifies any questions for the planning department specific to your project.
Compliance Standards: includes information related to zoning development standards, such as building height, lot requirements, floor to area ratio, site coverage, building setbacks, vehicular parking, and driveway requirements, along with bicycle, landscaping, storage, and waste enclosure design and square footage requirements, including any street vacation requirements, and more.
Compliance Definitions: includes definitions applicable to the zoning on your project, such as maximum height, lot area and width, floor area ratio, site coverage, setbacks, property lines, landscaping, etc.
Web links are provided in the compliance tables to connect highlighted sections of the development code, ensuring ease of access to critical information. SiteStudy planners ensure the owner has direct access to the most critical information on the entitlement of their project.
Design parameters generally include property and subdivision boundaries, adjacent streets and buildings, proposed buildings and/or additions, building use areas, standard, specialty, and ADA parking, short-term and long-term bicycle storage, curb cuts, entry, two-way and emergency vehicle drives, landscaped and hardscaped areas, ADA pathways, electrical transformers, waste enclosures, fencing, gates, monument signs, and more.
Additional parameters vary by project, but can include stormwater containment areas, retention walls, security fencing, operable gates, drive throughs, order confirmation boards, roll up doors, drop off/loading areas, loading docks, parking structures, and more.
Project data tables are also provided and include:
Sweep path analysis is a vehicular turn simulation through the site. It’s used as a tool to influence the site development plans, such as parking space locations, drive junctions and widths, location and sizing of curb returns, and drop-off/loading areas.
Vehicle path options include the selection of specific vehicle classification types, such as:
The intended site use of the site will determine the selection of vehicle classification types, such as:
Incorporating a sweep path analysis is a crucial step in understanding the functionality of your development plan.
Square foot cost estimating is included to provide preliminary pricing for new building construction portion of your project. Cost data is updated quarterly and based on the local market conditions of your site.
Understanding the impact of costs is a critical step at any point in your project. Additional Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimates can be provided by SiteStudy as a Phase 2 service and beyond.
The site development plans in your SiteStudy can be used as the basis of design for your architectural and engineering teams. We provide the CAD files to your design teams should you decide to move forward with the project after the completion of services.
Conventional site planning can make up anywhere from 7-10% of the design fees on a project and include multiple consultants for the owner to manage. SiteStudy provides the owner with a single source for all information, at a fraction of those fees. The service pays for itself multiple times over.
Our team at SiteStudy can manage any Phase 2 services needed for your project, including:
SiteStudy incorporates full-service architectural, engineering and planning teams to manage your project from start to finish, anywhere in the country.
Receive your comprehensive SITESTUDY within 3–4 days, giving you clear insights and the confidence to make informed decisions with ease.
