Every property developer in California already knows that the most difficult, time-consuming aspect of development can be the planning stage. Planning a complex project requires input from engineers, environmental impact specialists, municipalities and many more. However, as torturously long as these planning stages are, the result is very much worth it.
Just how long is the planning stage?
The exact length of a planning stage for a new project obviously depends on the project. For example, the San Diego Seaport Village refurbishing began in 2017, and they aren’t expecting to break ground until 2024 or 2025. It is one of those things that “takes as long as it takes.”
To get an idea of how comprehensive your planning must be, the developers released a preliminary plan for the Seaport Village on March 3rd. It is a 174-page document covering:
- The existing state of the constructions site
- The exact specifications of the location
- The necessary regulations applicable to the project
- The overall objectives of the project
- The precise description of their plans
This plan will now be open for public review. It is likely to see significant revisions. There is even the open possibility of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) filings to intensify the scrutiny on the project’s environmental impact.
No steps skipped. Nothing left up to chance.
Investors, developers, municipalities, governments and citizens all have a vested interest in reviewing every project. The level of scrutiny on an entire project, not just environmentally but the whole of it, is wildly variable.
Probably the most frustrating thing about the entirety of the planning stage is that things hardly ever go exactly according to plan once the building begins. However, you may never get to the building stage without convincing a great many people that you have a plan.