Why Having a Site Survey Report is Critical to your Project's Success

Location, location, location.  This is often the driving force behind any successful retail business. Often our clients come to us with a site in mind that is the projected fit developed by their real estate department.  The surrounding statistics are their target consumer.  On site the piece of land or existing building seems ideal for their prototypical layout.  Yet, months later drawings are being reviewed by the building department, or even worse ground has already been broken, and there is the unexpected hurdle.  More times than not these hurdles could have been acknowledged and properly addressed prior to this point, or avoided all together if they had an Initial Site Survey Report (SIR) completed.

JL Architects travels to all corners of this country to perform this report for clients who recognize the value of knowing local permitting, site specific requirements, upfront information, possible roadblocks, and challenges for their given project. 

So what is this report, and can it really benefit your business?

Should have had an SIR completed by JL Architects!

We start with the actual address.  A general city map is provided to show the sites location in relation to geographic region. Going in a little closer a site map displays the parcels relationship with surrounding streets and buildings.  Directly after this we provide information about the site in terms of how the building department categorizes it.  This would include parcel numbers, zoning classification, previous occupancy classification, etc.  Another section will include prominent contacts.  These contacts would be the important players in the design and construction process, such as Landlords, Building Department, Zoning, and Utility companies.  Another section will include the building permit process, and its time frames.  This is critical, because some municipalities take 1 business week to review drawings, while others may take well over a month, and after that month the drawings may get passed on to another department for further review.  These time frames all need to be considered in setting, and hitting your projected opening date.

    

Next, we move on to the  core of this report.  This section varies because we tailor it to your individual project’s needs.  Unique design attributes to your business, or demanding utility loads are the types of items we research for you.  An example would be the water needs of our food service clients.  Some of these clients require large amounts of water at a high pressure, and temperature.  Knowing this is crucial to their business we provide the main water supply size, what pressure the existing water utilities are at, and if existing,  what type of demands the water heating unit can provide.  Having this information prior to purchasing a parcel, signing a lease, or breaking ground, can be the difference between hitting an open date, and projected revenue stream vs. a failing money pit.  It can be the determining factor of moving ahead with the project or moving on to another site. 

The result of having an SIR!

No matter your business type or desired location, JL Architects will be your partner in creating success each step of the way!

Nathan Houser