Land Development Services

LAND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

As a land developer, return on your investment is your top priority—from selecting the site through engineering design and then through construction. Maximizing the value of your property starts with quality design, timely permitting, and exceptional follow-through, but how do you plan for the unexpected?

You’ll face environmental factors like streams, wetlands, and protected vegetation and species. You’ll need to be aware of transportation factors like parking, traffic patterns, and driveway locations. Topography and buffering requirements will also play a role, as will local jurisdictions, permits, and confidentiality. You’ll need a consulting firm with experience and know-how, one that will anticipate problems before they occur. Our civil engineers and land planners consult extensively with the land surveyors, our traffic engineers, landscape architects, and environmental scientists to ensure a fully-integrated design that will position your project for success.

Suite of Services

Whether your needs involve industrial or agricultural facilities, commercial or institutional developments, subdivisions or master-planned communities, our Waxahachie Civil Engineers offer a full suite of land development services including master planning, due diligence and feasibility studies, entitlement services/strategies, site design, and permitting services. We’ll work as fast, as smart, and as hard as you do to fulfill the goals you have for your property.

Jack of All Trades

Land Development Engineers are indeed jacks of all trades, but they are often masters of those trades as well.  When pulling together a land development project you are dealing with roadway, traffic, hydrology & hydraulics, utilities, etc.  With a good 7-10 years of experience a talented engineer can fully master these concepts.  This shows a high level of intelligence and a desire to learn.

Land Development is Stressful

Though you many not always like what you see in a land development, often times it is the land development engineer who is at the mercy of their client-the developer or the governing municipality.  Some developers have the goal of fitting as many lots as possible within a parcel of land for the least amount of money.  This might not always be the best option so the land development engineer is creative, and guides the developer to a more suitable, but still profitable solution.  In some situations the engineer and developers hands are tied by the local city or county government. Planning regulations are created in each location based on the desires of the city managers and the local landowners.  If enough citizens want some types of development stopped or minimized, that often is what we have to deal with. Again an experienced land development engineer can be very creative in these situations and save a project by adapting or finding loopholes in the ordinances and regulations in place.

There are enormous amounts of pressure in land development work,  often times ridiculous deadlines with ridiculous expectations.  Also, land development engineers deal with MANY different personalities – not only their clients, but attorneys, municipal engineers and other governmental agencies, designers, surveyors, planners and landscape architects, builders, home buyers, angry citizens at public meetings, etc.  I would tend to say, that more often than not, an experienced land development engineer has learned to handle all of these stresses while getting the job done.

Our team of professional civil engineers provides land development services for the following markets and client types:

  • Commercial Buildings
  • Community Development
  • Multifamily Residential Buildings
  • Industrial Buildings
  • Office Buildings
  • Healthcare Facilities
  • Hotel and Hospitality Facilities
  • Municipal and District Engineering Services

 

Land Use & Entitlement Support

  • Property Due Diligence
    • Land Title, Size, Topography, and Zoning Due Diligence
    • Utilities & Access Availability, and Environmental Due Diligence
    • Existing Conditions (Soil, Buildings, Vegetation) Due Diligence
  • Property Entitlement Services
  • Land Use Consulting
  • Chapter 245 Research – Texas Code regarding the Issuance of Local Permits
  • Utility Extension Requests
  • Zoning Applications
  • Land Subdivision (Platting) – Involves our associate land surveyors

 

Site and Land Planning Services

  • Feasibility Studies
  • Master Planning – designing an overall plan for the development of the parcel
  • Urban Planning – similar to Master Planning but with urban environment concerns
  • Cost Estimating
  • Master Site Plan Development
  • Site Investigation Reports

 

Site Development Design

  • Site Grading and Drainage Design
  • Stormwater Quality Ponds
  • Stormwater Detention Ponds
  • Site Utility Design
  • Site Paving Design
  • Cut/Fill Optimization
  • Erosion Control Plans

 

Development Permitting Services

  • Site Development Permits
  • Public Improvement Plans
  • License Agreements
  • TCEQ Environmental Permits
  • US Army Corps of Engineers Permits
  • Construction Document Permitting

 

Real Estate Market Study & Analysis

Our real estate and land use analysis experience includes a broad range of residential, office, industrial and retail clients. Our residential capabilities include market and financial analyses for large-scale master planned developments (including various key amenities such as golf, marinas and spas) as well as modifying existing projects for today’s environment. Our consultants recommendations include product types, target markets, pricing, amenities and absorption periods in context with the changing consumer demands and preferences.

Our land development consultants commercial capabilities include evaluating the market and economic development potential of office buildings and office/industrial parks. We’ve also been actively involved in assessing market potential for the full range of retail development, including regional malls, community retail development, neighborhood centers, and specialty retail/entertainment developments.

To be successful in the new economic environment, developers must have a more concise vision of who the prospective buyers are and their specific needs and preferences. This approach requires a thorough market assessment of existing and new developments – from the overall project vision and strategy to the master plan market regarding site planning, specific products and amenities. Truly understanding the current market realities enhances a project’s potential success.

If you need to discuss your land development project with one of our experienced land development engineers, call us at (469) 773-4878.

Due Diligence Concerns

The following are Due Diligence issues that should be considered while contemplating the development of a tract of land. I’ve divided them into 3 categories, property related, neighborhood related, and jurisdiction related issues.

  1. Property Related Issues
    1. Land Title (Encroachments, Covenants, Leases, Restrictions)
    2. Total Area of the Property
    3. Useable Area
    4. Topography & Drainage Patterns
    5. Vegetation
    6. Soil Types
    7. Wetlands & Jurisdictional Streams
    8. Flood Zones
    9. Access (Ingress & Egress) to public road network
    10. Adjacent Utilities (Water, Sewer, Electricity, Internet, Phone, Cable, Gas, etc)
  2. Neighborhood Related Issues
    1. Schools Zones
    2. Shopping & Retail Opportunities
    3. Public Transportation
    4. Neighborhood Uses & Quality
    5. Noise Levels
    6. Traffic Patterns & Volumes
    7. Stormwater Tie-Ins
  3. Jurisdiction Related Issues
    1. Local Zoning & Permitted Uses
    2. Rezoning Possibilities
    3. Utility Availability & Connection Costs
    4. County/City Services Available (Trash, Water, Sewer, Storm etc.)
    5. Difficulty of Land Development Process