Entitlements & Due Diligence

Entitlements and Due Diligence

NexGen has almost 30 years of experience in the land development and water treatment field. We take our clients through the California entitlements and due diligence process. We have experience with this process, and are highly qualified to do it. NexGen stays in communication throughout the process to keep our clients moving forward, so that they can then better plan the development phases of their projects, like the septic design and soil test.

What Is Due Diligence?

Due diligence is a rational thing to do when an entity is serious about buying or signing an agreement on a piece of property for a new development. It’s a process of discovering everything about that California property that could possibly help or hinder that project; it’s finding out the pros and cons of acquiring it for the entity’s planned use.

Our clients know that they want NexGen and our available resources to do the work in finding out what affects development on that property as soon as possible, so they can make the decision to acquire and get started developing or look for a more suitable location for their development. In the entitlements and due diligence process, we arm our clients with the tools they need to get ahead.

What Are Some of the Things You Find Out in Due Diligence?

When doing a client’s due diligence, the client needs to know certain things about the property. It’s important to know where they stand with the property and development issues as early as possible. Before any agreements are signed, our clients want to find out what they need to know so they will know what they can expect. Doing due diligence saves time and money.

Some of the things our clients want to find out when we do their due diligence are:

  • What is the property zoned for?
  • What’s the permitting process for the municipality?
  • How long does the permitting process take?
  • How much are the fees?
  • What other design or construction issues will impact budget and time?

We at NexGen find out what the property is zoned and whether or not the proposed development’s use will fit in that zoning. We discover what, if any, conditional use permits may be required by the city, and if any zoning variances will be required during permitting.

NexGen finds out and makes our clients aware of things like:

  • Adjacent streets, any sidewalks, curb and gutter, medians, and alleys
  • Adjacent businesses and their features
  • The contours of the existing land and the drainage of the site and properties adjacent to it
  • Floodplains, existing wetlands, endangered species restrictions conservancy districts
  • Setbacks, right-of-way, and easements
  • Utility requirements
  • Other issues related to the project that may need engineering solutions

What is Entitlement?

Occasionally, zoning and entitlement are mistaken for the same thing. They are not, exactly. Zoning, itself, is a part of entitlement. In zoning, the land is split into zones. The zoning codes state what the land in these zones can be used for. Entitlement is defined as a permit from the local government to develop land in the way that the owner desires.

What Do I Have to Go Through to Be Considered for Entitlement?

Before the government will grant entitlement, it considers numerous factors. The impact on local traffic, the risk to the environment, and the response from the community are a few examples we can list here. Getting the government to grant entitlement is a long and time-consuming process. Unfortunately, without it, you won’t be able to develop the land.

Following are a few examples of entitlement:

  • A piece of property that an owner wants to develop may be zoned for a specific use. If this is not the owner’s planned use, he or she can then apply for rezoning. This is a long and complicated process, and it doesn’t always work out in the owner’s favor.
  • Zoning variances. This is a change in the zoning requirements, perhaps it’s a difference in the number of required parking spaces, the required building height, or the required setback from property lines.
  • Conditional Use permits. This is a permit that is given contingent on a special or desirable use of the property.
  • Utility approvals. There may not be utilities available at the site at this point. An approval will need to be granted before they can be installed on the property. Be aware: some of the land may have to be donated to the city when doing this.
  • One may have to have his or her landscaping approved by the city.
  • Road approvals. If there are no roads that connect to the site, the developer will have to build them. An entitlement will be needed to do this. This is a situation where easements and access need to be considered.

Why Should NexGen Do Your Entitlements and Due Diligence?

Our clients want NexGen to seek out their entitlements in California. This is because we negotiate the maze of city, county, and state permitting boards that need to be contacted. These three entities don’t always communicate with one another, so our clients want us to stay on top of the process to make sure that all the loose ends are tied. NexGen already has working relationships with the planners on the boards and it’s easier for us to use these connections to our benefit.

About NexGen and Our Clients

By using innovative approaches to engineering, NexGen meets their clients’ goals. We have been achieving sustainability goals by optimizing water resources through water recycling and coming up with solutions to combat environmental waste. We help with rebuilding after disaster. With almost 30 years of experience, NexGen is committed to quality performance on every job, no matter how big or small, and maintaining a safe environment with a planned course of action. Regardless of whether the job is for government, commercial, or residential entities, our consistently superior customer service speaks for itself.

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