Entitlements

On large, complex projects where more flexibility is desired, time spent in the public arena can be greatly reduced by creating a development agreement early in the entitlement process. Development agreements are used to clarify both the developer’s and the larger community’s responsibilities for infrastructure, density, allowed uses, public financing and further approval processes. Knowing your responsibilities and what the greater community has agreed to up-front makes the development process run more smoothly. This allows for a more accurate budget and pro forma, therefore reducing the financial risk. Espiritu Loci assists legal teams in creating detailed development agreements. We develop graphics that clearly express concepts, while maintaining flexibility for later phases of development. We have the ability to analyze the outcome of concessions and agreements and their impact on the development of your vision.

Before purchasing property with the intent of development, it is important to know the site’s potential. We perform a complete analysis of the site often creating conceptual site plans to assist you in making decisions about the purchase. We analyze the constraints, existing entitlements and the political environment, to determine if a site is suitable to implement a particular aesthetic or financial vision.

Entitlement graphics are part of a political process displayed on a public stage. The graphics must clearly express concepts, maintain flexibility for later design phases and be responsive to the changing needs and requests of your legal team and city staff. Our team has worked on multiple entitlement cases and knows how to produce clear, effective graphics. Our processes are set up to quickly access and change your graphics on a moment’s notice, so when you need a graphic you have it.

The Espiritu Loci team works closely with land use attorneys and project managers to determine the effects of existing zoning on a site. We analyze the zoning ordinances to demonstrate how a change in the zoning may allow for a better use of the site. We have an extensive background preparing required submissions and working with city staff and commissions to get the zoning adopted. For detailed cases, we review proposed stipulations, analyze their effect and provide strategies for negotiations with city staff.

During the entitlement phase, we create multiple lotting and site plan options to determine what is possible on your site. If the existing entitlements do not accommodate your vision, we use these scenarios to inform the legal team so that proper adjustments to the entitlements can be proposed.

Washes can be defining elements of a site’s character and unyielding barriers to an efficient site plan. With the Army Corp of Engineers’ vague and variable rules of how to work with washes, problems can arise stalling site development or creating unnecessary work. Our experience gives us an informed understanding of the rules associated with 404 washes so we can identify potential problems and work to create solutions before issues arise. If the need for a formal mitigation plan does arise, we will work with your 404 legal and engineering teams to provide useful graphics and illustrated scenarios.