Demystifying Development II
The Sketch: Making the Site Work
When people see a new development, they see the finished building — the design, the materials, the final product. What they don’t see is what happens before the plans are ever finalized.
In our last installment of Demystifying Development, we focused on the dirt — determining whether a site can physically support development. Soil conditions, environmental constraints, and site feasibility determine whether a project can move forward at all. That phase answers a fundamental question: can we build here?
Once that answer is yes, the work doesn’t become easier. It becomes more complex. Because now we have to answer a different question: what should we build here?
At this stage, there are still no finished designs. No construction drawings. No finalized layouts. There is only the site — and the constraints that come with it. Most of the sites we work on are infill: corner lots, parcels between existing buildings, or properties within established neighborhoods. There is a fixed amount of space, and everything has to fit within it.
Now the process becomes an exercise in discipline. We begin to evaluate how much can actually be built on the site, how many units it can support, and how much parking is required to make the project function. Every decision creates a trade-off. More units require more parking. More parking reduces buildable area. Different unit types change the economics of the deal. What looks straightforward from the outside quickly becomes a complex set of constraints that have to be solved together.
At the same time, the site doesn’t exist in isolation. It has to align with the market. A project is not defined only by what can be built, but by what should be built based on demand. What works in one community may not work in another. A site might support a high number of units on paper, but if the unit mix doesn’t align with how people actually live in that market, the project will not perform. Development requires more than maximizing density — it requires alignment.
This is where the work becomes highly analytical. We are evaluating unit types, target residents, and long-term performance. Is this a project designed for families, young professionals, or seniors? What unit mix supports that vision? How does that translate into a configuration that fits within the site constraints while still making the project financially viable? Each decision affects the next, and the process becomes a continuous effort to balance physical limitations with economic reality.
At this point, we are still early in the process. We are sketching. Testing configurations. Working through different ways the site could function. This is typically a collaborative effort between the development team and an architect, bringing together site constraints, market data, and financial modeling to understand what is possible. There are no final answers yet, but the direction of the project is being established.
By the time we move into full design, the most important decisions have already been made. We understand what the project is, who it serves, how it fits on the site, and whether it works financially. This is critical, because once design begins, changes become more expensive and more difficult to make. The discipline in this phase reduces risk later in the process.
Development is often viewed as a linear progression — find the land, design the building, start construction. In reality, there is a critical phase between understanding the site and finalizing the plans. A phase where the project is shaped through constraints, trade-offs, and careful decision-making. It is not visible, but it determines everything that follows.
Before the drawings are complete, before permits are submitted, and before construction begins, there is the work of making the site function. There is the process of aligning what is possible with what is viable. There is the discipline of solving the constraints before committing to the design.
Before the plans, there is the sketch.
And that is where the project begins to take shape.
