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How To Cope With Regulatory Requirements & Restrictions On Your Building Project
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The How-To Business Book
11/20/2000
By: Lori Green
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Of course you're excited. You've just found the perfect new site for your business. Nice environs, only a half-hour's commute for all your key personnel - plus it's right in the town you've lived for nearly 20 years.
Getting your building up and running in a few months ought to be a breeze. But it won't be. Figure a year or two.
That's not to say your pals on the planning and zoning board won't look favorably on your project. Towns welcome businesses and like development - and besides, you know these members and they like you.
The problem is that getting their approval of your project is only one of the many bridges to cross before you can bring in the jackhammers and dumptrucks. It's going to be “Ready, set…wait” for an indefinite period, since winning all the necessary approvals is likely to take more time than actually constructing your building will.
One reason is the strong demand for land in Connecticut. With employers scrambling for prime locations, it's not uncommon to see business owners shopping for sites being punished by rising real estate prices and more strictly enforced regulations.
One recent example: a local manufacturer of computer assemblies paid double for a site than its true market value. Fortunately, the owner's engineering firm persuaded him to look at other locations for his plant. The money he saved could subsequently be used to improve the quality of the building itself.
An experienced, full-service engineering company can design both the building and the site, as well as present the plans for approval by the various municipal authorities. The town planner is usually one of the first stops. Issues of interest to the town planner include the building's set-back line - how far it is from the nearest road or street, its proposed parking accommodations, the building's proximity to adjacent facilities or structures, and the site's landscaping plan.
After the town planner, the project must pass muster with the town engineer. Concerns here primarily have to do with site drainage. Many towns carry a “zero percent water run-off” requirement on their books. This ensures that all properties contain their own water output, so that neighboring facilities are not affected by any run-off.
Next, the town's police chief and fire marshal need to review the project's drawings to check for fire prevention safeguards and proper fire-fighting access. Look at it this way: Having to put a fire hydrant at the entrance of your property once it is built is a lot more expensive than doing it while the building is going up.
It may appear that to business owners that the town is out to 'get' them, but town officials operate in an environment of elections, lawsuits and potentially angy constituents.
Next, some towns require that builders present project plans to their Design Review Board for approval. This group is not concerned about the operation of the facility; they simply want to make sure that appearance of your building conforms to or improves the look of the neighborhood. They might even advise you about which types of trees and flowers you'll have to plant. Or even which colors the building's overhead doors should be…but most won't dictate to that degree.
Finally, remember that it's not only the individual municipality's regs that you will need to satisfy. For example, environmental issues in your project plan are often scrutinized by lending institutions before they supply financing. Banks are wary about funding projects that might be built with hazardous materials or on contaminated land. Clean-ups like that are expensive and could jeopardize the borrower's ability to repay loans.
Satisfying the concerns of lenders and town authorities is time-consuming. But you have to do it, and it's virtually the same drill in every town. What will make a difference, though, is if you've hired the right engineering firm to see you through the entire approval process.
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