Archive for the ‘Infrastructure’ Category

Redevelopment is the Answer?

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

The development economy has been suffering for several years now and financial pundits are not yet predicting the real upturn.  There have been a few upticks to tease us along the way, but the real resurgence of lending, building and buying has not started yet.  Most of the current work in the marketplace is institutional or governmental, with a few user-specific private developments in the mix.  With lending being held in the vised grip of post TARP institutions, prospectors and developers have to be more creative to find the most promising investment tools that provide good return on investment, and then they need to find the users that can finance the use of the building or development.  A difficult task when there are so many empty spaces on the market.  So where do we find the hottest opportunities?  Maybe redevelopment is the answer.

underconstruction 300x300 Redevelopment is the Answer?

Redevelopment Opportunities

Redevelopment requires certain ingredients from the start, such as an existing or former use and improvements, existing infrastructure, such as road and utilities, existing impervious surfaces and “engineered” drainage, and public perception of a previously disturbed natural space.  These ingredients often occur in urbanized or industrial locations, where the economic climate changed at some time and left the space for greener pastures, or to new spaces that offer more efficient production.  Perhaps the space is still used, but not efficiently, operating as a burden on the community by wasting energy and causing unnecessary impacts to the natural environment or the surrounding community.  Perhaps the right redevelopment opportunity is an existing residential community that is suffering from deferred maintenance, and would be less expensive to replace than repair.

Additional Redevelopment Elements

In any case, the ingredients of redevelopment opportunities are typical elements of a new development plan that the developer would assume to have to pay for, design and construct.  So right off the top, the project pro forma excludes some access and utility costs, offsite road construction, etc.  For stormwater management in Maryland there are lighter rules for redevelopment too.  Another important element of redevelopment opportunities is market and demographics.  Typically urbanized areas have more market opportunity for retail because the dollars live there and will shop there, if given the available opportunity.

Another underrepresented ingredient could be the availability of transit or some form of public transportation that may already exist in the communities of and surrounding redevelopment sites.  In a tight economy when people are saving money any way they can, the use of transit is strong and thus the opportunity for transit-oriented development (TOD) is a win-win for new development.  TOD is a lightning rod concept in many urbanized areas to help spark investment in otherwise stagnant or failing economies.  This is where there appears to have a good return on investment for lenders and end users.

The attached article from the Urban Land Institute is an interview of five real estate experts from around the country discussing the hottest redevelopment opportunities, as they see them.  http://urbanland.uli.org/Articles/2010/SeptOct/Nyren1


ESteere   Frederick Ward, Infrastructure
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State Highway Access Permit Stakeholder Review Group Formed

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

In Maryland, new construction projects that access state roads are subject to a lengthy permit process that, over the past several years, has become increasingly difficult to manage and impossible to predict.  Economic development has been delayed and in a market where projects are few and far between, any delay in moving these projects forward could mean the difference between working and collecting unemployment.

MDlogo State Highway Access Permit Stakeholder Review Group Formed

Fostering Economic Development in Maryland

With the help of Harford County Delegate, Mary Dulaney James, a dialogue with the State Highway Administrator, Neil J. Pederson initiated a move to bring industry leaders together to make recommendations on improving the process to foster economic development.  Representatives from across the state, from both the private and public sectors, are members of the SHA Access Permit Stakeholder Review Group that will be chaired by the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Christian Johansson.

Ideas to Improve Efficiency

Ideas will be developed to improve the efficiency, clarity, and consistency of the access permit process while maintaining the goal of ensuring public safely and operational integrity.  Streamlining the necessary submission and coordination efforts will be a focus along with the use of technology to allow applicants the ability to obtain real-time updates on the process.

Recommendations are to be made by September 2010 with an aim to identify opportunities for improvements that could be easily and quickly implemented possibly even prior to the final recommendations.

More information about the SHA Permit Stakeholder Review Group.

TPierce   Infrastructure
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Sustainable Road Systems

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

State highway Administrations, Public Works Agencies, developments, contractors, and engineers can now pursue an official sustainability certification for highway projects.  A new rating system has been developed for sustainable roadway design and construction called “Greenroads.”

800px Green Roads Title Sustainable Road Systems

Greenroads’ goal is to create measurable sustainability benefits to the general public, highway managers, and of course, the environment.  The program is designed to serve to improve safety, reduce the use of raw materials, and extend the life cycle of the highway, among other benefits.

Greenroads is structured on a rating system which is used as a sustainability performance metric for both roadway design and construction.  Points are awarded for positive sustainability choices, which are broken down into two categories: required and voluntary practices.

Required practices must be performed in order for a roadway to be considered a Greenroad, while voluntary practices are optional with extra points being awarded depending on the impact of sustainability.

Futhermore, each Greenroad project earns a certification, of which there are four levels:  Certified, Silver, Gold, and Evergreen.  Each requires specific minimum requirements.

The Greenroads creators have attempted to develop a system that is fair, easy to understand, and most importantly, beneficial.  Learn more about Greenroads.

TPierce   Frederick Ward, Infrastructure, Sustainability
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Land Surveying Equipment

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

surveyors Land Surveying Equipment

The role of technology in surveying, as in all business, has become increasingly important over the last few years. What does this mean for us?  A lot.

About ten years ago, I wrote an article for the ACSM Bulletin about using integrating technology into everyday surveying.  At that time, FWA was “convinced that GPS technology is for the every day surveyor and should already be included in his or her ‘tool box’”. I found that accuracy and productivity increased, saving both time and money. However, at the time, it wasn’t something that everyone had adopted.

Well, technology has grown and expanded over these past ten years, and we are more sure than ever that it must have its place in a surveyor’s tool box. The old school ways of map tables and alidades have stepped aside for the computer and laser revolution. Landsurveyors.com says that to be truly competitive, surveyors must embrace new technologies. Federal law may even require it. The old school ways have moved over for the computer and laser revolution.

Technology is great for us. It continues to make our work more accurate and efficient. It helps us communicate our findings to our clients much faster and easier. It even lets us write about our findings here. So embrace it, we will.

Read more about changing technologies in surveying.

jmettee   Infrastructure, Surveying
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Land Surveys: Why You Should Get One

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

landsurvey Land Surveys: Why You Should Get One

In recent times, it seems that the need for land surveys has diminished. Although this is a myth, most people are under the impression that a survey isn’t a necessary part of purchasing property.

Here are Frederick Ward Associates, we disagree. We say that surveys have a tremendous benefit. Surveys provide assurance that you are using the most up to date information when purchasing new property. Even more so, a survey can establish boundaries and reveal other rights affecting property, such as easements, rights of way, etc. These can help a purchaser become informed.

Even more so, a survey is useful for legal reasons. Each commercial land transaction is (or should be) anchored with a land survey and title insurance policy. And to ensure surveys are done properly, there are standards for surveyors set in place by organizations like the American Land Title Association or the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. In addition, having an up-to-date and thorough survey can keep property owners out of a legal dispute, should one ever arise over property questions.

With that being said, take the time to get a proper survey done. It is an investment that can ensure proper property purchasing and holding, and will help avoid any trouble that may arise in the future.

See Frederick Ward Associate’s surveying options.



jmettee   Infrastructure, Surveying
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