Resources A Quick Start Guide to the Site Selection Process
Discover the crucial steps to selecting the perfect commercial real estate site, from assessing risks to navigating zoning laws. Start your project with confidence.
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So, it’s time for you to start a new commercial real estate project. Well, I’ve been in this industry now for 15 years. One of my ongoing goals has been to help foster stronger foundations and practices in environmental due diligence within commercial real estate. For me, it’s not just about finding the right property, it’s about making sure the entire process is thorough, smooth, and well-informed from start to finish.
For owner-operators and other stakeholders, like developers, and brokers, the future of your new projects hinges on one of the most crucial decisions: site selection. A strategic, data-driven approach to selecting a new property can not only reduce timelines and cost, but also help mitigate potential risks, ensuring long-term sustainability. However, determining your next project location isn’t as easy as it sounds. The site selection process involves much more than evaluating locations; it’s about making informed decisions using up-to-date data and advanced tools to assess environmental risks, property values, market potential, and regulatory compliance.
Where do you start and what do you prioritize when selecting the perfect site for your next project? Here’s what I’ve learned:
Selecting the right site is one of the most critical steps in any CRE project. With the advanced data platforms available today, property stakeholders can efficiently evaluate potential locations based on key factors such as environmental risks, location hazards, property value, and regulatory compliance.
The right platform can offer an expansive view of every searched property, providing detailed insights into environmental risks like groundwater contamination, 100-yr flood zones, PFAS pollution, and several other factors that may not be immediately apparent. Identifying these risks early in the process allows developers to avoid properties that could require extensive amounts of time, costly remediation efforts, or pose challenges due to natural hazards. By leveraging data from multiple sources, these tools give you immediate clarity into a site’s suitability for development.
In addition to assessing environmental factors, these platforms can also provide real-time data on property values and market trends. This lets you evaluate whether a location offers strong investment potential, both in the present and over time. Access to data on property historical information or upcoming infrastructure projects in surrounding area can provide valuable foresight into its viability and future growth prospects, ensuring that investments align with long-term business objectives.
Using these platforms enables informed, data-driven decisions, reducing the likelihood of unexpected issues later in the project. This saves time, minimizes risk, and ensures that resources are focused on properties that meet both business and regulatory needs. The ability to assess properties holistically, from environmental concerns to market viability, provides a strategic advantage, ensuring that each site is not only practical but positioned for long-term success.
As the site selection process progresses, understanding and evaluating environmental risks in greater depth becomes even more crucial, setting the foundation for a successful and compliant development. Now you aren’t just making decisions based on gut instinct or surface-level information but building a site selection strategy based on data-driven insights. This approach transforms the site selection process into a strategic exercise, allowing you to identify locations that not only fit the present project needs but also hold long-term promise for growth, sustainability, and resilience.
After identifying potential sites you’re interested in, save time by getting a property risk screen report. These reports offer a preliminary understanding of any environmental risks that could affect your project. A property risk screen report gives you a detailed breakdown during the site selection process, expanding on potential environmental liabilities surrounding a property for up to an eighth of a mile. It provides database-driven identification of risks, such as underground storage tank leaks or other critical environmental due diligence alerts, helping you discover potential challenges before moving forward with the site.
These reports can help you avoid unnecessary project delays and expenses by offering a clear picture of the site’s environmental health without immediately diving into more extensive assessments. Instead of moving straight to a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), which can be time-consuming and costly, the property risk screen report allows you to pinpoint key risks early on. This insight helps you decide whether further investigation is necessary or if the site is already suitable for development.
When a property is identified as moderate or elevated you should consider more detailed assessments, such as an Environmental Transaction Screen or a Phase I ESA, at the advisement of an environmental consultant. By using the property risk screen report in your process, you can be proactive in addressing risks that might lead to prolonged project timelines or unforeseen costs.
In addition to potential environmental liabilities, natural hazards, like floods and wildfires should also be evaluated. Locations prone to these hazards may require specific mitigation strategies, such as building elevated structures in flood zones or using fire-resistant materials in wildfire-prone areas. By leveraging real-time data from environmental risk platforms, you can incorporate these factors into your decision-making process early on, ensuring that your project remains resilient and compliant.
Climate change should not be overlooked in modern real estate development. Rising sea levels, changing weather patterns, and increased frequency of extreme events can all impact the long-term viability of a site. Reviewing climate risk projections for your chosen location will give you a better understanding of how these shifts could influence your project and allow you to plan accordingly, whether through design, insurance, or infrastructure improvements.
Additionally, evaluating the site’s impact on the surrounding ecosystems such as wildlife habitats, wetlands, and other protected areas, gives you confidence that your future project aligns with environmental regulations. Being aware of any nearby sensitive areas from the outset can help prevent regulatory challenges or permit delays, letting you adjust your project timeline or scope as needed.
By starting with a property risk screen report and considering the broader environmental and climate factors, you can make informed decisions that protect both your investment and the environment. Don’t just reduce the chances of encountering unexpected issues down the road but enhance the overall sustainability and resilience of your project.
Once you’ve addressed environmental risks, I find the next area you should factor into your site selection process is understanding how local zoning laws and regulatory compliance can influence your development plans and timelines.
Now you want to ensure that your potential site aligns with local zoning and regulatory compliance requirements. It’s imperative to understand the importance of these legal frameworks, as they have capacity to dictate what can and cannot be developed on the site.
Zoning laws regulate aspects such as the type of development (commercial, residential, industrial), building height, density, and land use restrictions. So even though a site might seem perfect based on environmental and market factors, it could still face numerous hurdles if the zoning doesn’t acknowledge your intended use. Local governments use zoning to guide growth and land use, so staying privy to this for each potential site will help avoid costly legal challenges down the road.
Before you commit to a property, review local zoning ordinances and determine whether your project fits within the permitted uses for the area. In some cases, you might need to apply for additional variances or permits to proceed with your development. Sure, it can feel like extra paperwork, but getting this right now will save you a lot of headaches later.
Advanced platforms streamline processes by integrating zoning and regulatory data into your site selection tools. These systems can help you quickly check the property’s compliance with local regulations, making it easier to identify potential challenges and avoid unexpected delays. Once you’ve ensured that your project aligns with regulation and legal requirements, you can now confidently move into the final stage of the site selection process, purchasing your property.
Luckily, you don’t need me to walk you through the purchasing process—you’ve got that covered! By this point, you’ve done the hard work, from evaluating environmental risks to ensuring regulatory compliance, and now you’re fully prepared to move forward with your site selection and eventual project.
Starting with a property risk screen report gave you the critical insights needed to avoid unnecessary environmental delays, and your transparency into zoning laws and regulatory requirements ensured your project is legally sound and aligned with local guidelines.
By taking this holistic approach, incorporating environmental sustainability, market analysis, and compliance, you’ve positioned your future project for success. The strategic, informed decisions you’ve made along the way will help your commercial real estate thrive, offering both profitability and resilience for years to come.
With the groundwork in place, it’s time to bring your project to life. You’ve got this!
Did you know?If you want to streamline your site selection process and minimize environmental risks, tools like Envirosite’s Atlas and Property Risk Map offer comprehensive solutions for identifying and assessing potential hazards. These tools provide key insights that help you make informed, data-driven decisions, ensuring your commercial real estate projects stay compliant and sustainable from the start. Maximize your project success. Learn More >> |
As Head of Business Development at Envirosite, an ADEC company, Steve Santos leverages over 25 years of industry experience to drive growth through strategic sustainability initiatives. His extensive background gives him the knowledge and understanding to foster transparency and collaboration, ensuring mutual prosperity in environmental due diligence and sustainability.
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佳福(福建)染整有限公司成立于2012 年,隶属于三福(中国)集团旗下,现有 员工1000余人。引进高效、节能、环保的 染整设备,被评为泉州市“智能制造数字 化示范车间”;通过ISO9001\ISO14001\OHSAS18001等质量、环境、职业健康 安全等管理体系;通过了国际OEKOTEX ®STANDARD 100、BLUESIGN®认证和 GRS认证,检测中心获国家合格评定认可 实验室,使产品在研发、采购、生产、检测 的过程中符合绿色环保要求。
佳福注重产品研发和流行趋势开发,多次 荣获国家级奖项,如“ 中国时尚面料入围 企业”、“优质化纤面料金奖”等国家级奖 项。
佳福注重环境保护与绿色可持续发展,先 后被评为生态治理先进单位、福建省级绿 色工厂、全国纺织行业绿色发展节水型企 业;
随着环境问题成为人们关注的焦点,品牌、监管机构和消费者都要求供应商提高透明度,承担更大的责任。但这对服装和纺织行业的供应商意味着什么?
数据表明:
70%的品牌更喜欢拥有透明的可持续发展数据的供应商。品牌正在优先考虑那些能够提供可验证数据的供应商。如果没有透明度,供应商就有可能把业务输给已经准备好的竞争对手。
时尚供应链占全球碳排放量的10%。服装业是造成气候变化的最大因素之一。减少碳排放不再仅仅是合规性的问题,而是关于在一个可持续性是品牌和消费者的关键决策因素的市场中保持相关性。。
纺织生产占全球工业水污染的20%。纺织制造中的化学密集型工艺造成了严重的水污染。品牌越来越多地执行更严格的环境要求,这使得供应商必须改善废水管理和化学品合规性。
CleanChain如何赋能供应商?
供应商需要合适的工具来应对这些挑战并实现可持续发展目标。CleanChain简化了环境合规和可持续发展报告,帮助供应商
✅自动化合规性追踪,并确保符合ZDHC MRSL和其他法规。
✅通过实时数据洞察和性能监控减少碳和水足迹。
✅改善化学品管理,确保更安全、更可持续的生产过程。
✅通过提供经过验证的、透明的可持续发展数据,与品牌建立信任。
可持续供应链的未来
可持续性不仅仅是满足法规要求——它还关乎提高竞争优势,加强品牌关系,以及企业的未来发展。随着对可持续发展的期望不断提高,主动适应的供应商将最有利于长期成功。
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东丽酒伊织染 (南通) 有限公司 (公司简称 TSD), 成立于1994年, 是东丽集团 (Toray) 在中国投资规模最大的制造型公司, 是一家以化学合成纤维为主的坯布织造、功能性面料加工·染色、成衣制造销售及水处理 为核心事业的公司。公司拥有从新技术研 发、织造/染色/后整理/检测及成衣制 造的一条龙生产流程。作为东丽海外的标 杆工厂, TSD拥有一流的安全、环境和职业 卫生、能源管理体系, 践行着TSD对于社会 责任感的承诺。公司秉承“通过创造新的 价值为社会做贡献”的企业理念, 以不懈的 创新精神和科技实力为客户不断开发品质 上乘、性能卓越的面料, 谋求与每一位顾客 的共同发展。
客户面临的挑战
在采用CleanChain这款在线化学品管理系统之前, 我们在执行ZDHC的过程中, 由于化学品使用类别多且量大, 很难实现实时追踪现有化学品的MRSL合规性。同时, 针对没有合规性的化学品以及证书到期的产品, 我们需要人工核实和整理相关列表, 并一一和化学品制剂商进行沟通。整个过程需要花费大量的时间,极大地影响我们的工作效率。另外, 如何提高MRLS的整体符合性,也是我们的一大挑战。最后, 在采用系统前, 我们不明确我司客户对于我们进入CleanChain平台持何种态度及其认可程度如何。
CleanChain解决方案
我司化学品管理工作者每月在系统里按时上传化学品清单,并下载InCheck报告。为了避免用户错过上传的时间截点, CleanChain还会有自动化的邮件提醒用户及时上传化学品数据。除了定期上传化学品数据外, 我们日常工作中,也会利用系统的Dashboard来查看到期的产品以及没有合规性的产品列表。根据这份列表, 我们有针对性地和化学品供应商开展高效的沟通, 鼓励并帮助他们对未合规的产品进行检测并上传至ZDHC Gateway网关。同时, 在数据的分享上, 通过CleanChain的connect功能, 与客户取得关联, 系统可自动帮助用户将CIL数据和InCheck报告分享给我们的合作品牌。CleanChain在数据的管理上, 帮助我们节省了手动分享报告和清单的时间, 大大地提高了工作效率 。
CleanChain带给我们的价值
采用CleanChain系统,在很大程度上帮助我司规避了化学品的风险物质, 也大大提高了我司化学品管理方向的工作效率。同时, CleanChain系统的采用提升了客户对于我司的认可度及信任度, 尤其是对于了解或者已经使用CleanChain平台的客户而言。最后, CleanChain促进了我司可持续发展进程。
联系我们 cleanchain.cn@adec-innovations.com