Land development consulting
What Does a Land Development Consultant Do?
Budget, schedule, approvals, and the people who do the technical work
The short answer
A land development consultant helps an owner move land from purchase to finished lots by managing the budget, schedule, approvals, consultants and construction. In Southern California, Land Development Specialists LLC does this through Brian Woods, who has more than 40 years in land development and coordinates the engineers, planners and contractors. Call (760) 271-1081.
What Brian does directly
- Development planning
- Entitlement coordination
- Budget review
- Schedule management
- Consultant coordination
- Bid review
- Owner reporting
- Construction management
- Oversight of engineering
- Value engineering
Work he coordinates through others
Each of these professionals keeps responsibility for their own technical work.
- Civil engineering
- Architecture
- Landscape architecture
- Surveying
- Geotechnical work
- Environmental studies
- Legal review
- Construction services
Common mistakes he sees
- Starting with an incomplete budget.
- Assuming finished engineering plans are automatically practical.
- Missing early chances to improve grading, landscaping, utilities, and phasing.
The usual first step is a land development feasibility study, before the land is purchased or the design is locked in. Land development project management is the same role carried through construction. The full list is on the services page, and Brian's background is on About.
Frequently asked questions
What does a land development consultant do?
Helps the owner understand the options, costs, risks and steps to move a property forward, then keeps the team, approvals, budget and schedule moving until the lots are ready.
Do I need a land development consultant or a civil engineer?
Usually both. The civil engineer designs the grading, drainage, roads and utilities. Brian coordinates those designs with the approvals, costs, construction and your goals, and reviews the plans with a builder's eye.
How is that different from a general contractor?
A general contractor builds under a defined contract. Brian manages the owner's bigger picture: consultants, approvals, budget and schedule. He can also help arrange the site construction contracts.
Can you act as the owner's representative?
Yes. Brian can manage bidding, contracting, approvals, permits, construction and completion for the owner. The owner keeps funding, investment decisions and major approvals unless the agreement says otherwise.
When should I bring one in?
Usually before you buy the land or commit to a design. That's when the homes or apartments, infrastructure, fees and other big costs can still be tested.
I've never developed land. Can you still help?
Yes. First-time owners often don't know which questions to ask or which costs are missing. Brian lays out the plan, the expected costs, the big decisions and the steps to completion, and explains the details as the work goes.
Want help moving a property forward?
Tell us whether you are looking at a purchase, an approval, or a project already in construction. We can start with the costs and the open decisions, or stay through the lots.