Developer 101
By Richard Taylor
Feb 26, 2001
The following article is the thoughts of the author. It does not necessarily represent the ideas of SPLASH, it's members, users, or administrators. Please direct your comments to the author at Rltarch@mindspring.com, or open a discussion on the Message Board.
"Developers" have really been taking a beating in the news media the last few years. "Developers have plans for a new subdivision on 100 acres of farmland"; "Development causes traffic woes"; and similar headlines are thrown at us every day. "Developers" are painted as reckless destroyers of the landscape, running amok in the countryside and bent on destroying the very ground under our feet.
I will be the first to admit that not all who build on speculation are interested in creating lasting quality. There are, without a doubt, a few bad apples out there who make all of our jobs more difficult. But most real estate developers are not entitled to the "bad guy" monikers even if you don't like what they're building, and there's a simple reason for it: for the most part, they're building what "we've" asked them to.
Most real estate speculators are developing land for exactly what homebuyers say, over and over again, that they want: bigger homes, more features (vaulted ceilings, round-top windows, solid-surfaced countertops), and "curb appeal", even if it means less appeal on the other three sides of the house. Homebuyers (through their local zoning board) want wide streets, sidewalks, streetlights, underground utilities, and a landscaped grand entrance to the subdivision, and are willing to trade off lot size for it. It isn't fair to expect every developer to buck trends and take a risk with something new or different. Business is business, after all.
In my architectural design business, I am in contact with real estate developers and home builders on a daily basis. I've noticed that the successful ones have at least one thing in common - they don't commit their money to any project without research. Research can be as simple as a walk around a neighborhood to see what people are interested in buying or as complex as a full-scale marketing study of the trends in the region. Occasionally, speculators try new ideas, or bring old ideas back. Disney's Celebration community outside of Orlando is an example of using some old town-planning ideas in a new development. Sure, they took a risk, but it wasn't done without exhaustive research. They had a pretty good idea that it was going to succeed before they built it because their research told them that a market existed for it. On a much smaller scale, the same is generally true in my town.
When in a position to do so, we should all try to help our clients and our community build smaller, higher quality homes in better-planned subdivisions. As designers and builders, our efforts to cause change are best directed at the public at large, not at the developers. The media could help greatly in this effort by publicizing our ideas for better communities. Take the opportunity to tell your story - you might be surprised to find that your local newspaper has an ear for it. If you believe in better planning, call up the "home" editor of your community paper and let them know that something different is happening out here. You might see a whole new attitude in the headlines.
© Copyright 2004 by
SPLASH http://www.softplansplash.org