Preparing Your Land For Development
Savvy land developers know that buying land decades before any major development in the area offers the maximum return on investment. Of course choosing an area that will eventually see major development is not a guarantee, but particularly when it comes to suburban development there will likely be government long-term development plans to review when making the selection. It is common in these future suburban development areas for land to be used for various purposes over time, including industrial or construction uses, which can necessitate major clean-up and clearing projects down the road before future development can take place. Planning for these needs ahead of time will help to ensure that your development project can start on time.
Address Environmental Cleanup Needs
For sites that had a past including industrial use or other uses which could have led to environmental contamination, it's a good idea to look into land revitalization programs offered by various government agencies to see if part or all of the cost can be covered through a program. Chemical contamination is the most common in these situations, and the cost of cleanup can be extremely high if large amounts of soil need to be removed, or if bodies of water are involved. Particularly for activities that took place several decades ago, it is likely that the environmental regulations in place at the time were much more lax than today, making it common for contamination to have occurred. Depending on the plan for new development on the site, an appropriate level of cleanup will need to be addressed, with the strictest and most complex cleanup being required for residential land development. If the land is going to be used for commercial or industrial purposes, it may be feasible to do less complex cleanup. Regardless, you'll want to make sure any potential environmental issues are addressed well ahead of time since they can often be strung out for long periods of time by government environmental agencies.
Remove Large Structures and Equipment
If your land is littered with old construction or industrial equipment, you'll need to work on a plan to remove that equipment ahead of the development project. Seeking a local provider to remove the equipment is not difficult in most areas, such as looking for crane rental Los Angeles. The biggest challenge is normally where the equipment can be moved, with a primary determining factor being the viability of recycling the equipment. Depending on the size of the equipment, and whether the equipment is going to be scrapped, it may be feasible to at least partially disassemble it prior to removal. Look for a local equipment scrap business to assist in evaluating what you have and determining the best path forward.
Consider Holding an Auction
For land with easily removable structures or other large equipment with a current viable use, it may be feasible to look at an auction to sell the items and clear them away from the property. For structures such as mobile office units, there is normally a strong market for resale and auctioning those types of items off will be the most cost-effective solution for removing them to make way for further development. There are many resources available online for locating auctioneering services in your area, and finding a quality auction company who specializes in the types of items you wish to sell will go a long way to assuring the success of your action.
Whether you've owned your speculation land for a decade or five decades, you'll want to have a plan in place for clearing the land for development when the time comes. Making a good assessment of the site and having a plan in place for clearing the site specifically based upon what exists there now should be done well ahead of any development project starting. Using the resources available to you online to ensure that your plan is solid will give you a great chance of starting your development project off on the right foot.
