Designing Communities with Vision and Strategy

I was inspired to build a career in Land Development while working on my B.S. in Construction Management at Kennesaw State University. As a student, I had the opportunity to be a member and lead the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Chapter at Kennesaw State University, competing in the NAHB Student Competition for 3 years. The NAHB Student Competition takes place during the International Builders Show (IBS) each year, and provides students at the Secondary and Post Secondary levels the opportunity to take a real construction project and develop a construction management proposal. The proposal for the 4-Year Production Competition involves an analysis of a project site from Land Acquisition through Construction and Sales, and gave me my first experience in choosing a Land Development role upon graduation. It was at IBS in 2015 where I met some amazing people from CalAtlantic Homes and inquired about a Land Development Internship. During the Fall of 2016, I started my Land Development Internship with CalAtlantic Homes in Atlanta, and this opportunity kicked off my career in Land Planning, Acquisition, and Development. I look back on the opportunities that Kennesaw State University, the National Association of Home Builders, the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, and several mentors provided for me, and I am grateful for each of their roles in my growth in this industry and this role. For almost 10 years, I’ve been able to take my experiences in Land Development at CalAtlantic Homes, Lennar, McKinley Homes and Taylor Morrison and use them to help me build my own personality and successful ways of doing business in the Land Planning and Development space.

The process to approach the act of balancing zoning rules, community needs, and environmental factors in my roles includes being a student of the process involved with each project that I encounter. Meeting with municipalities, understanding markets, constantly staying up to date on changes and trends in our industry and in the work that we do, allows me to stay dynamic in my role. Those connections, experiences, and learning from every project helps me to build a mental roladex that I use as a foundation for new and existing project opportunities. Land Development is a process that takes a strong foundation to do it effectively, but every project is different and requires a fresh perspective and open mind each time.

Being involved and active in the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and the National Association of Home Builders keeps me on top of local and national changes, trends and conversations when it comes to my work and role. Not being afraid to take off the hard hat and step into meetings and places where the conversations around big decisions really happen, creates a overall picture of the industry that goes beyond the limits of the roles and responsibility of the job title.

Major trends that I feel will shape land use and development in the coming years includes the use of AI to make processes and permitting with municipalities and other government agencies more efficient, an increase of transit oriented developments (TODs) and mixed-use developments, a prioritization of changes to zoning to allow for different housing types and characteristics to boost affordability, changes to development related fee structures and requirements to help with affordability, and the addition of more sustainable/green infrastructure options in the design stages of planning and development of residential and commercial projects. Many of these trends have already started, but as space becomes limited, desires of the consumers and consumer profiles change, growth of tax allocation districts and the creation of more tax credits becomes reality, changes to Unified Development Codes (UDCs) and Comprehensive Plans, and time and money becoming and remaining more of a priority to builders and developers to be able to help with affordability, these trends will begin to magnify in the coming years.

Sustainability and long-term community impact when planning new developments is definitely coming, and very quickly as more municipalities lean into green infrastructure as a way to protect downstream impacts, carbon footprints and its citizens. More analysis is being done on the design side by engineers to come up with effective ways to handle collection, runoff, environmental impact and more sustainable passive and active community spaces. As more partnerships are created with leaders in conservation and the space evolves, so will our industry. Believe it or not, even though Construction ranks fairly low amongst other industries when it comes to innovation due to several factors that point to affordability, our industry reacts quickly when new things are introduced. In a business where developing and building quality housing is important, sought after, and expected, sustainability is a factor that is being introduced more to the planning and development stages than before.

Strategies that help with collaborating effectively with city officials, engineers, and other stakeholders start with the ability to be approachable. Our industry is relationship driven and those relationships go a very long way when it comes to design, approvals and branding. Being present and active in the planning process saves time, rework, and headaches that come with the steps of trying to get a project from concept to reality. Sending emails and calling helps but going to visit and being forward facing helps build a stronger relationship that carries the relationship going forward. I’ve learned that when engineers, city officials and stakeholders know you as someone who will be approachable, will effectively communicate, will be solution-oriented and a problem solver and will approach this business with integrity, you will go a long way with projects, inspectors and being considered for opportunities. Each one of us has a job to do, and we all do our jobs better and more efficiently when we become partners in the process of providing our industry with a better product for the present and future.

Key skills that emerging professionals should develop to have success in land planning and development today are emotional intelligence, the art and importance of networking and relationships, and focusing on professional development in the form of books and continuing education. As development adapts to the market and other factors, these skills will provide a strong foundation that anyone can use to build on their skills in this role. Not being blind to the past is also important, as there are people that have tons of great experience in this industry and their stories help us to actually see how things have changed to this point and shape the future. Join professional organizations that allow you to meet other developers and decision makers, go to conferences, join boards, and share your experiences. Even though ways of doing things are different based on location, there are things that we all can learn and apply to what we do.