Objective:

Law and Regulation

Its Role in Planning and Development

Law and regulation, regarding the development of real estate, was the first facet in which I discovered the “go-between” of planning and development, and how my undergraduate degree can serve me in the MLPD program and future career.

Site Analysis and Market Analysis were completed by other team members, and I then took their findings and created a land plan (first draft to the left). Over 345,000 SF of flex space are on the plan, with lots of parking, driveway space, detention area, tree preservation, and open space also accounted for.

Adhering to local laws and regulation is vital to the success of a real estate development project. Not following the codes or ignoring easements, title defects, and other issues that may arise could cause a project to be struck down instead of approved throughout the processes.

We were first given a survey, Phase I ESA, the title agreement, geotechnical study reports and an easement agreement to review. Taking those notes and information into account. It was then important to review the City of San Antonio’s Unified Development Code (UDC) and any subsequent development and design requirements ordinances.

Though the land plan to the left is just a draft and changing, it reflects a plan that is to code as far as I could identify for the City of San Antonio’s requirements.

LDEV 688 - Capstone (ongoing course)

For the Fall 2024 semester, the MLPD Capstone project is analyzing the market and creating a business plan proposition for an industrial property in San Antonio.

In addition to the different regulatory requirements and related legal documents and information we are exposed to across the different projects and lessons learned in the MLPD courses, there is also a course, LDEV 651, which encompasses teaching students about real estate law, exposing and going deeper into the legal and regulatory data and information, processes, documents, and requirements that are part of the real estate acquisition and development processes.