Partnering with the city can be crucial to a new development. Architecture firm MBH Architects is an advocate for a collaborative team approach to new construction, where the architect, builder and developer are all at the table from day one. However, there should really be a fourth member: the city. Partnering with the city is not only critical to pushing a project forward, it can save money, time and result in a better overall project that serves the community.
“A critical member of the development team is the city. It is critical to go to the city with the contractor, the developer and the architect without a design, just with questions,” Andres Grechi, a principal at MBH Architects, tells GlobeSt.com. “We show up at the first meeting with a blank piece of paper and as the planner that has been assigned to the project the city's goals and aspirations for the location. That brings another member to the team that is critical. Now, they are part of the project and will help move it along. Cities can easily derail the development process. We try to a make sure that the city is included and part of the team. For us, that has been critical, and we pride ourselves on our relationships with cities.”
Ken Lidicker, senior associate at MBH, has seen the importance of local partnerships on one of the firm's most recent projects, 240 Lorton in Burlingame, California. “The city really is critical. The city of Burlingame, for example, is a small city and it doesn't have a big staff,” Lidicker tells GlobeSt.com. “Most developers go in and create an adversarial relationship with the city, but this ownership has done a really good job of working with the city and creating a partnership.”
The collaborative approach has become a way for developer's to save on construction costs by getting everyone on the same page from day one, but partnering with the city is also a way to reduce construction costs. “The relationship with the city has been a big help in saving time and money,” says Lidicker. “Now, we know what they are looking for; we know what planning wants; we know who the players are, and those players understand that we aren't trying to get things by them and we want to build a high quality building.”
Burlingame isn't the only city amenable to development relationships. Partnerships can be stuck in every city, but these relationships take time to develop and maintain. Ultimately, it is also a benefit to future projects as well. “We value that trust and protect it,” says Grechi. “With patience and continued effort, I believe that it is possible. We always forget about the personal side of this. There may be rules and regulations, but there is also someone behind the counter.”
To develop that relationship, Lidicker stresses the importance, again, of having each pillar of the development, architecture, builders and developer, to work with the city on the project. “To develop that trust, you need to have all three teams working together and working with the city,” he says. “Everyone talks about doing this, but it is this combination that has been successful. It is hard to do.”
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Kelsi Maree Borland
