Building Planning Advice
2018/2/9 – We were recently asked by an influential business person in Topeka a very good question: “What are the hurdles/cost for entrepreneur looking to open a business location? What can be done to make it easier for entrepreneurs in Topeka?
The answer to this question: We need to educate the entrepreneur on the process.
The first step is to try to understand what costs will be necessary to get the business location open as early as possible. If the entrepreneur is adapting an existing building usually there are some code and zoning grey areas that need to be clarified. When there are grey areas we recommend scheduling a “Pre-application Meeting” with the City to help clarify those grey areas. The City does not charge for pre-application meetings and they can be tremendously helpful in identifying potential hurdles before a project gets started. The various City officials who will later review your project for a building permit will typically attend and provide clarification on what they believe will be necessary at these meetings. It is important to have an Architect act as your advocate during the pre-application meeting and to give you some budget pricing on necessary improvements.
If you are building from scratch, it is often easier. Typical new construction building costs are easier to estimate than renovations. Zoning for new construction will be the major item you will want to review. Zoning tells you what type of business can operate in different parts of the City and describes other requirements such as parking and setbacks. Again, a pre-application meeting could be appropriate if there are zoning grey areas.
Moving into a building can be a major cost for a new business and more than a few entrepreneurs have gotten in over their heads on cost due to not knowing all the requirements. We believe it is important have a professional guide you through the process.
If you are building or renovating in a Historic District or a property on Historic Register and aren’t familiar with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards or the Historic Districts Design Guidelines (many districts also have these) then it would be wise to speak with an Architect knowledgeable in historic projects. Not only can proper planning save a building Owner time and money, but there are enormous tax incentives available to renovations to historic properties if you plan the project correctly.