Overview
A first-time LA developer optioned a corridor site with the working assumption of base zoning. We were engaged during the option period to confirm whether a TOC pathway was viable before non-refundable money went hard.
Challenges
- Tier eligibility was ambiguous; the site sat near the boundary of two qualifying transit stops
- The base zoning would not support the underwritten unit count
- Acquisition deadline gave 30 days for a defensible read
Strategy
- Verified Tier 3 qualification through stop typology and walking distance analysis
- Modeled the incentive package (density, FAR, height, and parking) against the architect's massing
- Provided a pre-acquisition memo the developer used to defend pricing internally
Outcomes
- Acquisition closed with confidence in the upside case
- Project subsequently approved ministerially at the modeled unit count
- Saved ~14 months relative to a discretionary path
