Shovel-ready sites have traditionally been used by economic development organizations as a way to create a competitive advantage in their quests for manufacturing and industrial companies.

New York State pioneered the concept of pre-permitting sites with a state-wide program that had a rigorous certification process. The state and local governments worked together to identify sites, prepare the site, place infrastructure and determine the permits necessary for a business to start construction literally the next day.

By taking much of the uncertainty out of the site development process, businesses could substantially reduce the costs and time normally needed to prepare a site. 

During the past decade, other states and many local governments have adopted shovel-ready site programs with different definitions of what qualifies a shovel-ready site. Typically, a site has to have sewer, water and utility service already available.  As a minimum some require a Phase I environment report and soil borings. While there are no standard requirements to be classified as shovel-ready, generally speaking they should have the characteristics below:

• Available- site is ready to sell or be leased
• Fully served- utilities and transportation infrastructure should be in place or have plans approved for immediate construction
• Developable- site is ready for immediate construction with no issues such as easements, mitigation or right-of-way
• Independent Evaluation- the site has passed a third-party review to verify all details

What has made “shovel-ready sites” valuable tools for industrial development programs is that they are being used by communities as a way to identify and develop sites for retail.  Location decision-making is fundamentally a process of identifying and eliminating risks, whether it is for manufacturing, office or retail development.

In fact, assembling suitable sites for retail development is one of the major hurdles that most communities have to overcome. By adopting and adapting the concept of the shovel-ready site to potential retail locations, the community can reduce the amount of time it takes a developer or retailer to construct on the site. 

By mitigating the risks associated with assembling and developing sites, the community gains a competitive advantage.

Cities, counties and states have addressed the uncertainties associated with developing raw sites both by reducing the costs and time needed to put in infrastructure and by getting the necessary permits to construct and operate a business.   New York State pioneered the concept of pre-permitting sites for economic development.

Take a proactive approach in attracting retail and be shovel-ready.