The University of North Carolina Charlotte Land Development Studio class is underway. I have 13 civil engineering students - all seniors that will now have to combine their technical knowledge with their creative skills to plan a single family subdivision.
The intent of this segment of the class is to have the students learn the art of land planning, understand the non-technical aspects of arranging lots, and use their technical skills to manage infrastructure costs.
They will work in teams of two to prepare a subdivision layout plan and report in 3-weeks. Each team will present their plan to a mock Planning Board without the use of power point and field open questions from the "public". To determine if their project is viable, we will prepare a proforma based on the infrastructure cost to develop the project and the following criteria:
- The land is being purchased for $60,000 per acre
- We will build a 2,500 sq. ft. house
- We will sell the home for $290,000
Based on their land plan and infrastructure layout (roads, BMP/SWM, water, sewer, drainage, etc.), the students will determine if they will make a profit as a builder/developer. My intent is to instill in my students that their is a bigger picture in developing land and they will be on the cutting edge of the industry changes as we trend out of this recession.
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