With their abundance of amenities, significant security measures, amazing social atmospheres, and close proximity to conveniences like schools, jobs, dining, and hospitals, it’s easy to see why master planned communities (MPC) are highly sought after for homeowners. For land developers, home builders, and investors, building a MPC is a dream opportunity. MPCs can have a significant return on investment. These developments are far from cookie-cutter, allowing developers to showcase their ingenuity and creativity.
However, developing a successful MPC is not for the faint of heart. It’s difficult to predict what homeowners will want in the coming years and decades. Resources such as developable land and capital are scarce, and some developments can take up to a decade to entitle, let alone build and complete. There are often thousands of people involved, tight schedules, and little room for setbacks — it’s a lot to manage.
Industry-leading MPC builders across the country, like the Howard Hughes Corporation, Oxland Group, Johnson Development, and Five Point, use TraceAir to optimize site development and accelerate their projects. There are many benefits to using TraceAir on a MPC, here are a few:
Reducing Land Acquisition Risk
The most difficult part of building an MPC is acquiring the land. It’s not uncommon for a MPC to be 10,000 acres or greater in size. Ideal locations are close to metropolitan areas. Zoning, terrain, floodplains, environmental impacts, and thoroughfares are just a few of the long list of considerations that must be taken into account. Land that meets the needs of MPCs does not come available often, when it does investors need to be able to act fast.
Are there hills or valleys that will have to be leveled or filled to build on? Does the site have waterways running through it or wetlands that need to be avoided for environmental protection? Issues like these can quickly impact the usability of the land and the overall cost of the project.
Typically, a topographic or aerial survey is needed to determine these unknowns. However, these surveys can take several weeks to complete and are difficult to understand. TraceAir provides highly detailed and accurate high-res aerial images and elevation models of the property in less than 24 hours. The data provided by TraceAir is easy to understand and can be easily shared with stakeholders to reduce risk during the land acquisition process.
My team was surprised by how easy it is to use and how quick and relevant it is. TraceAir is a fantastic tool because it’s so simple.”
— Mark Gehringer, Former Project Manager of Bridgeland, a Howard Hughes Master Planned Community
Sticking to the Schedule
Compared to regular home building projects, MPCs can take much longer to complete and see a return on investment. Scheduling and sequencing on a MPC is particularly difficult, as the project often works in phases. As neighborhoods within the MPC are completed, they are often sold to help fund the remainder of the project. This requires extreme coordination and scheduling for contractors and developers as they work through the various phases.
Creating an optimal sequencing and scheduling of tasks is one thing, but sticking to it is extremely challenging. Homebuilders and land developers that use TraceAir on their MPC projects have their sites flown once a week, providing valuable data to stay on schedule. "It's like a mini Christmas each week when our new scan is ready", shared Quincy Crow, owner of Open Space TX, who oversees the development of Oxland’s MPC, Painted Tree.
This data allows them to identify and address issues before they become costly and time-consuming. Stakeholders and project managers can check progress remotely at any time within TraceAir. They can also share project updates with future homeowners.
Bridgeland is an 11,400-acre project with 3 different villages under construction. As you can imagine, we’re spaced out. Our weekly scans from TraceAir are extremely helpful.”
— Mark Gehringer, Former Project Manager of Bridgeland, a Howard Hughes Master Planned Community
Radical Transparency to Reduce Delays
Investors, contractors, engineers, local jurisdictions, builders, future homeowners — MPCs have A LOT of people involved. Keeping all these people informed and avoiding bottlenecks in information is a major challenge. TraceAir makes it easy by providing everyone with access to the data and building our platform to be user-friendly by even the least tech-savvy.
Unlike other softwares that charge per license, TraceAir includes unlimited licenses. Such transparency facilitates trust and confidence in the data, decisions, and team members. Not only does this reduce the likelihood of costly mistakes, but also creates room for open communication. Users can track site balance, check elevations and grades, measure stockpiles, overlay design documentation, check progress, and more with just a few clicks. Having one source of data accessible to everyone drastically reduces the risk of mistakes.
Furthermore, users can collaborate within TraceAir. The wide range of collaboration tools allow users to create screenshots, draw, write, circle, add arrows, and do whatever they need to do to communicate clearly. These markups, along with the detailed topographic data from TraceAir, can be easily shared among teams and in meetings, allowing everyone to be informed.
TraceAir is a game-changer. We get it every week, and it allows me to know exactly what’s going on. We share it with everyone, so we’re all on the same page.”
— Tom Woliver, Co-President of Oxland and Project Manager of Master Planned Community, Painted Tree
Trusted Site Development Technology for MPCs
Top MPC builders already rely on the fast, accurate data from TraceAir to gain visibility into their projects. Better intelligence helps keep costs in check and prevent errors. “We’re trying to leverage technology the best we can. TraceAir helps our team make decisions and solve problems”, shared Tom Woliver. Check out our webinar with industry MPC leaders to learn how embracing site development technology improves their projects.
To learn more about how your projects can benefit from TraceAir, schedule a demo.