October 13, 2022

Work Smarter

Optimizing Site Development for Master Planned Communities

Developing a successful master planned community is not easy. Learn how industry leaders use technology to optimize site development and accelerate their projects.

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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.

I’m mesmerized by the engineering complexity and beauty of the process of converting the designs into functional spaces. A powerful blend of people’s creative ideas, brutal economics rules, laws of physics, and construction people’s skills and expertise makes this industry so unique. It’s incredibly cool to be a part of this process and contribute to empowering people in it.”

— Maria Khokhlova, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer

Construction marketing has always been a challenging and highly rewarding career path. Now that I’m in construction technology, I enjoy communicating how adopting new solutions can drastically increase efficiency for construction teams.”

— Samantha Burns, Head of Marketing

I really enjoy being a part of the construction tech industry. It’s exciting to see ideas such as drones and automation that once were very futuristic now be an everyday reality that helps people and businesses. As a creative person, I find it empowering to work in a space that embraces out of the box thinking and going against the grain.”

— Katie Larrimore, Marketing Specialist

My favorite part about working in the construction industry is listening to customer stories and being able to provide tech solutions to make their job easier. No two divisions are the same, and it’s rewarding to be able to connect and help clients solve their unique challenges here at TraceAir! I am eager to hear new challenges and look forward to the tech solutions down the road that TraceAir will create based on the needs of our clients.”

— Jordan Wojtowecz, Account Executive

The construction technology industry is constantly changing and I love being a part of that evolution. I get to speak with a diverse group of land developers and acquisitioners who are integral parts of the home building machine; making their lives easier is so rewarding.”

— Lauren Schaefer, Business Development Representative

I find it thrilling to be part of an industry with so much room for innovation and growth. Every day I am given the opportunity to speak with and learn from best-in-class homebuilders. At TraceAir, it’s incredibly rewarding to watch great minds come together to make construction a more collaborative and effective industry.”

— Kyra Ketch, Market Development Representative

Built environment impacts our lives on so many levels and the significance of what we do as an industry inspires me every single day. Our shared responsibility for the fragile nature we transform keeps me laser-focused on innovating sustainably. And I am beyond grateful to do so alongside the many amazing women leaders and professionals of TraceAir!”

— Alena Petrova, Product Manager

I've always been fascinated by how so many construction projects are so unique and individual, though the construction processes are the same for all of them. It is awesome to be a part of and to see how choosing to use sustainable materials, taking into account environmental factors, applying innovative engineering ideas and using digital technology make construction better, smarter and faster.”

— Olga Rollins, Operations Manager

I enjoy seeing the projects come together, each project is so different and presents a multitude of challenges that take real teamwork and collaboration to overcome. I love working with my clients in the construction industry and helping them utilize powerful tech tools to help their projects run smoothly.”

— Isabella Knori, Customer Success Manager

I’m particularly interested in the ever-evolving use of spatial data to inform decision making at all stages of construction. The increase in innovation and application, of both vector and raster data products, is really fascinating.”

— Cari Ruffino, Operations Manager

I worked at construction sites for 9 years and I can tell you that it’s so inspiring to see how your efforts grow into real objects. I was a surveyor and I saw all construction processes with my own eyes. The construction industry adapts to the technical progress so slowly, Traceair makes this process better and faster. It's why I like our company - it drives construction to the next level. We are on the way which turns the dreams of our clients into reality, and our dreams too.”

— Olga Razina, GIS Specialist & Customer Success Engineer

Throughout the past 5 years in cartography & GIS, I have observed how technologies and automatization are making the industry better and faster. I find inspiring bringing this into construction to make the industry even greater! Humans are everywhere, everybody needs place, construction grows. TraceAir shows that we are able to reach our designs faster with drones help and to enjoy the process using platform, maps, tools, etc. Join us!”

— Vera Lugovskaya, GIS Specialist

Optimizing Site Development for Master Planned Communities

See how TraceAir works
with an in-depth product tour

Discover more about TraceAir's solution
in our free brochure

Get the latest news from TraceAir

Keep reading:

Precision Pays Off: Brookfield Residential’s Southern California Division’s Success with TraceAir and LiDAR

Introducing Stormwater Drainage Reports: Simplifying Site Drainage Management for Homebuilders and Land Developers

Making Every Site Visit Count: How TraceAir Helps You Work Smarter in the Field

Keep reading:

Precision Pays Off: Brookfield Residential’s Southern California Division’s Success with TraceAir and LiDAR

Introducing Stormwater Drainage Reports: Simplifying Site Drainage Management for Homebuilders and Land Developers

Making Every Site Visit Count: How TraceAir Helps You Work Smarter in the Field

Request a Demo

Customers

Company

Learn & Support

Optimizing Site Development for Master Planned Communities

See how TraceAir works with an in-depth product tour

Discover more about TraceAir's solution in our free brochure

Get the latest news from TraceAir

Keep reading:

Precision Pays Off: Brookfield Residential’s Southern California Division’s Success with TraceAir and LiDAR

Introducing Stormwater Drainage Reports: Simplifying Site Drainage Management for Homebuilders and Land Developers

Making Every Site Visit Count: How TraceAir Helps You Work Smarter in the Field

Keep reading:

Precision Pays Off: Brookfield Residential’s Southern California Division’s Success with TraceAir and LiDAR

Introducing Stormwater Drainage Reports: Simplifying Site Drainage Management for Homebuilders and Land Developers

Making Every Site Visit Count: How TraceAir Helps You Work Smarter in the Field

Request a Demo

Customers

Company

Learn & Support

See how TraceAir works
with an in-depth product tour

Discover more about TraceAir's solution
in our free brochure