March 22, 2000

Colin Lund, planning director, Triad Associates

Colin Lund

Colin Lund, planning director
Firm: Triad Associates
Location: Kirkland
Year founded: 1975
Staff size: 90
Focus: Project management, planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering and surveying

Q: What kind of land development consulting do you do?

A: Triad Associates offers a range of complementary land development consulting services from initial feasibility studies through site development. We not only work to secure entitlements; we help our clients design commercial and residential sites that fit with today's markets and regulatory frameworks. To be effective consultants, we have to stay on top of ever-changing requirements.

Q: What is your role at Triad?

A: I am the director of planning and an associate of the firm with the responsibility of managing our group of planning professionals. The planners work to orchestrate and expedite project approvals. To do this successfully, we figure out all aspects of a project site and its surroundings. This involves working with the owner, developer, other technical consultants, governmental staff reviewers and neighborhood interest groups.

Q: Are regulations driving development away from the Puget Sound region?

A: No. But only the more savvy developers who have capable consultants to help them maneuver through the maze of reviews are successful at developing medium to large projects in this region.

Triad Associates designed complex grading plans to situate 56 large, neotraditional homes on a sloping site for this subdivision in the Lakemont area of Bellevue.

Two significant challenges have confronted our clients in recent years. First is the declining availability of quality properties that can be developed at reasonable costs. More thought has to go into product types that can best be positioned on a site. Second is the increased layering of regulatory requirements, which adds increased costs to land development. Much more work goes into successful development since the implementation of the Growth Management Act. The endangered species listing will add another layer of regulation. All of this points to the critical need for many projects to have up-front site feasibility studies.

Q: Are you an employee-owned firm?

A: Ownership is offered to people in the firm who have shown excellence in their work and to those who we believe will add stability to the firm. About a third of the employees in the firm, including management, are stockholders, Every year or two we add more employee-owners. We believe that an employee-owned firm results in better client satisfaction and makes for a better place for people to work. An employee-owner is not a nameless person in a large, faceless firm. A good analogy is the difference between an owner and a renter of a house. The renter may or may not take care of the property. But owners have the self-interest to take pride in ownership.

Q: What are the critical aspects of a site feasibility study?

I enjoy the complexity of sorting out all the pieces and simplifying them into a road map that shows how the developer's vision for the property can be achieved. - Colin Lund, planning director Triad Associates

A: First, we determine what level of study is needed to understand the development potential of a site. Once this is done, we look at four critical elements -- the physical attributes of the property, the environmental constraints, the review process and regulatory requirements, and the political context within which issues are likely to be decided. This initial focus helps the owner or developer better define a development concept, before spending significant amounts of time and money on market and financial analyses. Initial site feasibility analysis is one of the most critical steps to achieving a successful project, and it also saves headaches, costs and time delays down the road.

Q: How did you get to this point in your career?

A: At California State Polytechnic University, I was given a hands-on education working on local land planning issues. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in urban and regional planning, I worked for the city of Pasadena planning department on project plan reviews and site designs. I also staffed the hearing examiner, the planning commission and city council. I left the city not only understanding the technical aspects of project review and site design, but the ways in which the political process affected the outcome. I moved to Washington in 1990 and joined the planning staff at Triad Associates. A few years later, I went to work for Heartland as a project manager. While there, I learned in-depth how developers approach the land development process. I returned to Triad to head its planning department in 1997. Here I have been able to weave all my experiences together -- government reviewer, planning consultant and developer.

Q: What projects are you particularly proud of?

A: The planning group at Triad has put together a unique and comprehensive approach to site feasibility analysis. Using a 15-page checklist, we systematically assemble pertinent information that a developer should consider before closing on the acquisition of a piece of land. We put together a report that lets the developer assess the development potential, limitations and risks. Often land is optioned and we are brought in during the 45- to 60-day period for due diligence review. That means we hustle to get this analysis done in as short as two weeks. This report proves to be valuable later in the site development process as well because we identify the critical players, utility and service issues, site-specific environmental issues and critical aspects of the review process. We can adjust this tool for use in any jurisdiction. We are successfully using it on work we are doing in both Washington and California.

Designed around the Sulphur Springs Creek, the Archstone Northcreek is a 500-unit residential development made of two "villages" connected by a community center and open spaces. Triad designed the site plan for this 50-acre site, located north of Bothell.

We also just completed a multi-year process for approval of the master plan for the 620-acre East Village community, an Intracorp development. We worked closely with the developer and the city of Issaquah to create a cohesive community, balanced with the conditions of the site. Development was clustered into a number of small areas surrounded by open space or natural areas in order to protect steep slopes, streams and wetlands. A significant aspect of our role as a consultant was to build positive relationships among the many parties involved in reviewing the master plan. The success of this process is a city-approved development agreement that is very detailed and custom-tailored for the project. The development agreement sets out goals and guidelines, permitted uses and densities and design criteria. The Issaquah City Council unanimously voted to approve the development agreement, not only because of the quality of the project, but also because we carefully presented complex information in an understandable manner.

Q: What are the most challenging aspects of your work?

A: Accurate information is key to our client's success. Obtaining reliable information, even directly from regulatory agencies, has become more difficult because the rules for development review change so often. During the time it takes to bring a typical project from concept to construction the rules can change a lot. Our job is to continually be informed of new regulations so that we can proactively pursue development strategies to further our client's objectives.

Q: What do you like best about your job?

A: Every property and each jurisdiction is different. I enjoy the complexity of sorting out all the pieces and simplifying them into a road map that shows how the developer's vision for the property can be achieved. To do that, I work hard at fostering cooperation and positive relationships among the developer, local government and other interests. Staying current on changing local, state and federal regulations that affect development strategy keeps me alert and creative. Seeing a project move through the hoops of review and obtain the entitlements needed to proceed forward truly satisfies me.

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• Mark Leinenwever, CEO, CBG Consulting Engineers, 03-15-2000
• Julie Huang, president - CivilTech, 03-08-2000
• Todd Jacobsen, president of Utility, 03-01-2000
• Jim Duncan, Sparling, 02-23-2000
• Callie Ridolfi, Ridolfi Engineers, 02-09-2000
• Barbara Swift, Swift & Co., 01-26-2000
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