People purchasing land expect certain things to be in place before buying a property, especially if they plan to construct a structure. While location is what most people consider first, there are many other things to investigate before selecting land to build on.

Potential owners must first investigate zoning restrictions that could impact exactly what can and cannot be built at the location. They will also want to know about easements to prevent future headaches.

After that, there are certain things most people simply expect to be in place before they sign a bill of sale. At a bare minimum, they want access to basic utilities like water, electricity, gas, and sewer. That’s because it can be extremely expensive, and sometimes difficult or impossible, to connect some properties to municipal utilities. Plus, many people expect broadband access these days, which isn’t available everywhere quite yet.

It’s also vital to examine soil composition and quality, determine if the land is environmentally safe, and avoid areas prone to wind or water damage. Great expense might also be incurred by having to remove a lot of brush and trees or level a hilly plot of land. These things, and others, can affect how a structure is built and how expensive construction will be.

Business owners and prospective developers also consider these, and many other factors, when deciding where to construct a new location, whether they are starting a new venture or expanding an existing company.

Just like when people build a new home, the first and foremost business consideration is location, location, location. Convenience is most important. If the business depends on customers making purchases at the location, it must be easy to find and access. However, if the business expects their customers will opt to have products shipped directly to them rather than visiting the new facility, business owners may be most interested in locating close to their preferred mode of product shipping, usually nearby interstate highways, railways, or airlines.

After that, the most important thing to many companies these days is finding a development-ready site.

A development-ready site is one where all of the planning, zoning, surveys, title work, environmental studies, soil analysis, and public infrastructure engineering have been completed before the site is listed for sale. The whole process can be further accelerated if the company knows the location they are considering not only meets all their requirements but the current owners are eager to sell.

Governmental entities can make businesses more likely to select a site in their area for new construction by preparing development-ready sites. They can shorten the timeline for site approvals and offer financial incentives to build in certain locations. This makes some locations much more attractive to developers than other sites.

Sadly, the current inventory of development-ready sites in Chautauqua County is dwindling. Fortunately, there is a robust Industrial Development Agency here. The IDA and the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth have been taking aggressive steps to gain site control and prepare development-ready sites as part of a proactive business development approach to improve Chautauqua County’s competitiveness and encourage more business development here. The IDA expects to be under contract for at least 80 acres of development-ready land by the end of 2022.

The Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation’s Local Economic Development committee strongly supports these efforts. Increasing the number of available development-ready sites will ultimately result in more jobs. That will encourage more people to move to or stay in the area. It will also likely increase county revenue and other taxing jurisdictions. That, in turn, creates more self-sustainable local communities, ultimately improving the quality of life for everyone in the county.

Patty Hammond is Economic Development Coordinator at the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation. The Local Economic Development (LED) Initiative is a standing committee of the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF).