Feasibility
Understand what your property could become before you commit capital. Our feasibility screening translates raw zoning data, state incentive programs, and entitlement pathways into a clear picture of development potential and recommended next steps.
Scope
Every property sits within a web of regulatory and physical constraints that determine what can be built, how it gets approved, and whether the numbers work. Our feasibility screening cuts through that complexity by evaluating your site against the factors that matter most to development viability.
We identify your parcel's current zoning classification, any applicable overlay zones or specific plan areas, and the General Plan land-use designation that governs allowable density and use types. Where the zoning and General Plan diverge, we flag the discrepancy and explain what it means for entitlement strategy. We also review any pending municipal code amendments or General Plan updates that could affect your property's development envelope in the near term.
California's density bonus law, SB 79 transit-proximity provisions, and other state-level housing incentives can dramatically expand the unit count achievable on a given site. Our screening evaluates your property's eligibility for each applicable program, models potential unit counts under multiple entitlement scenarios, and identifies which combinations of incentives produce the strongest development outcome. A parcel zoned for 12 units at base density may support 18 or more under density bonus, and potentially higher still when transit-oriented provisions apply.
Not all approvals are created equal. A project that qualifies for ministerial, by-right processing can reach building permit in a fraction of the time and cost required for a discretionary review with CEQA analysis and public hearings. We assess which approval pathway your project is likely to follow, estimate the relative timeline and complexity of each option, and identify the key decision points that shape entitlement strategy.
Development potential is governed not just by regulation but by the physical realities of the site itself. Our screening addresses parking requirements under current code, required setbacks and height limits, lot coverage and floor-area-ratio constraints, and preliminary environmental screening flags such as coastal zone location, flood zone designation, habitat adjacency, or known contamination history. These factors shape not only what can be built but how efficiently the site can be utilized.
Audience
Development feasibility questions arise at different points in the real estate lifecycle, and for different reasons. Our screening is designed to serve the stakeholders who most need clear, actionable answers about a property's development potential.
You own a property and suspect it may be worth more as a development site than as its current use. Perhaps you hold a single-family home near a transit stop that the city has rezoned for multifamily. Maybe you own a commercial parcel in a corridor where residential conversion is now permitted. Our screening tells you what the regulatory framework actually allows, whether state incentive programs apply to your site, and what the realistic development scenarios look like. That information puts you in a fundamentally stronger position whether you choose to develop, sell to a developer, or partner on a project.
Listing a property at its highest-and-best-use value requires understanding what a buyer with development expertise would see in the site. Our feasibility screening gives you the analytical foundation to properly advise sellers on pricing, market the property's development potential to qualified buyers, and differentiate your listing from comparable sales that were transacted without entitlement analysis. In markets where state housing legislation has dramatically expanded what many parcels can support, the gap between a property's current-use value and its development value can be substantial.
Before committing to due diligence on a potential acquisition, you need a preliminary read on whether the site pencils. Our screening provides the zoning, density, and entitlement pathway analysis that informs your go/no-go decision, your offer price, and your project timeline assumptions. We model multiple entitlement scenarios so you understand not just the base case but the upside achievable through density bonus, transit-oriented provisions, and other incentive programs.
Assessing the development upside of properties in transitioning corridors requires the same regulatory analysis that developers perform, even if your strategy is to acquire and hold for future entitlement or to capitalize a developer's project. Our screening helps you evaluate which properties in a target area carry genuine development potential under current zoning and state law, and which are constrained by factors that limit upside regardless of market conditions. This analysis is particularly valuable in transit-proximate areas where density bonus and SB 79 provisions create entitlement pathways that did not exist under prior law.
Deliverables
After you submit your property through our intake form, Steele Development conducts a preliminary screening and delivers a clear, concise assessment of your site's development potential.
Your screening covers the property's zoning classification and General Plan designation, applicable overlay zones and specific plan areas, density bonus eligibility and estimated bonus unit counts, SB 79 transit-proximity qualification status, potential unit counts under the most relevant entitlement scenarios, an initial assessment of entitlement pathway complexity and estimated timeline, and any significant environmental or regulatory flags that would affect development feasibility.
Every screening concludes with a clear recommendation. For some properties, the next step is straightforward: the zoning supports the intended use, the incentive programs apply, and the entitlement pathway is well-defined. For others, the recommendation may involve further investigation of a specific constraint, a conversation with municipal planning staff, or engagement of specialized consultants for environmental or engineering analysis. We tell you exactly where your property stands and what it would take to move forward.
Properties that demonstrate strong development potential through the screening process may be invited to discuss more detailed feasibility analysis, entitlement strategy development, or potential partnership structures with Steele Development. This is not a commitment on either side. It is an indication that the site warrants deeper exploration and that Steele may be positioned to add value beyond the initial screening.
This is a preliminary screening based on publicly available zoning and regulatory data. It is not a formal appraisal, engineering study, or legal opinion. All findings are subject to verification through municipal consultation and professional due diligence.
Process
Our screening process is designed to move quickly and deliver actionable information without requiring a significant upfront commitment from you. Four steps, from submission to recommendation.
Complete our property intake form with the site address, assessor's parcel number (APN), and a brief description of your objectives. Whether you are exploring a sale, evaluating an acquisition, or considering a development project, understanding your goals helps us frame the analysis around the scenarios that matter most to you.
Steele screens your property against current zoning, General Plan land-use designations, density bonus eligibility, SB 79 transit-proximity qualification, and other applicable state-law incentive programs. We review overlay zones, specific plan areas, and any pending regulatory changes that could affect the site's development envelope. This analysis draws on the same frameworks we apply to our own development projects.
You receive a preliminary assessment covering the property's development potential under the most relevant entitlement scenarios, along with clear recommended next steps. The assessment identifies the strongest entitlement pathway, flags any significant constraints, and provides enough information for you to make an informed decision about whether and how to proceed.
Properties with compelling development potential advance to a deeper conversation. Depending on the site and your objectives, this may involve detailed feasibility modeling, entitlement strategy development, consultant engagement, or a discussion of partnership structures. Not every property reaches this stage, and that is by design. The screening exists to separate sites with genuine potential from those where the regulatory or physical constraints limit the upside.
Get Started
Whether you own a single parcel, represent a seller, or are evaluating a potential acquisition, our complimentary feasibility screening gives you the regulatory and development analysis you need to make informed decisions. Submit your property through our intake form and receive a preliminary assessment of zoning, density potential, entitlement pathways, and recommended next steps.