Great Graphics Can Help Pre-Sale at City Hall

Confusion is the enemy of project approvals, but great graphics can be a builder's best friend.

"A small investment in a graphics package upfront may help get an approval from a city in a timely manner," says Joe Safin, partner in charge of Bloodgood Sharp Buster Architects & Planners' Chicago office. He advocates using the most detailed graphics possible, as early as possible. For instance, he says, initial submittals to local planning boards, which start the entitlement process rolling, can include a site plan, building plans, exterior elevation art and exterior 3-D renderings. These all can be updated and detailed for re-use in subsequent public hearings.

Bruce Hawkins, president of Palatine, Ill.-based Aspen Homebuilder Inc., agrees. "Right from the first meetings with the planning board, we just blew them away," he says, citing the confidence BSB's polished renderings inspired. When the same graphics were the basis for early marketing and conversion into a Web-based virtual tour, Hawkins says "pre-sales were off the chart."