Bohler Archives - REBusinessOnline

Innovative Design Can Promote Positive Outcomes for Continuum of Care Residents

Sarah Daniels — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000

As the demand for senior living communities continues to rise, so does the complexity of designing environments that meet the evolving needs of residents across the entire continuum of care. Facilities that seek to cater to independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation needs must strike a balance: fulfilling stringent functional and regulatory requirements while remaining inviting, promoting connection to nature and others and offering comfort for people of all ages and abilities. The biggest challenge, according to designers and seniors housing experts alike, is “seamlessly weaving protective elements, like perimeter security or grade changes, into a design that feels warm and inclusive, not institutional,” explains Adam Alexander, director of planning, landscape architecture and design at Bohler, a land development design and consulting firm. “Features like fences or bollards don’t need to be emphasized as one-note safety features. They should be invisible contributors to a resident’s experience of comfort and care.” An overall trend toward smaller sites for seniors housing means that continuum of care communities are innovators in inclusive and multi-purpose space use. They may also serve to address increasing calls for solutions to the loneliness epidemic ongoing in the lives of many adults. While less square…

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Collaborative Construction: How Contractors, Engineering Teams Together Drive Project Success

Sarah Daniels — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Some commercial real estate developers work primarily with architects and engineers to establish a project’s scope and expected cost, leaving the selection of a general contractor or project manager until they are nearly ready to break ground. And by following this traditional approach, they may be leaving money on the table. A better practice is to engage contractors during project planning, industry experts advise. That’s because experienced contractors can provide practical insight into pricing and availability of materials and labor, informing critical planning decisions. Those same builders can be a sounding board for site civil engineers mapping out site preparation, utility installation, access and sequencing for the various tradespeople working on a project. “Involving a general contractor early is particularly beneficial for large-scale or phased construction projects,” says Daniel Hines, a principal in Bohler’s Charlotte office. “It enables us to approach the design more strategically, reduce costs and deliver more accurate timelines.” “The overall goal of getting a general contractor and an engineer working together is to maintain your schedule and your budget,” agrees Jeff Mitchell, director in the Charlotte, North Carolina office of Duffey Southeast Construction Inc. “Engineers are the experts at designing projects, but ultimately it is the…

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Cracking the Code: Winning Strategies for Affordable Housing in Any Market

Sarah Daniels — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Frustrated by high costs and a lending crunch for market-rate multifamily projects, savvy mainstream developers are seeking opportunities to build affordable housing. But what constitutes opportunity in a sector reliant on agency lending, community stakeholders and controlled rents? Definitions of “opportunity” in affordable housing vary widely, and favorable elements often involve additional and unique challenges. Not only must developers identify opportune site conditions, but they must also evaluate prospects to compete for funding, secure municipal approvals and win community support. And they need to complete the project within required timeframes in order for the asset to qualify as a good opportunity. REBusiness asked experts from two firms at the forefront of affordable housing development about what affordable housing “opportunity” looks like — and about the strategies they use to transform promising sites into viable projects. Beacon Communities is an established developer of affordable, market-rate and mixed-income housing, while Bohler’s land development consulting and site design services have helped clients identify and act on commercial real estate opportunities for more than 35 years. “We look at any development opportunity through three lenses,” says LeAnn Hanfield Curtin, vice president of development at Beacon. “Those are the availability of sites, ability to get…

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Multifamily Balancing Act: How to Achieve Profit Despite Tight Margins

Sarah Daniels — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 10:35:24 +0000

With elevated prices on everything from land to debt financing, insurance, building materials and labor, developers face an uphill climb attempting to pencil out multifamily projects at a profit. That’s why in 2024, developers are opting for practical and convenient amenities over luxury and choosing builder-friendly suburban locations over complex urban sites. And with diminishing room to raise rents on market-rate apartments, many investors and developers are shifting their attention to affordable and workforce housing, where incentives offset some expenses and, ideally, help position projects to deliver positive returns. “Market-rate developers in our region are starting to change their model to embrace more of an affordable product,” confirms Chad Riddle, Atlanta branch manager at Bohler. “Unfortunately, that puts them behind the eight ball because they may not know the tricks of the trade and they are competing with affordable housing developers that already know the business and are thriving.” There is no single strategy to pencil out a profitable multifamily project, but developers are achieving success by sticking to proven, cost-effective design elements and amenities, avoiding costly missteps and cutting down unnecessary spending throughout the development process. Drawing on affordable housing specialists and other in-house experts, Bohler helps clients avoid…

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Retail Development Programs Favor Suburbs, Shifting Shopper Habits

Sarah Daniels — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

With high operating costs eroding profitability at many urban stores, major retailers are concentrating development and store renovations in suburban locations with layouts geared to the latest consumer preferences. As more retailers follow suit, early adopters provide object lessons in best practices to better serve an evolving customer base and reveal pitfalls to avoid along the way. “Retailers are more sensitive to the pressures of high costs and loss prevention in urban markets, and as a result, they are backing off in those areas,” says Cornelius Brown, a principal and regional manager in the Philadelphia office of Bohler. “Retailers looking to grow, in our experience, are shifting to the suburbs and using retail program methods to cut costs.” Bohler is a land development design and consulting firm that helps developers move their projects forward quickly. Recently, those clients have been keen to avoid risk in both site selection and design features, Brown says. Streamlining Retail Development Retail programs allow developers to use pre-existing retail layout prototypes to determine optimal site arrangements. This approach uses checklists to assign one of several pre-made layouts to a development based on factors such as road location, grading and elevation, parking needs, drive-through layout, loading…

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Adaptive Reuse Developers Repurpose Antiquated Real Estate to Benefit Contemporary Consumers

Sarah Daniels — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Commercial property conversions can offer significant advantages over conventional ground-up real estate developments. Conversions can provide a head start on construction with established entitlements, existing structures, in-place utilities and entry to choice locations in otherwise built-out submarkets. Consider the Universal Buildings, Post Brothers’ conversion of two 1960s-era office buildings into more than 600 residential units and ground-floor retail just north of the District of Columbia’s Dupont Circle. The 15-story complex will feature a two-level, glass-walled fitness and recovery center with more than 10,000 square feet of training zones, equipment and classrooms. The developer is housing the fitness center and other amenities in a new atrium that replaces the upper levels of structured parking originally built within one of the former office buildings. “The location is incredible — there is probably no greater location in any major city in the country for conversion,” says Josh Guelbart, Post Brothers’ Co-Chief Operating Officer. “Having the entire block means we have light, air and hilltop views of Kalorama, Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle, three of the finest residential neighborhoods in the District. There isn’t room for new buildings of scale in those neighborhoods, and that really made this existing, large building attractive to us.”…

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Site Design Science: How Understanding Operations Draws Pharmaceutical Manufacturers

Sarah Daniels — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Pharmaceutical companies have captured the interest of many developers and with good reason. Softening demand for traditional office space has planners looking for alternative uses to fill out business parks and multiuse developments, and drug makers represent a promising source of highly valuable occupancy. Speculative construction that accelerated during the pandemic has given pharmaceutical manufacturers plenty of options and enabled them to be choosy in site selection. However, to compete for end users, developers must ensure their properties offer the features and amenities drug makers seek, says Matt Mrva, northeast director of planning and landscape architecture at Bohler, a land development consulting and site design firm. “Simply adding a life sciences label on conventional flex space is unlikely to lure pharma companies. Research, lab and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities often require specialized infrastructure and site layouts,” Mrva says. “Even if a property is zoned to allow for life sciences, design and development teams need to understand the proposed operations in order to optimize the facility.” Unique Facility Requirements Depending on anticipated needs, tenants may require advanced climate control and ventilation, redundant electrical feeds, high-volume water and sewer service, on-site wastewater pretreatment, backup power generation, reinforced floors to handle the weight of…

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Improved Land Surveys, Due Diligence Can Ensure Development Project Success

Sarah Daniels — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Due diligence — particularly land surveying — can be a slow, cumbersome process if a project lacks strong guidelines based on the owner or developer’s particular needs. It can be easy to overprepare for the wrong site or underprepare for the succession of steps needed for the right site. REBusiness spoke to two land surveying experts, Billy Logsdon, divisional director of surveying, and Tom Teabo, associate and regional survey manager. Both work for Bohler, a land development consulting and site design firm, and both have strong insights on how to incorporate each step in the due diligence process elegantly within a well-planned approach. Due diligence such as American Land Title Association (ALTA) surveys and gathering topographic information can be time-consuming and expensive steps — making it beneficial to fit their timing into the larger project in a way that reflects the client’s needs — from the purchase of land to development completion. Logsdon and Teabo highlight the importance of streamlining the survey process and getting owners and developers better results based on their desired outcomes, often starting with the information already available about the site early in the process. REBusiness: What is slowing down survey due diligence, in your experience, and do…

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Converting Underutilized Parking Can Revitalize Shopping Centers

Sarah Daniels — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Shopping center owners and property managers throughout the United States are exploring opportunities to increase foot traffic by transforming excess parking into restaurants, entertainment venues, neighborhood amenities and even multifamily uses. “In our experience, nearly every shopping center that’s not grocery-anchored is going through a process to reassess the amount of parking they have, the amount of parking they need and alternative ways to develop those parking areas to add value,” says Cornelius Brown, a principal in the Pennsylvania offices of Bohler, a land development consulting and site design firm. With more than 30 offices across the Eastern and Central United States, Bohler has helped many of its clients with parking conversions ranging from single pad site creation to comprehensive, property-wide redevelopment. Municipalities Onboard Landlords have been carving out parcels for standalone retailers, restaurants and other uses for years, but the trend is accelerating as more and more municipalities ease minimum parking requirements. Parking-reduction advocates have argued that offering fewer spaces reduces environmental impacts associated with heat islands and stormwater runoff. Others contend it promotes the use of mass transit and ridesharing, which can reduce vehicle emissions and, in the case of bars and restaurants, may reduce incidents of impaired…

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Part 2: How to Promote Collaboration, Efficiency in Life Sciences Innovation Districts Via Design

Sarah Daniels — Wed, 31 May 2023 11:00:00 +0000

In the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors, life sciences innovation districts have become hubs not only for research and development but also for cooperation and inspiration between cohorts. These districts, often called innovation districts, collect together companies, research institutions, supporting entities, housing and more. Innovation districts necessitate meticulous planning and design strategies to promote scientific inquiry and efficiency. “Municipalities, schools, corporations and organizations that have close ties to their state are piloting life sciences innovation district development, allowing them to group otherwise separated uses — work, recreation, living areas and more — together. When you pair these institutions and include innovative site and building programming in a single location, you move beyond disconnected projects and amenities to a united innovation district that can magnify benefits across organizations,” explains Dan Danvers, a landscape architect project manager with Bohler, a land development consulting and site design company. This article is the design-focused component of our two-part series on life sciences innovation districts. If you would like to read about the planning component of these complex developments, please read our first article here. Moving Life Sciences Innovation Districts Forward Innovation districts must keep pace with evolving technologies and research. Life sciences industries are continually progressing,…

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Trammell Crow, Diamond Realty Break Ground on 323,750 SF Industrial Project in New Hampshire

Taylor Williams — Tue, 30 May 2023 14:11:57 +0000

MERRIMACK, N.H. — A partnership between Dallas-based Trammell Crow Co. and Diamond Realty Investments has broken ground on a 323,750-square-foot industrial project in Merrimack, located in southern New Hampshire. The site at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway spans 43 acres. Building features will include a clear height of 36 feet, 53 dock-high doors, an ESFR sprinkler system and 2,000 square feet of office space. Macgregor Associates designed the project, and RC Anderson and Bohler are serving as the general contractor and civil engineer, respectively. Santander Bank provided construction financing, and CBRE is the leasing agent. Completion is slated for the fourth quarter.

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Part 1: Life Sciences Innovation Districts — Planning Optimizes Development, Fosters Collaboration

Sarah Daniels — Thu, 11 May 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Life sciences-anchored innovation districts are becoming increasingly popular as hubs for research and development in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. These districts, also known as “innovation districts,” are characterized by clusters of companies, research institutions, supporting organizations, living areas, amenities and offices all located in close proximity. This grouping requires detailed planning and design strategies to maximize their potential for scientific exploration and success on an enormous, ambitious scale. Master planning and engaging site civil engineering partners early on in the process can save time and money once a project reaches the design stage. This article is the first installment in a two-part series on life sciences innovation districts to discuss, first, the planning, and, then, the design elements required by these districts. Read about design in Part 2, here. Fostering innovation, collaboration and productivity is at the heart of planning for life sciences innovation districts. The successes of famous examples such as North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass. and Mission Bay in San Francisco indicate how beneficial a melting-pot mix of residential, commercial and research spaces can be when they concentrate talent from research institutions, life sciences innovators, universities and the surrounding community. “Many life…

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Savvy Developers Stay Active Even When the Easy Sites Are Gone

Sarah Daniels — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 11:00:00 +0000

As vacant sites become rare and cost-prohibitive, commercial real estate developers need to be creative when it comes to bringing a new project out of the ground. Unconventional development sites offer cost savings and location advantages, and in-depth due diligence and creativity on the part of developers can make for sites that can allow an elegant union of lower costs and strategy. With limited room for delay, how can developers think critically about available sites and leverage existing conditions to their advantage? Katherine Roberts, senior project manager at Bohler’s Warrenton, VA office, and Gregory Roth, principal at Bohler’s Tampa office, offer their expert advice on threading this needle. Bohler specializes in land development, especially making development work when conventional sites aren’t an option. Prioritizing Development Needs When Assessing Red Flags Certain project factors can be red flags if time or cost are obstacles to a developer, including These points of concern are usually knots that can be untangled if a developer has the time, money and appetite to move forward in spite of these interruptions, but each factor does bear watching. “Developers should understand where their limits are and where they’re willing to negotiate. Ideally, anything you’re developing should be…

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CP Group, PCCP Add 14 New Tenants at Downtown Miami Office Tower

John Nelson — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 14:04:34 +0000

MIAMI — CP Group and PCCP LLC have added 14 new office tenants to join One Southeast Third Avenue, a 31-story office tower in downtown Miami. The new tenants span multiple industries, including real estate, legal and tech, and combined represent 47,533 square feet in new leases. Additionally, Bohler, a civil engineer firm, has expanded its footprint at the 440,000-square-foot building, which was formerly known as SunTrust International Center. Cristina Glaria, Harrison Mischel, Jon Blunk and Laurel Oswald of TCRE represented CP Group and PCCP in all leasing negotiations. In addition to traditional office space, One Southeast Third Avenue offers three floors of CP Group’s worCPlaces flexible office concept for tenants and entrepreneurs seeking short-term accommodations. Additionally, another floor of speculative suites is currently being built out at the tower.

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Data Center Developers Consider Unconventional Sites, Streamlining Strategies to Meet Immense Demand

Sarah Daniels — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 12:00:56 +0000

Data center development is simultaneously growing by leaps and bounds as well as suffering from its own success. The easy-to-develop sites have been snapped up and demand for additional data and cloud services continues to grow, forcing developers to look beyond the obvious locations for sites. This can entail running into less-than-obvious delays in the development process. Data centers reliably store and transmit the deluge of information that makes modern life possible. The factors driving the need for data centers — enterprise demand for cloud services, dependence on 5G cell networks, artificial intelligence technology, edge computing capabilities, social media use and streaming needs — will continue to grow exponentially in the coming years. According to a September 2022 report by advisory company Arizton, approximately 2,825 megawatts of power capacity will be added to the data center market in the next five years. The same report forecasts the U.S. data center construction market will reach $25 billion by 2027, up from $20 billion in 2021. Data centers are utility-intensive property types, and the sites that can support their formidable power, communication and water needs often require high-level considerations right from the start. How can the development process for such projects be streamlined…

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Retail Development Program Lessons Apply Across Property Types

Sarah Daniels — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 12:00:38 +0000

Retail development programs have allowed retailers to streamline their goals by creating prototype models based on site particulars. This process saves developers and retailers money as they can be flexible in choosing models that work for each site without needing to alter layouts and features too much between builds. But what makes for successful prototypes and program standards? Can this approach work outside of the retail world? “The lessons of retail programs can apply across property types in this sense: land development consultants and site designers can learn how specific clients need their set of standards and guidelines implemented. It’s essential to thoroughly understand a program client’s procedures, and we’re expected to know these parameters inside and out,” says Steven T. Fortunato, a senior project manager at Bohler’s Rehoboth Beach office in Delaware. Bohler is a land development design and consulting firm that specializes in helping developers move their projects forward faster. “The retail program methodology translates well to other sectors. Starting off with either a new developer or a new client is an opportunity to learn their standards — or help the client create them. The end result must offer the same level of confidence whether the product is retail or…

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Peak Construction Underway on 191,481 SF Industrial Project in North Brunswick, New Jersey

Taylor Williams — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 15:08:39 +0000

NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. — General contractor Peak Construction is underway on Crossroads Commerce Center, a 191,481-square-foot industrial project located in North Brunswick, about 40 miles south of New York City. Building features will include a clear height of 40 feet, 130-foot truck court depths, 29 dock positions, two drive-in doors, 161 car parking spaces and 31 trailer parking spaces. Principal Asset Management is the developer of the project. Other project partners include construction manager D. Loeffler Consulting, Environetics Group Architects and Bohler Engineering. Completion is slated for May 2023.

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Prep for Success: Site Civil Engineering Design Streamlines Construction, Avoids Snags

Sarah Daniels — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 11:00:52 +0000

Can you dig it? Possibly, but site civil engineers can help determine if construction can rock on without running into rocky situations. Thorough site civil due diligence is the foundation for developing a project with minimal delays. Keeping land development projects moving forward — especially during construction — requires highly informed due diligence processes and expertise when it comes to approvals and plans. Site civil engineering design with constructability in mind can support general contractors while streamlining the overall bidding and construction process. But what are best practices when it comes to ensuring a successful project? REBusinessOnline spoke to two experts who specialize in high-quality construction documents: Benjamin Plumb, P.E. project manager, and Keith Simpson, director of engineering, work for Bohler, a land development consulting and technical design company. You Never Know What You’ll Find Before You Dig — However, These Tips Can Help Uncertainty is part of any development project, but Simpson outlines two scenarios that make up the majority of the challenges he sees: 1. Existing underground utilities that are not reflected in plans. 2. Soils that differ from what was expected from the geotechnical report. In some cases, slowdowns are unavoidable and will cause delays, but due diligence can…

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Life Sciences Developer Checklist: Processes to Accelerate Speed to Market

Sarah Daniels — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 12:00:50 +0000

Combinations of offices with laboratories, research and development spaces and/or manufacturing areas make life sciences facilities highly customizable. These multipurpose, technical spaces are in high demand from companies seeking first-class facilities for research-based advancements. Low vacancies, high rents and the chance to convert unused office or retail spaces on a faster timeline have prompted some creative approaches to retrofit existing space to fulfill the needs of science and technology tenants. In other instances, facilities must be built from the ground up to conform to best practices. But what factors matter most to the life sciences field? And how can developers increase their speed to market? Read on for tips and checklists for developers hoping to speed up the process of building or retrofitting these facilities. Industry Drivers: Speed to Market and Flexibility Office conversions into life sciences facilities offer a variety of options. Life sciences facilities often do not need to accommodate large trucks (eliminating circulation and loading dock concerns), they use office components and (most importantly) office conversions offer faster speed to market than other types of conversions. “Speed to market is most important for these developers/tenants. There is a shortage of space, so a well-designed, spec building will…

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Multifamily Developers Must Find Balance Between Density, Amenities

Sarah Daniels — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 12:53:04 +0000

Finding a balance between density and amenities has never been simple for residential developers, but rising interest rates, density restrictions and an increased desire to solidify multifamily projects within the community mean that there is much to be gained from creative approaches to this old problem. Starting the process of planning early, using zoning to the developer’s advantage and creating an adaptable, sustainable and welcoming place for tenants can allow for a successful project with a lower overall price tag. This method can solve some of the trickier problems faced by multifamily developers, including density, parking and zoning considerations. Starting Off Right — Creating a Master Site Plan Success in multifamily is easier to achieve if the project starts with a shared team vision from the outset, says Bill Rearden, principal at Bohler, a land development design and consulting firm. Rearden explains that Bohler has its own planning, landscape architecture and survey teams and works with many industry partners for environmental and geotechnical due diligence. “We work with these teams in the very early stages to understand what the configuration of a property is and what its constraints are. We know upfront any underlying zoning a property might have, so…

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