VIRTUAL BUILDINGS
County hopes program spurs growth
Yuma County has a demand for buildings that are 20,000 square feet or greater, but developers are wary of constructing speculative buildings since it’s difficult to customize them to suit specific tenants after construction.
To help with that dilemma, county officials have come up with a solution: the Virtual Building Program, which they hope will assist with development efforts in the region. One of the biggest incentives is that permit fees are deferred until after a building is constructed.
Paul Melcher, deputy county administrator, explained that virtual building development is a process similar to the model home concept used in residential construction, except in this instance, it is used to create, review and approve basic plans for a model industrial or manufacturing building.
The virtual state means that the full preliminary building plans have been developed and engineered to meet standards and submitted to the appropriate local governing agency for review and approval.
“It’s like having a building already there,” Supervisor Lynne Pancrazi noted.
Once the local agency approves tenant-specific plans, a developer can obtain permits for construction.
“In its basic form, a virtual building is designed for manufacturing and industrial uses, and the permitting fees for the actual building construction are deferred until the building is complete and the property owner or developer applies for a Certificate of Occupancy,” Melcher said in a staff report.
The Board of Supervisors adopted the resolution outlining the program at the July 17 meeting. The resolution noted that a “virtual building” allows a prospective tenant to see building designs and make modifications
prior to actual construction.
Developers generally take four months, depending on size, to construct a building. In most cases, it takes just as long to modify an existing building due to the permit review and construction times, so many developers prefer to build from scratch, Melcher said.
Since the intent is to promote industrial and manufacturing uses, only those sites in Light Industrial, Heavy Industrial, Intensive Industrial, Planned Development and Rural Area Zoning Districts are eligible for the program.
Melcher pointed out that the program will help Yuma County, the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation and 4FrontED in business recruitment and expansion efforts by reducing permit timelines, deferring permit fees and developing certified sites for the Arizona Commerce Authority’s official list.
County officials also expect the program to support regional economic development as detailed in the 4FrontED Business Case and Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership Plan, which has a list of manufacturing targets for Yuma that includes CNC machining, milk production, metal stamping and manufacturing of perishable prepared food, aircraft, storage batteries, fabricated structural metals, truck trailers, signs and unmanned vehicles.
To participate in the program, properties must be utility-ready and a minimum of two acres in size or less if adjacent lots can be combined to create a five-acre minimum lot. The building layout must be a minimum of 20,000 square feet in size. A smaller footprint may be considered if the building size is restricted by parcel configuration or physical limitations and the economic benefits can be demonstrated.
Properties may also qualify for incentives under the Yuma County Incentive Policy, such as being reimbursed for improvements to county roads, solid waste facilities or stormwater management system.
In addition, the permit review process can be expedited if a project creates at least 20 full-time jobs; has a capital expenditure of $500,000 or more; directly supports agriculture, military or manufacturing industries; is funded by grants; has time-sensitive financing or funding source; or includes needed improvements to county infrastructure or as part of an approved development.
The county will now market the program and work with interested property owners so they can identify and resolve site deficiencies to qualify for the program.