Project types
Industrial flex and small-bay.
Flex buildings look simple: a slab, tilt or metal walls, a few bays. The approvals that slow them down are usually under the ground and on the pole, not on the plan.
Why it gets complicated
Where the time and money go.
Larger footprints raise the fire flow the code requires, and many flex sites sit on rural water lines that were never sized for it. The answer can be nothing, a fire pump, an on-site tank or a smaller building, and each one changes the budget.
Tenants often want three-phase power. New transformers and line extensions have their own lead times, set by the electric provider, and they can run longer than the rest of the approvals.
Trucks need turning room and a driveway in the right place. Spacing rules on highways and county roads, plus any future road reservation on the frontage, can move the building, the dock doors or the whole layout.
Many flex sites are outside city limits, where there is no zoning but county subdivision, septic, floodplain and fire rules still apply.
What we look at first
Deal-killers first, in order.
The checks most likely to change the plan for this type of project. Each links to a plain-English guide.
Fire flow
What the fire code requires for the size and construction type, and what the line can deliver.
Fire flow guideLegal lot
Unplatted tracts and part lots are common. A replat can bring road reservations and easements.
Platting guideThree-phase power
Who provides it, the equipment needed and the lead time.
Power guideTruck access
Driveway location, spacing, culverts and whether a traffic study applies.
Access guideWater and wastewater
Service area, capacity, line extensions and septic where there is no sewer.
Water and wastewater guideBuildable area
Setbacks, floodplain and easements that shrink the pad.
Setbacks guideBefore you close
Questions to ask early.
Cheap to ask before closing. Expensive to learn after.
- Is the tract a legal lot, or will the county or city require a plat or replat first?
- What fire flow will the fire marshal require, and has anyone run a flow test on the nearest hydrant?
- Who provides power, and how long is the wait for three-phase service?
- Does the thoroughfare plan show a future road along the frontage?
- Is there sewer, or will the building need an on-site septic system approved by the county?
- Are there deed restrictions that limit industrial or outdoor storage uses?
Typical patterns
Common situations, and what they usually mean.
Patterns, not rules. Every report checks the actual parcel, its jurisdiction and its utilities.
| Situation | What often happens | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Sprinklered building on a small rural main | Fire flow falls short; a pump or tank is added | Required flow, available flow, pump or tank path |
| Tract split by deed years ago | Replat needed before permits | Plat history, county compliance, road reservations |
| Tenant needs three-phase | Power sets the opening date | Provider, equipment, lead time |
| Frontage on a state highway | Driveway permit and spacing limit the layout | Road owner, speed, spacing, permit order |
| Land over the Edwards Aquifer | TCEQ plan before construction | Aquifer zone, plan type, review time |
Keep reading
Waitlist open · Starting in Central Texas
Check your next flex site.
Send us the parcel and the building you have in mind. We start with the deal-killers.