Framework
An evolving early-stage development screening framework focused on zoning feasibility, bulk constraints, and structural risk identification across New York City.
Analytical Lens
Risk-first development analysis
Early-stage feasibility review prioritizes downside protection over theoretical upside. The objective is not to prove what could work, but to identify why a site may fail before momentum builds around it.
Stopping early is treated as a value-preserving outcome—not a missed opportunity.
Zoning before numbers
FAR, unit count, and yield are evaluated only after zoning viability and bulk controls survive first contact. If zoning fails, numbers are irrelevant. Optimization begins only once a workable regulatory framework exists.
Parking as a gating item
Parking is treated as a gating condition, not a negotiable line item. In many New York City contexts, parking requirements alone determine feasibility. Sites that cannot resolve parking at the zoning level are eliminated early, regardless of theoretical yield.
Early decisions over late optimization
Late-stage refinement cannot rescue fundamentally constrained sites. The framework prioritizes early clarity over downstream optimization, recognizing that eliminating weak deals often creates more value than refining marginal ones.
Screening Logic
The framework tests zoning viability, structural constraints, and envelope realism before any massing, underwriting, or diligence begins.
Sites that fail any primary structural gate are eliminated at feasibility review. Optimization and scenario testing begin only after feasibility survives first contact.
Role Boundaries
This framework operates upstream of architects, attorneys, and underwriters.
Its purpose is to determine whether deeper work is justified—not to replace formal design, legal interpretation, or financial modeling.
Structural risks are surfaced early, framed clearly, and escalated only when additional analysis is warranted.
In many cases, the most valuable outcome is an informed stop decision.
How Judgment Is Formed
Judgment develops through repeated exposure to zoning constraints, bulk limitations, and site-specific edge cases across New York City.
Patterns emerge through screening volume rather than isolated analysis, enabling faster and more consistent identification of failure modes.
Continuous Refinement
The framework evolves as additional sites are screened and outcomes are observed. Each eliminated site sharpens judgment and improves signal clarity over time.
This framework governs early-stage feasibility decisions only and intentionally precedes downstream analysis.
Its purpose is early clarity — filtering sites before capital, time, or analytical effort is committed.