Monday, February 06, 2012
Summit East project on a fast track
Claude Walker can look out his window at Summit East and daily watch the construction of the latest office building, and even he can't believe the pace.
"It's unbelievable how fast this thing is moving, because on Jan. 3 there was nothing out there but a concrete pad," said Walker, CEO of the 117-acre office park on Mahan Drive east of Interstate 10.
Now, all the steel is up, the second floor has been poured and workers are installing roof panels. "It's just amazing that it can happen this fast," Walker said.
The design-build project to construct the two-story office building of 40,000 square feet has to be finished by July 1, and the timeframe for the primary tenant, First American Title Insurance Co., dictated the speed.
How to accomplish it was the question.
Builder Mad Dog Construction is working with Dodstone Group Architects, engineering firm Moore Bass Consulting and the city of Tallahassee in a collaboration that the project team members say proves that things can get done quickly.
"We have been involved in fast-track jobs before and I have been, especially, but this is the quickest we have done one," said Shawn Roberts, Mad Dog's senior project manager. Feb. 1 was Day 105 on the schedule and also was the day the team gathered for a topping off party, signifying the building's roof was in place.
"It can be done when you get everybody moving in the same direction, and that's what Shawn has been able to do," Walker said.
Not every project goes so smoothly, Developers and builders often complain about the time it takes for plan reviews and permit approvals, and making sure all the city's requirements are met.
The city, however, offers an expedited building permit application review for an extra fee, and there's a fast-track schedule for zoning and environmental reviews.
Roberts said the project team members met early on with the city's Growth Management Department to outline their plans and find out what it would take to meet the time constraints.
The department was able to provide the required environmental permit within 21 days of submission of the project's site plan. In addition, the Building Department worked with Mad Dog in phased permitting, which allowed construction of the foundation to begin while the rest of the design documents were still being developed and submitted for review. Roberts said that reduced the waiting time substantially.
"I think really the secret is the communication between the designer, the contractor and the city," said Dale Baker, the city's building official. "Getting the right information up front is critical."
The Growth Management Department began more than a year ago to speed up its response time and is able to give an initial response to a permit application in as little as seven days.
Karen Jumonville, director of the Growth Management Department, said the project illustrates how teamwork between a permit applicant and city staff can facilitate project review and permit approval.
"The applicant requested a quick review and did their part by providing permitting documentation in a timely manner," she said. "City staff conducted an expedited review, the applicant quickly responded to our comments and the permit was issued within nine working days from the date of application."
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