Pre-Purchase/Lease Due Diligence

AES provides turnkey Pre-purchase Due Diligence services to help you determine the true value of your assets and to protect the value of your investment.  From a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), Phase II ESA or Baseline Environmental Site Assessment (BEA) to a Wetland Assessment or Geotechnical Investigation, AES is able to assess the current environmental or subsurface condition of vacant land, single and multi-family residential development sites, commercial retail locations and office or industrial properties.  AES can also work proactively with your lender to determine the lenders specific due diligence requirements and preparing reports in accordance with their preferred format.

Site Evaluation and Selection

AES provides comprehensive pre-acquisition and pre-development due diligence services including: (1) review of current and master planned zoning; (2) availability, location and capacity of municipal utilities; (3) review of available topographic data, USDA Soils and FEMA flood plain maps and aerial photographs; (4) review of woodlands and wetlands data and the applicability of municipal specific ordinances; (5) environmental due diligence; (6) availability of Brownfield financing and tax credits; and (7) demographic studies.

Brownfield Redevelopment

AES provides comprehensive Brownfield Redevelopment services to help you turn a contaminated, blighted or obsolete property into another successful project.  From initial Due Diligence through Brownfield Plan preparation and project completion, AES provides a single source of expertise to move your project through the re-development process and the knowledge to help you take advantage of available funding and tax credit programs, including but limited to, tax increment financing (TIF), Brownfield single business tax (SBT) credits, State of Michigan Grants and Loans, USEPA Revolving Loan Funds (RLF), Neighborhood Enterprise Zones (NEZ), Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act (OPRA) and other programs.

Site Investigation and Closure

AES provides comprehensive Site Investigation and Closure services to owners/operators and/or other parties seeking to identify, define and close contaminated sites.  AES staff has extensive experience investigating sites of soil and groundwater contamination, preparing Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA) closure reports and with actual site remediation operations, should remediation be a necessary part of the closure process.

Site Acquisition Consultation

AES provides comprehensive Site Acquisition Consultation to developers, real estate brokers, financial institutions, legal professionals and individual investors to assist in the pre-acquisition due diligence process.  AES staff can provide a wide range of expertise including environmental knowledge relating to specific business operations, convey geographic specific environmental knowledge and manage issues related to business risk.

Rezoning Application Preparation and Submittal

AES provides re-zoning application preparation and submittal services related to the re-zoning of real property.  AES can represent the client during the informal and formal re-zoning process by meeting with municipal officials, reviewing current and master plan zoning ordinances and maps, and preparing a detailed submittal package in accordance with the municipality’s specific requirements.

Entitlement Process Management

AES provides comprehensive entitlement process management services to clients in order to allow them to more effectively use their resources.  AES can work with a your current architect, engineer, planner and surveyor to ensure a smoother development process or can request, obtain and review bids from several sources for each service and orchestrate the different service providers to ensure that documents and services are being prepared and submitted as required to move the project forward.

Community Impact Studies

As the impact of proposed development projects becomes more scrutinized by effected host communities, many local governments are increasingly requiring Community Impact Studies (CIS) as an integral component of all Planned Unit Development (PUD) approvals. The requirements for CIS studies are typically an integral part of the municipal code and approval process. A CIS is typically a summary of the current condition(s) of the proposed development site and the surrounding community and how the contemplated development will impact the site and the surrounding community. A typical CIS will address such topics as (1) performing a Cultural Features Survey/Analysis; (2) performing a Noise Survey to determine base levels and the estimated noise levels to be generated by the proposed development; (3) Surface Water Hydrology issues including storm water, floodplain, wetlands, surface water bodies, etc.; (4) review and summary of third party reports (engineering drawings, environmental reports, wetland studies, land surveys, architectural drawings, traffic studies, etc.); (5) and summaries of municipal and governmental agency records, an evaluation of generally available information pertaining to site conditions, site topography/existing features (USGS Map and Aerial Photographs), soils (USDA Soils Map), wetlands (National Wetland Inventory Map and municipal wetland maps), floodplains (FEMA), woodlands (municipal maps), and obvious environmental conditions; (6) a review of available information pertaining to existing and available utilities, including sanitary sewer, storm sewer, municipal water, and other available public utilities and the projects impact thereon; (7) a general review of the zoning, planning, and setback requirements that are applicable to the subject site; and (8) a Financial Impact Study determining the current level of revenue generation from the existing property and improvements verses the fully completed development improvements.

AES’s staff of experts works with the developer and entire development team to understand the overall scope of the proposed project and its impact to the local community. AES assists the developer and overall development team with communicating that vision to the local community and its planning and legal representation through the preparation of the CIS and meetings and presentations with planning and zoning staff and boards as well as presentations before council or trustee boards.

Compliance Audit & Management

AES provides comprehensive Compliance Audit and Management services to a wide array of clients.  AES staff can provide professional consultation and evaluation services, as well as comprehensive compliance audits and prepare permit applications.  From asbestos and lead based paint surveys to pollution incident prevention plans (PIPs), industrial storm water permit applications (ISWP) and national pollution discharge elimination system (NPDES) permits, AES can help you leverage your time and streamline your process.