What a feasibility study actually tells you (and what it doesn't).

What a feasibility study is.

A feasibility study is the first structured engineering look at a piece of land. It is not a design. It is not a permit application. It is the answer to one question: can we build what we want to build here, and what's it going to take?

At Bailey, a feasibility study runs as a focused 2–3 week engagement. We pull every relevant public record about the parcel — title, zoning, comprehensive plan designation, infrastructure availability, environmental constraints, traffic context — and we cross-reference all of it against what the city is currently approving.

The output is a written report and a 60-minute working session with the team that ran the study. You walk away knowing whether to write the next check.

What a feasibility study answers.

• Buildable yield. How many lots / units / square feet can the parcel actually support, given current zoning and comp plan designation?
• Infrastructure cost. Where does water, sewer, power, and access come from? What does it cost to bring them to the parcel?
• Constraints. Floodplain, wetlands, irrigation easements, slope, soils, archaeological flags, traffic-impact thresholds.
• Approval risk. Based on recent decisions in this city, what's the realistic approval probability for this project type?
• Timeline. Which approvals are required, in what order, and how long does each typically take in this jurisdiction?
• Deal breakers. Anything that makes the project undeliverable as conceived — before you've spent a dollar on engineering.

What it doesn't answer.

A feasibility study is a screen, not a design. It will not tell you:

• Exactly how the lots will be laid out.
• What the final grading and drainage plan looks like.
• Pricing from a specific contractor or supplier.
• Pro forma assumptions — that's the developer's call, informed by our findings.
• Guaranteed approval. We give you a probability based on data, not a promise.

If you need answers in those categories, the next step after the feasibility study is preliminary design and entitlements. The feasibility study tells you whether to take that step.

What it costs.

Bailey scopes feasibility studies as a fixed-fee engagement. Pricing varies by parcel size, complexity, and city. Contact us for a quote — most studies fall in a tight range that we'll share on the intake call.

How long it takes.

From the moment we get the parcel address to the moment we hand you a written report and walk you through it: 2–3 weeks for most parcels. Complex sites with unusual environmental or jurisdictional issues can stretch to 4 weeks. We'll tell you which bucket you're in on the intake call.

Common questions.

Do I need a feasibility study if I'm already under contract?

That's actually the most common time to run one. The inspection period is your last clean window to walk away. Spending 2–3 weeks and a fixed fee on a defensible engineering opinion is the cheapest insurance in land development.

Can a feasibility study tell me if my project will get approved?

It can give you a realistic probability based on what the city has been approving. It cannot guarantee an outcome — no engineer can. But it will tell you which risks to address before they show up as agency comments.

Is a feasibility study the same as due diligence?

Engineering due diligence is a piece of the broader due diligence puzzle that includes title, environmental, market, and financial work. A Bailey feasibility study is the engineering and entitlement piece. Pair it with your title and Phase I environmental work for full coverage.

What if the answer is no?

Then you've spent the cheapest fee in the deal to learn the most expensive lesson early. We'd rather tell you a clean no in week three than watch you spend six months on engineering that doesn't deliver.

Who runs the study at Bailey?

A licensed civil engineer leads every study, supported by our planning and research team. The team that runs the study is the team that delivers the debrief — no handoffs.