26B — December 22 - January 12, 2018 — Owners, Developers & Managers — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
O wners , D evelopers & M anagers By Dan Caldwell, Stout & Caldwell Engineers, LLC AN ALTA SURVEY What is it and why does it matter?
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mits, can be the longest permit item leading up to the final approvals to allow contractors to mobilize and begin construc- tion. Should you need any as- sistance on stormwater issues either at individual sites or at development and redevelop- ment sites, we are glad to assist, throughout PA and NJ. Gary Brown, P.E., RT’s president, is helping by tak- ing on more stormwater as- signments, which frequently involve expert testimony work. He has also presented five stormwater seminars this year in King of Prussia, Har- risburg, Pittsburgh, Ohio, and Virginia. Justin Lauterbach, ALTA fieldwork must detail the any lines of possession along the property’s perimeter as well as walls, fences and other improvements within five feet of each side of the boundary. All buildings must be cited as well as evidence of any above and/or belowground easements or servitudes bur- dening the surveyed property. Other inclusions are the nota- the standards set forth and information discovered. AT-A-GLANCE: Minimum Standard of Per- formance for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys (2016) Records Research – The first component to any ALTA survey is the pre-survey gath- ering of extensive county/ municipal public and private records. Key in the discovery is the title commitment and current record description of the property to be surveyed or its parent parcel. Survey- ors will also collect record descriptions of any property adjoiners, easements ben- efitting and/or burdening the property and any unrecorded documents affecting the land. Fieldwork – On the ground fieldwork is performed based on the planned or existing use of the property being surveyed as defined by the client, lender or insurer. The detailed survey will include location, size, character and type of any monuments as well as boundary control lines. It will also outline rights of way and access, including dis- tances, street names, curbs, driveways, visible footpaths, waterways and any such ac- cess points of adjourning prop- erties.
Q.E.P., RT’s VP, joined Gary in the PA Chamber of Busi- ness and Industry seminar in Pittsburgh. Consultation is also being provided on storm- water permitting issues and regulations to the PA Asphalt Pavement Association (PAPA). Gary was also recently elected as Vice Chairman of PAPA’s Environmental Committee. Each stormwater project tends to be unique, but RT’s staff has experience with stormwater projects since 1973. We can frequently help get projects moving and find reasonable, cost effective solu- tions to stormwater engineer- ing and evaluation needs. n Clearly, this is a lot of de- tail – akin to the ALTA survey itself. So when faced with the question… “Do I need an ALTA or will a boundary survey alone suffice?” It is best to speak with a professional licensed surveyor and the proposed tion of cemeteries and water features. Plat or Map – All ALTA surveys are required to have the preparation of a plat or map, which illustrates details from both the records research and fieldwork efforts based on the planned or existing use of the property. This document is designed to show evidence and locations gathered, including monuments and lines; bound- ary, descriptions, dimensions and closures; and, easements, servitudes, rights of way and other visible access points. Once complete, the plat or map is certified by the profes- sional surveyor with their name, signature and registra- tion/license number seal Additional Options – From time to time, clients and/or lenders may request addi- tional survey responsibilities and specifications to be part of the final deliverables. These options include monuments placed at all major corners of the boundary of the property, address(es) of the surveyed site, flood zone details and gross land area. It can also encompass vertical relief in- formation, zoning report(s), building height and exterior dimensions, parking spaces, utilities markers, wetlands delineation and other sub- stantial features observed in the process of conducting the fieldwork.
lender. Together they will be able to provide the guidance and recommendation to keep the project moving forward. Dan Caldwell is principal at Stout &Caldwell, LLC. n Boyle & staff help Puerto Rico
imply defined, an ALTA survey is a boundary survey plus a lot more
~ one that adheres to a set of mini- mum stan- dards estab- lished by the Am e r i c a n Land Title Association (ALTA) and
Dan Caldwell
conservation districts tend to work more closely with DEP, to make sure that stormwater issues are carefully addressed, on a site by site basis. Munici- pal engineers are frequently calling for more Best Manage- ment practices at individual sites as well. We at RT welcome opportuni- ties to work with clients devel- oping and redeveloping sites throughout our service area. We stay abreast of requirements for individual and general permits, as stormwater approvals more frequently are the critical path item, and, approvals, including right of way approvals and per- With that purpose in mind, the ALTA survey expands be- yond a standard state-dictated boundary survey and requires surveyors collect and docu- ment data from a combina- tion of records and fieldwork that support the needs of title companies and real prop- erty insurance requirements. These more detailed survey standards are national and include a multi-part, multi-di- mensional process. The result is a survey in which clients, insurers, insureds and lenders can be ensured uniformity, completeness and accuracy of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) in order to overcome the inherent fact that in to- day’s US land tenure system, there is no guarantee of own- ership of real property. A deed alone is only evidence that it might be owned. That’s when title insurance comes into play. Since a bank will not lend money to purchase or develop real property unless it is provided a title policy to insure its investment, the ALTA was designed to estab- lish “a level of standards that all parties in the commercial transaction are ensured a common standard.”
Before and After
study above. Here Greenhill Management installed a CHP fromMarathon, a quality CHP manufacturer, in one of their multifamily buildings. Mike Walsh of Greenhill Manage- ment is quoted as follows: “After experiencing initial problems of getting the CHP system up-and-running, I was left questioning whether I had made the right choice in in- stalling this system. However, Marathon returned to make the needed tweaks and correct all of the mechanical hiccups. I am now very pleased with the performance and low mainte- nance costs of this CHP unit. Both the manufacturer and the installer addressed all of my concerns. After a period of one year, I can say that I am optimistic about realizing the anticipated returns for this installation.” Here Marathan, instead of playing the disap- pearing act, addressed the needed repairs and adjust- ments promptly and the CHP installation is now running as originally intended. CHP offer great solutions, but the smart move is some education before jumping CHP pond. n Betancourt is continuing his fundraising efforts, raising further donations and sending supplies to the Arecibo com- munity. We are proud Jimmy is a member of our Boyle Con- struction family. n batteries, and water purify- ing tablets, and Boyle owner, Sean Boyle , then matched employee monetary donations. Betancourt also reached out to a local church to offer assistance to those in Arecibo most in need.
electric power source. However, that is not what happened here. Even with the first round of disasters, including inferior equipment and poor mainte- nance, the cost benefits of CHP were clearly demonstrated on the first try. So this building decided on round two for a second CHP. This second time around, the lessons learned from the first try were put to good use. For its second try, the building identified a proven manufacturer – Tecogen – which not only offered qual- ity equipment and a service contract that works, but has its own proven track record. Benjamin Locke of Tecogen is quoted as follows: “ Our CHP customers consistently experi- ence dramatic savings in their utility bills. It’s not uncommon for a project to pay for itself in three to four years, including the cost of the service contract. Importantly, proper service can keep the equipment in good working order for many years with the result that our proj- ects tend to pay for themselves many times over.” The second case study starts out with “round two” of the case LEHIGH VALLEY, PA — Boyle Construction’s Jimmy Betancourt has re- turned from a two-week trip to Arecibo, Puerto Rico, where he assisted his family and friends in the region with clean up after Hurricane Ma- ria. Betancourt did not travel to Puerto Rico empty handed. He took with him over $5,000 in donations from the Boyle Construction family. Boyle employees donated cash and supplies, such as flashlights,
continued from page 24B Combined Heat and Power – Round 2 . . .
continued from page 18B Stormwater Management Gets Attention . . .
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