Phoenix Commercial Real Estate Due Diligence

From drywells to fluctuating groundwater, it is important to have an environmental professional who has regional knowledge of Arizona’s unique challenges to environmental due diligence. Our Phoenix staff is familiar with the many environmental conditions that distinguish Arizona from other parts of the country. The Partner Phoenix office provides Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, Phase II Environmental testing, Property Condition Assessments, and Asbestos Surveys in support of commercial real estate transactions.

Partner provides Property Condition Assessments and Commercial Building Inspections for a wide variety of clients, including; CMBS lenders, Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac lenders, and equity clients. Most of our reports are performed to meet the standards set within ASTM E2018-08 guidelines.

Our Phoenix environmental professionals are knowledgeable of local history and agencies, such as historical fueling stations, the requirements of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and the Water Quality Assurance Fund (WQARF) through the Remedial Projects Section of ADEQ.

Partner has the experience of over 900 projects in Arizona since 2010. Some recent projects and experience that provide insight into our Arizona consulting practice include:

­­-Partner conducted Phase I Environmental Site Assessments and Property Condition Reports, including Roofing, MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing), and structural subspecialist inspections, for five medical research facilities throughout Arizona (Glendale, North Scottsdale, Peoria, and Phoenix).

-Partner completed an equity-level Property Condition Assessment (PCA), Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), and a Geotechnical Peer Review on a two-building medical campus in Phoenix, Arizona. The buildings consisted of 120,380 square feet and three stories, with an additional two-story parking garage. The Equity PCA included specialist inspectors to evaluate the structural, roofing, mechanical and elevator systems.

For more information on Partner’s Phoenix practice visit http://www.partneresi.com/city/phoenix.php

Due Diligence in San Diego

 

The Partner San Diego staff is familiar with the diverse geographical as well as the geological characteristics that are particular to San Diego. The Partner San Diego office provides Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, Phase II Environmental testing, Property Condition Assessments, and Asbestos Surveys in support of commercial real estate transactions.

In addition to providing Phase I ESAs, Partner provides Property Condition Assessments and Commercial Building Inspections for a wide variety of clients; including, CMBS lenders, Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac lenders, and equity clients. Most of our reports are performed to meet the standards set within ASTM E2018-08 guidelines.

While Partner offers Probable Maximum Loss Reports (PMLs) to every seismic zone in the United States, those that do commercial or multifamily transactions in San Diego truly understand the importance of an accurate PML report

Partner performs Phase II Environmental Testing either in support of a financing decision or to meet the requirements of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. Most of our reports are performed to meet the standards set by ASTM E1903-27(2002).

A zoning report is a necessary part of many real property transactions because the current owner is responsible for existing zoning violations. Partner’s Zoning Reports take usage regulations, San Diego and municipality provisions into consideration as well as other regulations; such as the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Some recent projects and experience that provide insight into our robust Southern California consulting practice can be found at: http://www.partneresi.com/city/san-diego.php

Environmental and Engineering Due Diligence in Los Angeles

Whether your property is located on the coast of Los Angeles or the hills, any environmental due diligence firm engaged for commercial properties in Los Angeles should fully understand the variances of these landscapes. Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. is headquartered in the Los Angeles area. The Partner Los Angeles team is experienced with multiple aspects of the environmental due diligence process, including Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, Phase II Environmental Testing, Property Condition Assessments, Probable Maximum Loss Reports, Asbestos Surveys, and Zoning services.

Los Angeles is rich in properties that are both historical and newly built. As such, it is important for anyone dealing with commercial or multifamily properties to gain an understanding of the immediate and future repairs of a property with a Property Condition Assessment. Partner is able to inspect the building’s systems and provide a table that indicates the immediate and future investments that will be required for the property.

Those that do commercial or multifamily transactions in Los Angeles truly understand the importance of an accurate Probable Maximum Loss (PML) report. A firm’s understanding of the local geology and correctly reflecting the math in a PML report is critical to the accuracy of the report. Partner offers Probable Maximum Loss Reports (PMLs) to every seismic zone in the United States, and our Los Angeles office has extensive experience with local Seismic Damageability Assessments.

Some recent projects and experience that provide insight into our robust Southern California consulting practice can be found at http://www.partneresi.com/city/los-angeles.php

Due Diligence in San Francisco

When hiring an environmental and engineering due diligence firm for properties in San Francisco, one should be sure that they are familiar with the blend of dense metropolitan areas, suburbs, and agricultural areas that make the Bay Area unique. Many clients look to environmental professionals who have an intimate working knowledge of a particular region, and The City and County of San Francisco is no exception, having a unique history in relation to other cities on the West Coast. The Partner San Francisco team excels at integrating thorough regional knowledge into the Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment, providing clients with a superior due diligence product.

The San Francisco Partner team provides Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), Phase II Environmental testing, Property Condition Reports, Asbestos Surveys, Lead Testing, and Seismic Assessments in support of local and nationwide commercial and multi-family real estate transactions. Having a firm that knows the requirements of local regulatory agencies throughout the course of a Phase I, and if necessary a Phase II, is important. Partner performs Phase II Environmental Testing either in support of a financing decision or to meet the requirements of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. Our San Francisco environmental professionals understand the highly variable geology found in the Bay Area due to plate tectonic activity as well as regulatory agencies such as the State Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC).

When engaging a firm specifically for a Probable Maximum Loss Report on commercial or multi-family property in San Francisco, it is most important that the local geology is understood and the math correctly reflected.  Partner recently completed 16 Probable Maximum Loss Reports (PMLs) on multi-family properties in San Francisco. The buildings were built in the early 1900s and had several seismic risk concerns.

More recent projects and experience that provide insight into our Northern California consulting practice can be found at http://www.partneresi.com/city/san-francisco.php

Phase I Environmental Site Assessments in California

There are multiple regulatory differences that make California unique when performing a Phase I Environmental Assessment. Having an environmental consultant who understands the details and requirements of the water, air, environmental, city, and county programs in the Golden State can ensure the environmental due diligence process for a commercial real estate property goes smoothly. Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. has extensive experience in California, with offices in San Francisco, Irvine, Corona, San Diego, including headquarters in Torrance, and wide coverage throughout the state. A few of the major statewide differences in California that can impact a Phase I ESA in the state are the following:

-The California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the California Human Health Screening Levels (CHHSLs) in 2005. The CHHSLs provide the user with a chemical specific look up table for what levels of soil gas or indoor air concentrations represent a threat to human health. CHHSLs are not intended to be regulatory numbers, but are often treated as such. CHHSLs are also famously conservative. You need an environmental consultant doing your Phase I ESA that knows how to interpret soil gas and indoor air data in relation to CHHSLs and this requires a lot of California experience.

-In most states the regulations are statewide rules with maybe some variations for cities and counties. In California, the State Water Board grants a lot of power and autonomy to the Regional Water Quality Control Boards. The regional water boards are organized generally by watershed and may split counties. Water boards may have very different regulations. For example, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board developed Environmental Screening Levels (ESLs) for soil and groundwater contamination, whereas the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board uses different screening levels including Soil Screening Levels, CHHSLs for soil-gas , and Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for groundwater.

–Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPAs) have a lot of power in California. CUPAs are city or county agencies that have been more or less deputized to handle certain regulatory functions. An example of a CUPA is the City of Los Angeles Fire Department, which oversees releases from underground storage tanks (USTs), termed leaking USTs or LUSTs. To do proper regulatory due diligence during a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment your environmental professional must understand the California CUPAs.

-The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is California’s equivalent of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment sometimes has to deal with CEQA/NEPA issues like wetlands, endangered species, and/or historical resources as additional scope items.