Site Development Associate

Hanover Company stands among the most active private real estate companies in the United States, specializing in the development and construction of high quality multifamily residential and industrial properties nationwide. With over forty years' experience and an award-winning portfolio of residential high-rise, mid-rise, mixed use and suburban projects, Hanover is focused on strategic growth in major markets across the United States. Target industrial markets include California, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.

As of January 2025, Hanover has 12 projects in its industrial development pipeline totaling 6.5 million square feet, with a total project capitalization of $946.1 million. Of those 12 projects, Hanover is under construction on 2 projects totaling 869K square feet, with a total project capitalization of $132.6 million. Hanover is currently pursuing an additional 17 industrial projects totaling 10.5 million SF, with a total project capitalization of $1.4 billion.

The Site Development Associate, located in Hanover’s Bethesda, MD office, will report to the Regional Development Partner and be part of the team responsible for assessing the viability of new development sites, due diligence on land acquisitions and land use approvals & entitlements. Additional areas of responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Site Feasibility/Layout: Review jurisdictional zoning and code requirements and guidelines. Work with consultants to develop site plans that fall within guidelines and that balance functionality with maximum site coverage.
• Environmental: Collaborate with the development team and external consultants to: 1) review public data and environmental studies to characterize environmental risk of potential land acquisitions; 2) develop strategies to assume environmental obligations if warranted; 3) underwrite cost of solutions and bracket the cost of risk; 4) balance creative solutions with risk; and 5) negotiate work plans and prescriptive or protective agreements.
• Securing Deals: Participate in buyer interviews providing important perspective on Hanover’s understanding of the site challenges and ways to tackle them.
• Relationships: Develop and maintain strong external relationships that are beneficial for cooperation and problem-solving during design and entitlement. These include municipal and agency staff, consultants, and attorneys.
• Land Acquisition:
  • Manage the due diligence process, coordinating both internal and external resources.
  • Identify issues/risks and propose mitigations and solutions.
  • Determine feasibility of desired development by assessing the following: governing agency requirements; required municipal approvals; environmental conditions; utility service availability; fees; geotechnical investigations; natural and cultural resource impacts; required offsite improvements; right-of-way issues; traffic impacts; mass grading and significant site issue evaluations; drainage plans; planning and zoning classification; survey, title; other relevant information.
  • Work with development team members to develop anticipated project schedules – from entitlement to construction completion, including detailed permitting process.
  • Develop project pre-development budgets.
  • Provide content for investment committee meetings.
• Entitlements: Support and assist Development Partner in the entitlement process for new land acquisitions. Responsibilities include:
  • Consultant negotiations and contracting - level and type of studies, concessions and conditions.
  • Manage architects and civil engineers (under direction of the Development Partner) through application process, as well as environmental engineers, geotechnical engineers and the rest of the consultant team.
  • Review civil engineering submissions for quality assurance and control.
  • Work with the development team to address design concerns.
  • Assist in interface with municipal staff. Promote the Company as a positive corporate citizen.
  • Assist in preparation and presentation to planning commissions / municipal boards.
  • Participate in community outreach/meetings where appropriate
  • Maintain project entitlement schedules
  • Be an office leader in staying on top of regulatory or municipal changes, trends and events that could affect our projects or pursuits
• Support the Design Process: Work with engineers and architects to ensure any relevant entitlement commitments are incorporated into the building design.
• Proposal (RFP) Responses: Work with the leasing and project management teams to respond to tenant RFPs, ensuring the intended use is in line with entitlements

Requirements:

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience required. Experience in an industrial real estate environment strongly desired.
  • Relevant work experience as a civil engineer, an entitlement associate, a landscape architect or a planning associate.
  • Knowledge of state environmental regulations.
  • Civil site experience in Pennsylvania or New Jersey preferred.
  • Ability to support entitlement efforts for land use approvals pursuant to compliance with zoning regulations and ownership requirements.
• BS degree in civil or environmental engineering, architecture, planning, urban planning, or directly related field.
• Professional Engineer certification preferred.
• Possess strong initiative and effective organizational skills.
• Creative and enthusiastic approach to solving issues.
• Attention to detail, and ability to multitask and prioritize workload.
• Ability to establish and maintain relationships and interact with various levels of professionals inside and outside of the company.
• Proficient working with MS Office Suite to include Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Hanover Company offers competitive salaries, upward mobility, and a robust benefits program which includes 401(k) with company match, company-paid medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance plans, and flexible spending accounts.