#57 CHOOSING THE LAND* #1 (revised 6/4) "find the rabbit"

For the others, selecting the property for green garden gates will be meticulous and straight forward. The checklist is thorough and the search could be narrowed quickly.

Nick had another task, a process that he used over the years that never let him down in choosing land for a business. He walked the land many times, in the dead of night, at rush hour, during shopping times, and on the weekends. He listened for sounds that could disturb his gardeners as they picked flowers from the outdoor tables. He felt the direction of the wind moving across the property, he watched the path of the sun as it would be traveling on the business day. He dug at the soil. He smelled the air for unpleasant odors that would cause his gardeners to hesitate in visiting green garden gates.

Nick wanted the store to mirror the atmosphere of a backyard, the peace and solemnity that his gardeners yearned for in their private worlds. These unnoticed details, these potential “rabbits” could only be discovered by standing quietly, silently on the land.

The four had little time to get settled in their new home in Tulsa. The exploration for the perfect property site needed to begin immediately.

First, they looked for more talent. In keeping with their plan of hiring local, an attorney, with a longstanding presence in the Tulsa area, was interviewed and retained. An accountant was hired who was familiar with Oklahoma laws and who possessed the technology used at green garden gates for data communication and management. The four also brought into their group, a Tulsa area real estate company specializing commercial properties as well as a consultant in land use and zoning laws for the area.

They split up and scattered in all directions in and around the city of Tulsa dragging with them the commercial property experts familiar with the plans and needs of green garden gates. After four days of running the wheels off the Plymouths, they settled on five locations as possibilities. Again, the checklist that Nick had developed long ago in his notebook proved essential to making the correct choice for the store. They gathered each evening, went down the checklist and narrowed their search, driving back again and again to the location to find the “rabbit” that was hiding which, if not discovered, would haunt them forever.

During the years when Nick volunteered in making zoning decisions for his town, he would remind new members of that group about the rabbit and their responsibility to find the rabbit.

“When builders and land developers come before us to get a zone change on land, there will be a rabbit that they will try to hide, some problem that could cause harm to the surrounding neighborhood or to new owners of the property. The rabbit will always be buried neatly out of sight in the pretty pictures and fancy words. It is our job to find the rabbit and fix it before it is too late”

Eight days after their plane landed in Tulsa, the four completed the checklist and decided on the property. It was a 2.5 acre parcel located on the outskirts of the eastern border of the City of Tulsa near the rapidly expanding residential suburbs of Broken Arrow, Owasso, and Catoosa, Oklahoma.

Describe the current condition of the property.

Land that is free of buildings and other structures is ideal for new business development. The costs of removal and reclamation can be extremely costly. There is a tendency to find value in buildings that are already on the site, but soon those structures become a liability and will be removed for additional open space or further development of the business. Look for open vacant land.

These 2.5 acres are part of a large older farming business that is currently operating. The farm owners plan to retain the farming business, but placed for sale the front part of the property located on a frontage road which is being commercially developed. There is a small hay barn on the northwest corner of the parcel. The area is fenced in barbed wire, part of the entire acreage that is fenced. There is an active and licensed well on the parcel drilled to about 100 feet and yielding high quality drinking and irrigation water free of iron or other minerals. The land is entirely grazing pasture at the present.

A property must have these vital elements for VALUE.

V An outstanding and appealing visibility for our customers.

A An easy no hassle access to our store

L A location near the gardeners and on the shopping path with other businesses

U Using the property wisely

E Purchasing the property as economical as possible

Without question, these features of a business property are the crucial issues in locating a garden store business. At the least, if you are lucky, a bad choice will only severely limit the opportunities for growth. But the odds are overwhelming that with an excessive money investment, poor access, bad visibility a remote location, and wasting the use of the property, you will fail big time very soon after the doors are open. Be honest with yourself. Don’t make excuses. If you do not have this VALUE, walk away.

V A L U E

L means Location

Is the property located near a commercial retail shopping area as well as the major residential areas of the City of Tulsa and Tulsa County?

The site is on the eastern borders of the city of Tulsa. This eastern area can be described as having the majority of higher income residential properties. The suburb is Broken Arrow; a fast growing high end community is located minutes away from the site. Additional emerging suburbs as well as manufacturing and industrial businesses are very close. The site, which was until recently mostly farmland, is on an emerging corridor of retail businesses, governmental buildings, entertainment venues, schools and religious institutions.

Near the site is a new Lowes home improvement center and a large furniture store. A new post office is slated for development within the next 18 months in this corridor. A combination middle school and high school is located near the site. A large non denominational “mega church” with a 1000 vehicle parking area is on the property to the immediate south and bordering directly on the land. A new Edwards Cineplex movie theater is within a half mile from the property. There are additional numerous parcels of farmland scattered in and around this commercial corridor.