Buy. Lease. Build.

By: Fran Hug

You plan to buy a building, lease space, or build a building for your business. The City of Topeka teams will facilitate development of your project in a manner that results with you opening your doors to the public in a building or space that meet your needs and expectations, is safe, healthy and a benefit to the welfare of our community.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

• Create a business plan that includes ideas for when, where and how you’ll grow your business from that special idea to finding and developing space for your business with budgets for costs related to development and operations of your business, financial needs, financial resources, and timelines.

• Collect photos of what you want your business to physically look like.

• Accumulate ideas that help you evaluate whether your business will be located within a hard-walled tenant space, your own existing building, or maybe result in design and construction of a new building.

• Ask yourself, “What conditions may drive my decisions about my business development and potential physical location?” For example: Will the locations I’m considering generate the level of traffic and patronage access I want?

City of Topeka staff representatives of multiple departments team up to provide assistance and customer service to you. We can offer helpful suggestions, answer questions, and share information to assist you with understanding City standards, requirements, and processes, as well as providing clarifications of planning regulations, building, fire, mechanical, electrical plumbing code provisions, explanations of design standards, and information about available City initiatives.

ASK QUESTIONS

You know better than anyone what you want to do. We can assist with looking at what may impact some of your initial decisions.

Some questions common questions that we hear:

• Will the occupancy classification for my proposed use result in required alterations to an existing building or space, and what will that mean for my plans?

• Will I be required to complete any preliminary land use or planning processes before being able to even consider having my business in a particular location?

• Will my business be permitted to be in the locations I am considering—is the property “zoned” for my intended use by planning regulations?

• Is the property eligible for a zoning waiver, conditional use permit or for being “rezoned” for my use?

• Will I have to invest in contracting for preliminary design services by architects and engineers to even determine if this location will work for me?

• Does the location, building or space have what is needed for my use?

UNDERSTAND PERMITS

Locating your business within a building will usually require a commercial building permit because changes and alterations to an existing space are typically required. If your business use is considered a “change of use” for the building or space by planning regulations or building/fire/life safety codes, application for a commercial building permit is also required. Commercial spaces and buildings are categorized by our adopted building code by occupancy classifications in one or more groups based upon intended purpose, uses and operations. There are 10 basic classifications:

1. Assembly: Groups A

2. Business (including professional services): Group B

3. Educational: Group E

4. Factory and Industrial: Groups F-1 and F-2

5. High Hazard: Groups H1-H5

6. Institutional: Groups I1-I4

7. Mercantile (Retail): Group M

8. Residential (Commercial Residential): Groups R1-R4

9. Storage: Groups S1 & S2

10. Utility and Miscellaneous: Group U

PRE-APPLICATION MEETING

Before you apply for a commercial building permit, we offer a preapplication meeting for all projects that involve use of buildings, property, tenant space within buildings, and potential new building development.

TEAM APPROACH

Our teams from Public Works, Engineering, Utilities, Development Services (permits and inspections), and Planning are ready to work with you to discuss your building project and provide input on the following subjects:

• zoning requirements

• design standards

• parking requirements

• availability of utility services at the location – sewer, water, electrical, fire hydrants

• vehicle traffic and pedestrian access standards

• general local building, fire, life safety, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing code requirements

• fire sprinkler, alarm, and commercial exhaust hood requirements

• ADA accessibility design standards and requirements related to site development, parking, entry access, restroom(s), customer service counters and service areas, drinking fountain

• special requirements for proposed uses

• additional permits and service connection requirements

• potential business incentives via City opportunities, private business development programs, state, and federal

OTHER SERVICES THE CITY PROVIDES

• Checking on local zoning ordinances, licenses, regulations, building permits, building and fire codes, and ADA standards.

• City of Topeka, State of Kansas, and Federal Standards.

• Registry requirements of a business.

• Licensing of various business services are required through the City Clerk’s Office.