The Second Studio Podcast: Interview with Jason Somers

The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.

A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

This week David and Marina are joined by Jason Somers, President and Founder of Crest Real Estate to discuss the role of the building Expeditor, when an Expeditor should be used and why, how an Expeditor can help with attaining building permits, the benefits of creating property development analyses at the start of a project, and more.

Highlights & Timestamps

What does an Expeditor do? Why the title is perhaps outdated. Jason’s background. (00:00) 

There’s always been the saying, “There are two things you can’t avoid: death and taxes.” There’s really a third though, and that’s going through the permitting process. There isn’t a shortcut to any of it. There’s no magic potion you can take to just push something through the City. It’s all about putting in the front-end work so that when it does go to the City, everything is organized and prepared. […] So as long as you know all the different things that come into it, that’s the way you can speed up the process.(01:38)

The reason why it’s so complex is that the code is not one size fits all. The foundation of our company was always these very complicated residential projects in the hills of LA and you can’t really write a code that fits all these different properties because there’s not [two] properties that are the same size, same topography, or the same orientation. […] So what we’re really trying to do [in our initial services], we want to create the 3-dimensional canvas for the architect to paint within the lines. (07:45)

What projects require an Expeditor? When and why should an Expeditor be hired? The benefits of having a development analysis of a property. (11:43) (32:25)  

The Property Development Analysis will, at the front end, tell you what your allowances and restrictions are on a property, that way when you acquire a site, you have a customized code for your specific property. Many times people are buying a property and they don’t have an architect selected, so what they’ll do is take this property analysis and now each architect they want to interview is on even ground with the other architects. […] They [the architects] each have an understanding on the same consistent basis of what can be done with the property, that way they can give you an accurate vision comparatively with the others. (14:17)

Bridging law and architecture, the backgrounds and experience of Expeditors, the team at Crest Real Estate. (29:10) 

Getting a project through building permits. (36:06) 

Most projects these days are going through multiple tracks, where you have the standardized plan check process, which is going through building and safety and the planning department, and also there’s potentially a discretionary action which means there’s a voting body, whether it be a planning commission, a building and safety board of commissioners, or a design review board who are also reviewing the project. […] When the permit drawings come back out, there are always corrections. I don’t think there’s ever been a project that has had zero plan check correction regardless of the size there’s always something despite how much work and effort we put into it. (38:27)

How long does it take to do a property analysis and to get a building permit? The two different types of permits. (42:00) 

Interpreting the building code to create better designs and increase property value. (49:02) 

Expediting projects in other locations. (50:28) 

The Expeditor’s role after permits are attained. How much does an Expeditor cost? Who does and Expeditor work with most closely? (01:05:26) 

Trends in single-family residences: quality of life versus square footage. (01:14:05) 

The challenges of being an Expeditor. Common misconceptions about Expeditors. (01:20:03) 

Developing projects, the future of Crest Real Estate, mentoring employees, managing stress. (01:24:55) 

Check out The Second Studio Podcast’s previous editions.