What land development actually is — from raw land to finished lots. The players, the project lifecycle, how to read a site (zoning, setbacks, easements, ROW, access), and the 40 terms you'll hear on every project.

Evaluate a parcel before anyone spends real money — zoning and by-right use, utility will/can-serve letters, floodplain and wetlands red flags, and rough lot/unit yield.

Boundary vs. topographic vs. ALTA surveys, how to read and trust a topo, drone/aerial mapping accuracy and deliverables, and why bad control wrecks everything downstream.

Grading fundamentals, cut/fill balance and how it drives the budget, pads, slopes, retaining and ADA, and how to read a grading plan the way the contractor will build it.

Where does the water go? Detention vs. retention vs. water quality, sizing basics, what cities require, and the common drainage mistakes that fail at inspection.

Water, sanitary, and storm; dry utilities and joint trench; connection points, capacity, and offsite improvements; and how to avoid utility conflicts in design.

The entitlement process demystified — plats, plans, and the approval sequence, working city submittals and comments, and how conditions of approval bite you later.

Staking sequence (rough, fine, as-builts), reading stakes and field markings, coordinating with the contractor, and the RFIs and documentation that protect you.

Scoping and writing proposals that win and protect you, pricing models (lump sum, hourly, per-lot, per-sheet), investor/developer coordination, risk, and building systems so it isn't all on you.