Test Fit as Diligence

A test fit checks whether a site can support the program used to justify its price. It brings the parcel, zoning envelope, structural assumptions, unit mix, and parking into an early spatial test. If the assumed count does not fit, the land decision may need another look before the team commits to it.

Parking can be the binding constraint even when floor area seems available: stalls and aisles use space that might otherwise support units. Iterations can test whether a changed mix, parking layout, or other assumption recovers a workable program. More detailed inputs can narrow uncertainty, but the result remains tied to those inputs.

A test fit is due diligence, not entitlement or final yield. It identifies what deserves deeper review before acquisition and design proceed.