As far as the car dealership is concerned they know that it is a temporary thing and that they are willing to sign any agreement knowing full well that they most likely will have a year on the lot but a possibility of a shorter amount of time in case this thing wraps up quicker than we expect but the timeline of acquisition to entitlements with the assistance of an architect will take some time.

I am a licensed Architect in NY with many construction industry connections which lend itself to owning property.

From a construction pov, sure, but won't the city require an architect, plans, etc.?

We did the numbers prior to investing on the structural analysis and architect.

I'm not affiliated with this project in any way but as an architect who may want space to start up an architect/development company this has appeal in lowering startup costs.

Don't trust builders to ever act in your favor, get them managed or overseen by a CM or technical architect.

After deciding to build I met with my architect and engineers.

Is it cheaper for the purchaser to obtain permits or the contracting company/architect?

Especially if you will require any variances or special approvals, you can get a sense of the town's plans or sights for the future for that particular area to make sure you're not investing a lot of money in architects and engineers and lawyers if you are spinning your wheels.

I am an architect with 25 years of designing and construction experience.