A Beginner’s Guide to Wetlands: What They Are, Why They Matter and How They Could Affect Your Next Property Deal

June 12, 2025

Curated for Developers, Investors and Landowners with Vision

When evaluating land for purchase or development, most buyers know to ask about zoning, location, utilities or road access. Too often, one major factor is overlooked until it’s too late. Wetlands. These critical ecosystems have the power to shape your deal’s timeline, budget and long-term potential. Yet, for many, they remain misunderstood, under-researched and improperly assessed.


What Are Wetlands?


So, what exactly is a wetland? Despite their reputation as “swampy” or unbuildable areas, wetlands come in many forms. They’re essentially transitional zones between dry land and water. Some are seasonally saturated, while others hold standing water year-round. They can appear as dense, green marshes or forested floodplains. You might walk across some without even realizing their environmental classification. The key identifiers are water presence, soil composition and specific types of vegetation adapted to these moist conditions.


Why Do Wetlands Matter?


Wetland areas serve as nature’s filtration systems, absorbing excess rainwater, purifying runoff and acting as buffers against erosion and flooding. For commercial real estate professionals, that translates into real implications. If your property includes or borders a wetland, development can be restricted. You may be required to go through a wetland delineation survey or seek federal permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before proceeding. That’s not a box to check after you close a deal. It needs to be considered in the early due diligence stages.


I’ve had numerous clients come to me for help after they purchased land, only to discover it was impacted by wetlands. One of the most common misconceptions is confusing wetlands with floodplains, or assuming wetlands only exist in marshy, swamp-like areas. If the land looks dry and walkable, and it’s not in a floodplain, many buyers assume they’re in the clear. But that assumption can be costly. Wetlands can trigger tens of thousands of dollars in unexpected impact fees and permitting requirements. If you paid market value but later find out the land has limited development potential due to wetland restrictions, you could be left holding a submarket opportunity.


While these issues are especially relevant for large-scale commercial development, they also apply to anyone dreaming of building a home or family estate. Failing to account for wetlands early in the process can derail your site plan and leave you tangled in a frustrating web of government oversight and design limitations. That’s why having the right team of professionals by your side who understand these elements is key to the success of your project. It will protect your investment and find any hidden issues before it’s too late.


That’s exactly why I’m launching this blog series: to help real estate professionals, business owners, developers and investors like you ask better questions, mitigate risk and see every acre of opportunity with more certainty. Even if development is still possible, timelines and costs can change dramatically. You could face months of environmental review, mitigation plans and permitting fees that alter your project scope entirely. That doesn’t mean wetlands are always a downside. In some cases, they increase the ecological value of your property and even open the door to conservation incentives, tax credits or specialized investment strategies like mitigation banking. But, understanding that value and how to position it requires expert insight and planning. As a Realtor who works frequently with landowners, investors and developers, I’ve seen how wetlands can either surprise or serve, depending on the clarity and confidence you bring into the process.


How Wetlands Can Impact Your Property or Project


At last, how could wetlands affect your deal?


1. Development Restrictions

If a portion of your land is classified as a federally protected wetland, development may be restricted or require permitting through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Skipping this step could result in costly consequences. There are jurisdictional and non-jurisdictional wetlands, and they are not handled the same. Misunderstanding the impact your wetlands may have can completely undermine your development plan.


2. Delays & Costs

Wetland delineation surveys and mitigation plans take time. Failing to account for them early can delay your project by months and significantly increase costs. As clients or agents begin exploring a potential land purchase, I walk them through a step-by-step process to help assess potential wetland impacts and make informed decisions about land purchases. It begins with a desktop analysis, where we review available data and mapping resources to flag any immediate concerns. Next is an on-site analysis to evaluate physical characteristics of the property. If warranted, I'll bring in a wetland specialist for a preliminary assessment to determine whether a formal report is needed.


When necessary, a full wetlands report is commissioned to document findings in detail. Only after these foundational steps will I guide clients through the submission process to the USACE. Between the last two steps, there may also be project-specific requirements, such as site planning or municipal permitting, which we'll navigate based on the unique needs of the property and development goals. This hands-on process allows me to support clients and agents early in their due diligence, avoiding surprises and setting their projects up for long-term success.


The first three steps, desktop analysis, on-site evaluation and a preliminary specialist review, typically take under a week. Step four, if a formal wetlands report is needed, can take a few weeks to a few months, depending on the site. Step five, submitting to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, can extend the timeline significantly, with permitting taking at least three months and sometimes up to a year.


3. Marketability

While some investors shy away from wetlands, others see opportunity through eco-tourism or preservation grants. With the right knowledge and partnerships, wetlands can be repositioned as an asset, not a liability. Ultimately, the feasibility is answered in the pro forma. For example, if you’re building a home site or subdivision and the margins are small and the typical land price is low, then there is little room for mitigation costs. On the other hand, in the commercial sector, if you’re able to purchase land that contains wetlands due to a manageable watershed issue and address that through engineered rerouting, your strategic investment can yield the same development opportunity at a better price point, allowing you to come out ahead.


💬 Let’s Discuss:


So, how do you know if wetlands might be part of your property or project? Have you walked on land that felt soft to stand on? Has your property held standing water during certain seasons or featured dense vegetation in dips and hollows? Would you know if those are signs to pause for further investigation or a low-lying patch that dries up later?


I’d love to hear your take. Share your experience in the comments. Have wetlands ever played a role in your real estate deals, for better or worse? What questions do you still have? If you have a horror story, share it and let others learn from the mistakes we’ve made. If you have questions about a property that you own or one you are looking to purchase, reach out. Let’s see where we can help clarify your concerns and answer your questions.

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The New Orleans Industrial Market: Stable Today, Positioned for What’s Next

April 10, 2026
Download UNO Real Estate Market Analysis for New Orleans & Northshore Region for a deeper, data-driven breakdown of these trends. If you’re paying attention to industrial real estate in the Greater New Orleans region, you’re looking at a market that rewards patience, understanding and timing. On the surface, things feel flat. But in this market, flat doesn’t mean weak. It means stable, predictable and quietly setting up for what’s coming next. The fundamentals are intact. The demand base is consistent. And more importantly, there are real catalysts on the horizon that will shape the next decade of growth. A Flat Market That’s Doing Exactly What It Should The latest analysis from the University of New Orleans describes the industrial market as flat, and that’s accurate. Availability is sitting around 3.69 million square feet, right in line with historical averages. Leasing activity is steady. Absorption is consistent. This isn’t a market that spikes or crashes. It moves with purpose. A big reason for that stability is the type of tenant base we serve. This is a working industrial market tied heavily to maritime, logistics, petrochemical and agricultural operations. These aren’t trend-driven users. They’re infrastructure-driven businesses that don’t disappear when the broader economy shifts. That consistency is what keeps this market grounded. Rents Are Holding, and That Matters We’re not seeing major swings in rental rates, and that’s a good thing. Distribution space is still trading between $3.00 and $8.00 per square foot, with most deals clustering around the mid-$4 range. Service center space in key submarkets like Elmwood and along the River Parishes continues to command stronger numbers in the $8.00 to $10.00 range. Where things get interesting is newer product. There’s very little of it, and the market is responding accordingly. Modern industrial space is pushing into the $8.50 to $12.00 range, and in many cases, it’s justified. Most of our inventory is 30+ years old. So, when quality, well-located product hits the market, it stands out immediately. The Louisiana International Terminal Will Change the Conversation If you’re thinking long-term, this is the project to understand. The Louisiana International Terminal in St. Bernard Parish is a $1.8 billion investment that will fundamentally reshape how this region competes in global trade. Built on 1,100 acres in Violet, this is a true deep-draft, next-generation container facility backed by the Port of New Orleans and global operators. The timeline stretches from 2028 to 2031, but the impact starts well before that. You’re looking at tens of thousands of jobs, billions in economic output and, most relevant to us, a wave of industrial demand that will follow. Distribution users, logistics operators, service providers… they all come downstream of infrastructure like this. This is not speculative. This is inevitable. Infrastructure Is Quietly Being Put in Place Right Now At the same time, the state is making targeted investments through the FastSites program, and this is where I’d encourage clients to pay close attention. Four of those sites are right here in our region: Avondale Global Gateway (Jefferson Parish) Esperanza (St. Charles Parish) Naval Support Activity / Newlab (Orleans Parish) Gulf South Commerce Park (St. Tammany Parish) These aren’t just land plays. These are sites being actively prepared with infrastructure — roads, utilities, access — to attract real users. If you’re thinking about where the next wave of development lands, this is where you start. What’s Actually Available Today There are a couple of opportunities in the market right now that reflect where things are headed. The former Southern Glazer facility in St. Rose offers up to 240,000 square feet of modern distribution space with strong access to MSY and the interstate system. That kind of scale, with that location, doesn’t come available often. In Luling, we’re seeing something we haven’t seen in over 20 years: true speculative industrial development. The Luling Business Park is bringing new product online with flexibility, expansion potential and no build-to-suit delays. That matters for users who need to move now, not 12–18 months from now. How I’d Think About This Market Right Now This isn’t a market you chase. It’s one you position yourself within. If you’re a business owner, this is a window to secure the right facility before the next wave of demand tightens things up. If you’re an investor, this is about getting ahead of infrastructure-driven growth, not reacting to it after the fact. The New Orleans industrial market has always been relationship-driven, infrastructure-driven and long-cycle in nature. That hasn’t changed. What’s changing is the scale of what’s coming, and that’s where the opportunity sits. If you want to walk through how this applies to your business or your investment strategy, I’m happy to have that conversation. Bradley Cook, MS, CCIM Stirling bcook@stirlingprop.com

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