Open the appStep-by-step guide
From a parcel to a credible proposal
PencilOut walks a small developer through the whole predevelopment workflow. Here’s the full path, step by step.
1. Create a project & anchor the site
What you do
Go to Projects → New. Search Milwaukee parcels by address or TAXKEY and add one or more — assemble multiple lots into a single site if your deal spans parcels. Pick a project type (multifamily, mixed-use, commercial, adaptive reuse).
What you get
A project anchored to real parcel geometry, with the aggregated site area and zoning district shown on a satellite map.
2. Upload your documents
What you do
Open the project's Documents tab and drop in your project files — the RFP packet, design guidelines, title work, surveys. PDFs and DOCX up to 10 MB each.
What you get
Each document is extracted, chunked, embedded, and indexed in seconds. When it shows “Ready,” it’s searchable. (Scanned, image-only PDFs can’t be read — use a text PDF.)
3. Ask what you can build
What you do
Open Land Use and ask a zoning question in plain English, e.g. “Is mixed-use permitted on this parcel, and what design requirements apply?”
What you get
A cited answer that draws from two layers: the City Code Library (the platform’s Milwaukee zoning corpus) and your own uploaded Project Documents — each claim carries a source badge you can click to see the quote and page. Anything unsupported is flagged, not invented.
4. Track the deadlines that cost money
What you do
Enter your anchor dates (PSA effective date, due-diligence end, deposit hard date, option/extension dates, close) on the project's Deadlines tab.
What you get
A backward-planned checklist of money-linked deadlines with a color-coded countdown, so a missed date never costs you the deal.
5. See if it pencils
What you do
Use Back of Napkin for a fast screen (enter buildable area, land ask, and costs in Development or Acquisition mode), or open the project's Assumptions and Feasibility Verdict for source-backed ranges.
What you get
Low / base / high assumptions with source and freshness, and an honest verdict — including the single number most likely to sink the deal (e.g. break-even rent). Import or export to Excel to keep working in your own model.
6. Compare scenarios & equity splits
What you do
Create named scenarios to compare assumptions side by side, and preview how project profit splits between you (the sponsor) and your equity partners.
What you get
A clear side-by-side of how each change moves the numbers, and an indicative GP/LP split with preferred return and promote.
7. Share the package
What you do
Generate an audience-targeted Update, or a Project Package, from the project's data.
What you get
A credible, sourced summary you can hand to a partner, a lender, or the city — print or save it as a PDF from your browser.