Soft site

A soft site is a lot that planning and market analyses flag as likely to redevelop — typically one built far below its zoning allowance, with no constraint that would make redevelopment impractical. The term of art comes from environmental review, where projections of a rezoning's effects must identify the sites likely to change; it has migrated into market usage as shorthand for underbuilt lots with headroom.

Softness is a judgment, not a status: designation criteria vary by study, and a lot can be underbuilt yet hard — a landmark, a recorded commitment of its floor area, a long lease, an owner with no reason to sell. The honest reading is that a soft-site flag marks where to look closer, not what will happen.