Unless you’re willing to renovate a downtown building in Coos Bay or North Bend, the property pickings are slim for big commercial or industrial developments.

That’s according to Jon Barton, chairman of the South Coast Development Council.

About nine years ago, Barton was involved with recruiting a commercial developer whose sights were set on a parcel of land south of Coos Bay. The idea was to put a strip mall there, but it didn’t pan out.

Not enough space, he said.

Many prospective developers would run into the same problem, said Sandra Messerle, director of the SCDC. In order to accommodate a Home Depot or something of the like, a property would need a dozen or more contiguous acres.

Sites with commercial potential include the Ko Kwel Wharf property, owned by the Coquille Indian Tribe. Located north of The Mill Casino-Hotel, the 50.5-acre property had a close brush with Home Depot.

There also are about 15 available acres on Ocean Boulevard in Coos Bay, previously considered for a Lowe’s. The problem with that property, commercial Realtor Andy Nasburg explained, is its limited visibility.

Inventory is scarce otherwise -- especially for flat, stable land. So Bay Area commercial property values have held steady despite the recession.

“There is not very much land available, and that which is available is darned expensive,” Nasburg said.

For industrial development, there is the North Spit, currently being eyeballed for a liquefied natural gas terminal. But you’d be hard-pressed to find much in Coos County’s more rural communities, such as Coquille, Myrtle Point and Bandon. Much of the property available there is zoned “Forest Grazing” for agricultural use, Barton explained.

Rezoning a property could take years.

“A lot of prospects aren’t interested in waiting for a long-drawn out ordeal,” Barton said.

So what do we have? And how can we use it to our advantage?

The answers may come from the American Institute of Architects.

Each year, AIA selects eight to 10 communities to be reviewed by a Sustainable Design Assessment Team. The team would represent a cross-section of professional expertise, including transportation, aesthetics and growth management.

Messerle is leading the effort to bring the team here. In many cases, AIA focuses its efforts on a single city, but she is applying for a countywide assessment.

After spending three days in the community, the team would assess the county’s property inventory and present county officials with a plan to best improve the business climate.

“SDAT will help us define what we want,” she said.