If you do not know what is going into the lease space, and your client does not either, its completely ludicrous to design for ANY load that may or may not go in there. You are either doing a budget, or a bid and if you plan on all the worst-case scenarios then you will be too high and wont get the work.
The solution is very simple, plan on an agreed upon VA per SF, in this case 22 worked well for a 400A HV service, then make sure you bring in your empty spare conduit from the service transformer to where you can use it later as provisions for any restaurants and tanning salons.
I have done enough of these to know that all restaurants and salons know they will have to pay for upgrades to the service to build out their lease, unless they make their deal on the front end of the project being built, and even then they still pay something to get it done. This is where your provisions from the transformer come in, if they are needed.
If the client wants 60/SF then price it and give it to him with a VE for 22/SF so when he thinks you are way too high and shops your number at least he has your VE before the next guy gives him a VE just like it.
Just my two cents, we could site around continue to mentally masturbate this to death but the fact is if you don’t know what is going in these spaces and you want the work, then the solution is a clear scope with an agreed upon va/ft, provisions for more (empty conduit) and a contract that states all this.
