Builders can often have a hard time getting a project off the ground when faced with opposition from the community.
During a Jan. 11 education session at the 2018 International Builders' Show, Chris Grady, Principal and land planner at Kephart, will provide tips for winning zoning approvals for your new projects, focusing on how to work toward positive public entitlement outcomes through community meetings, municipal staff, and public hearings, improve rapport with neighbors, and appease concerns. Here, he gave BUILDER a look into what the session will cover.
Q: What do you plan to cover in your session at IBS?
A: Most people don’t like change, especially when it’s coming to their neighborhood. We will share how to work toward positive public entitlement outcomes through neighborhood engagement, understanding political landscapes, strategically utilizing social media, and successfully navigating public hearings. We will also focus on creating a strong team of experts to build your case with facts and professional opinions.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges and roadblocks builders and developers run into with zoning approvals?
A: Available development sites often come with unique, inherent challenges to overcome. As such, we find some of the most common challenges that can slow down or derail the entitlement process are: anti- or slow-growth sentiment; a sensitive political climate that may be non-committal or non-supportive; a “fear of change” environment among citizens and municipal leadership that becomes resistant to growth; municipal staff and elected/appointed officials and community leaders who are misinformed or unprepared to make decisions on future development and strategic growth; a difficult approval process; high impact fees; and potential negative impact of a proposal relative to municipal services, infrastructure, traffic, or schools.
Q: What are some of the common reasons that community members are opposed to a new build? How can builders ease those concerns?
A: The most common reason is a “fear of change” mentality. Community members fear a portion of their lifestyle may be in jeopardy. When a zoning proposal is introduced, those in the community may think their safety will be compromised with additional development, or assume the neighborhood will see a loss in property values because there often is a negative perception of higher density and intensity of land use. People may also think that there will be negative environmental impacts, in addition to traffic impacts and an overburden of school systems and community services. Many have concerns that a builder or developer is out of touch and not invested in the community, looking only for profits. Builders and developers can ease concerns by being proactive and becoming excellent communicators. This starts with meeting with the community early and often, maintaining sensitivity to issues and concerns, maintaining an environment of flexibility and cooperation, and being honest and factual in the sharing of the information.
Q: How can builders and developers gain community support for new projects and zoning approvals?
A: Do your homework to uncover and understand issues that may cost additional time and money, and be informed about local politics and new development so that you may offer win-win solutions. In addition, document your plans early, and embrace the spirit of compromise. You should meet with planning and other approving agencies to gain support and build trust, initiate community involvement in order to eliminate misconceptions and prevent misinformation and neutralize negative or false information, provide sound fact-based support documentation and maintain excellent communication throughout the process. Most of all, always present an accurate depiction of your proposal. Your reputation in the community is important.
For more information on attending the session, click here.
