Get the Green Light on Your Land Development Deals
By the way... I don’t mean to offend anyone,
but.... oh what the heck. If you are unable to commit to something that is
guaranteed to work but that might seem “scary” at first or “take some hard work”,
please do everyone a favor and do not click
the link above!
Some of our Commercial
Mentoring Program™ students are studying the zoning and approval process so
that they can make Millions (yes Millions) doing land development projects.
While we often think of the planning and
zoning officials as roadblocks to giving us the green light on our land development
deals, it’s important to understand what zoning is all about.
Here’s a quote from the Anytown USA zoning
and planning department:
Our purpose is to promote the health, safety,
and general welfare of the residents; to encourage the most appropriate use of
land throughout the municipality; to promote traffic safety; to provide safety
from fire and other elements; to provide adequate light and air; to prevent
overcrowding of real estate; to promote a wholesome home environment; to
prevent housing development in unsanitary areas; to provide an adequate street
system; to promote the coordinated development of unbuilt areas; to encourage
the formation of community units; to provide an allotment of land area in new
developments sufficient for all the requirements of community units; to
conserve natural resources; and to provide for adequate public services, as an
integral part of a comprehensive plan for municipal development.
Big picture is that these agencies want the same thing we do, but the people
that work there just don’t make big piles of money from commercial real estate
like you and I do. So the key is to understand how to connect and create
relationships with “City Hall” rather than running in the door and asking them
to approve all of your projects.
Come to think of it, this makes sense in any
relationship that you are getting into. Get to know the other person and find
ways to help them out first. Then, later, you’ll find that you’ve got a friend
on your side to help you out.
As I mentioned, right now I’m
sitting on the porch at my parents’ small home up in Sidney, Maine where they spend their summers. We have
roots here going back 200 years to John Quincy Adams. (Whom my grandmother
insisted that we are related to)
I’m looking across the field
to the farm where my brother works on my cousins’ dairy farm, milking
cows. Even though the land that his
houses is on is not very big, the view out my brother’s backyard is across lush
green fields and trees as they slope down to the river. As you stand on his back deck, you'd never
guess that this area has absolutely no zoning whatsoever. This means that if someone wants to rebuild a
school bus in their front yard, then they can do it.
Luckily most of the neighbors
work together to keep the community looking fairly nice. In effect, the zoning and planning department
of any municipality work just like the community does in Sidney. It’s just that in bigger cities you’re going to deal with the planning
department rather than your neighbors.
To Your Success,
Peter
