ROSELAND, NJ—Planning a new project? Here are six tips for being a good neighbor (and getting your project approved).
- The first rule of land use is “Be a good neighbor.”
Be transparent; talk to your neighbors on all sides of the property. This goes a long way toward making the neighbors your advocates instead of your adversaries.
Put yourself in a neighbor's shoes—if someone is going before a planning or zoning board, there are bound to be questions. People tend to get anxious when they get a legal notice 10days before a hearing. That alone can put them on the defensive and they can start “rallying the troops” to come out en masse to oppose the project without having all the facts. If you talk to them ahead of time, you may be able to allay some fears.
As the applicant, don't flaunt what you are doing with an “if you don't like it, I'm doing it anyway” attitude. Explain why you think your project is good and, if you are seeking variances, why you need relief from the rules.
Continue Reading for Free
Register and gain access to:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.