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SPECIAL REPORT: Mixed-Use Developers Gun for Optimal Government Communications
December 13, 2005 - CPN Commercial Property News
By Paul Rosta, Senior Associate Editor
Complete article - Link
Excerpts:
Dealing with government agencies and the public can't easily be boiled down to a rule of thumb, but a panel of experts offered some pointers yesterday at the Mixed-Use West Development Conference in Los Angeles. The event, which was presented by CPN and its sister publications, Multi-Housing News and Architecture, drew more than 250 attendees.
Asked to describe the biggest mistakes developers make, attorney Lucinda Starrett of Latham & Watkins L.L.P. said: "They assume government agencies will see things the same way they do."
Project sponsors should realize that their goals may not necessarily dovetail with the city's vision, noted Sheri Vander Dussen, Anaheim's city planning director. Instead, the panelists said, developers must think in terms of creating a project that is not only strong on its merits but also benefits the community.
Because mixed-use projects interact with communities to a great extent, developers must also be flexible since plans are likely to be reshaped by government agencies and public input, Starrett said. Communicate with public agency staff early and often, and consider including a summary in your project documents, Vander Dussen said.
Dealing with community opposition is an occupational hazard of development. But project sponsors can help resolve that by building trust and finding common ground with both opponents and supporters, the panelists agreed. And building good will on each project is key, Starrett said, because there's always another project, and it's likely that a developer will have to work with the same government staff again--whether in the same city or in another location.
As for the vocal opponents that create
a particular challenge, Ken Ryan, a principal with the design firm EDAW who is also a former mayor in Yorba Linda, Calif., and a current city council member, advised: "If the project sponsor can garner political support," he said, "assure
the majority that the project won't have a negative impact;
extremists will look that much more extreme."
Complete article - Link
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