» Monthly Archives: September 2009
Saint Tips: 12 rules for developers on Dealing with Reporters
By Patrick Fox,
President, The Saint Consulting Group
Given the public nature and politics of planning, it's useful to review some rules for developers on dealing with reporters. Here are a dozen worth remembering.
1. NEVER LIE.
Never lie to a reporter. This doesn't mean you can't answer only precisely what you are asked, give less information than asked ...
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Social media networking helps win land-use fights, don’t be left out
(Editor's Note: Saint Consulting increasingly uses social networking to win land use battles in the US and UK. Frank Rizzo, one of our division managers, explains its appeal and effectiveness)
By Frank Rizzo, West Coast Division Manager, The Saint Consulting Group
Politics has never been the same since February 4th, 2004, when Mark Zuckerberg launched a ...
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NIMBY Wars – Good projects do not necessarily get approved
(Editor’s note: NIMBY Wars – The Politics of Land Use will be published on October 28. In this excerpt, being a good project is often not enough to win approval, as the fight against a proposal often outshine its value)By P. Michael Saint, Robert J. Flavell and Patrick F. FoxSome projects are sure to tickle the NIMBY bone in ...
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Political due diligence: essential step often skipped in complex projects
By Jesse McKnight
Executive Vice President, The Saint Consulting Group
(Editor's note: this article on airport expansion explains the key role political due diligence plays in identifying and preparing for big issues facing controversial projects across all property sectors)
The biggest mistake airport operators -- or developers of any potentially controversial project -- make is launching expansion ...
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NIMBY Wars: Populism and cynicism – divergent political interests
(Editor's note: NIMBY Wars - The Politics of Land Use will be published on October 28. In this excerpt, experience shows that politicians defer to those who pose the greatest threat to their reelection, not necessarily the majority of voters)By P. Michael Saint, Robert J. Flavell and Patrick F. FoxIn the populist view, public officials ...
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Renewable energy: due diligence can assess risks, cut costly delays and thwart NIMBYs
By Ben Kelahan,
Senior Vice President, Energy, The Saint Consulting Group
You don't need to be a mathematician or financial genius to understand that NIMBY costs money and elevates the risk of a zero return on an energy project. As mentioned in this post from Seeking Alpha, NIMBY opposition to land use and regulatory permits has now ...
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NIMBY Wars: Perception is reality, fear of change drives opposition to development
(Editor's note: NIMBY Wars - The Politics of Land Use will be published on October 28. The Saint Report will post excerpts of the book, which is the culmination of 25 years of land use battles by The Saint Consulting Group)By P. Michael Saint, Robert J. Flavell and Patrick F. FoxLand use proposals affect people’s perceptions—and in ...
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Grassroots approaches can counter NIMBY fears from development — Saint
By P. Michael Saint, CEO, The Saint Consulting GroupWhen you drill down into the heart of NIMBY fears about development, people are afraid that new development will adversely affect them. That emotion overcomes any facts given to them.Developers think if they shout ‘jobs’ and ‘taxes’ loud enough it will overcome people that are afraid. There’s ...
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Ways to kill a real estate project – how opponents try to derail development, Part 2
By Patrick Fox,
President, The Saint Consulting Group
The Saint Consulting Group often does seminars for trade associations, client real estate departments and other groups. A popular topic is “How to Kill a Real Estate Project”. By learning the techniques that opposition groups utilize to derail a project, developers can learn how to avoid common mistakes and ...
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125 arguments and techniques opponents use to derail a real estate project — Part 1
By Patrick Fox,President, The Saint Consulting GroupThe Saint Consulting Group often does seminars for trade associations, client real estate departments and other groups. A popular topic is “How to Kill a Real Estate Project”. By learning the techniques that opposition groups utilize to derail a project, developers can learn how to avoid common mistakes and ...
more »