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News Archive 2007

News Archive 2007 Summaries

Environment & Energy TV
ONPOINT Saint Consulting President Patrick Fox was interviewed about the 2007 Saint Index findings and power plant support/opposition by Environment & Energy TV's ONPOINT webcast.
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Survey: Americans Warming to Power Plants
October 12, 2007 Boston Business Journal The number of Americans who support power plant development in their hometown rose dramatically over the past year, according to research conducted by The Saint Consulting Group. The Hingham, Mass.-based consultancy said its 2007 Saint Index survey gauges current attitudes toward real estate development. The group said their ...
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Many Prefer a Power Plant Neighbor to a Wal-Mart, Says Survey
October 11, 2007 Power Market Today The number of Americans who would support new power plant construction in their communities increased substantially over the last year, according to a recent survey on attitudes toward real estate development. The 2007 Saint Index survey on attitudes toward real estate development found that 38% of American ...
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PLOTS & PLOYS
PLOTS & PLOYS For and Against Americans would rather have a new nuclear-power plant in their town than a casino or a landfill, according to a new survey of attitudes on local development projects. That is among the findings in an August telephone survey by the Center for Economic and Civic Opinion at the University of Massachusetts. The study ...
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Saint Consulting Is Named One of the 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies In America
Saint Consulting Is Named One of the 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies In America Inc. today included The Saint Consulting Group on its first ever Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. The Inc. 5,000, an extension of Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 500 list, catches many businesses that are too big to grow ...
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Casinos, landfills lead thumbs-down list: Survey
August 18, 2007 Toronto Star Casinos, landfills and aggregate quarries rank 1, 2, 3 on the list of development proposals Canadians are most likely to oppose in their area, while single- family homes, hospitals, grocery stores and apartments/condos, in that order, are much more acceptable, according to the Saint Index (don't confuse Saint ...
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Big-Box Crux
August, 2007 Retail Traffic Big-box retailers remain major draws for shoppers and cash cows for developers, but that's not stopping a growing number of states from throwing obstacles in the way of their development. In the past two years, at least seven states have considered laws that sought to remove authority from local communities ...
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Survey: Public Distrust of Development in U.S., Great Britain and Canada is Rampant
August 8, 2007 RE Business Online By P. Michael Saint, CEO, The Saint Consulting Group NIMBYism (Not in My Back Yard) has taken off, and public opposition to large-scale development is rampant across the United States, Canada and Great Britain. A recent survey shows remarkably similar opposition to the development of large-scale projects, distrust in local politicians, ...
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Developers Face Lack Of Trust From Communities
June 5, 2007 Vancouver Province What a surprise! Developers in Canada are not trusted and that same distrust is found in the U.S. and the U.K., according to a survey conducted by Saint Consulting Group, which has offices in all three countries. But the while the survey found remarkable similarities, such as opposition to large-scale ...
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Public Distrusts Developers Either Side of Atlantic
June 4, 2007 Reuters UK Some truths it seems are universal. A new survey published on Monday shows that on both sides of the Atlantic people distrust property developers. The survey by the Saint Consulting Group, a leading land use political consultancy, found that 83 percent of people in Britain, 75 percent in Canada ...
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In a neighbourhood near you: NIMBYism
May 22, 2007 Toronto Globe and Mail A POLL SUGGESTS CANADIANS ARE TORN - THEY APPRECIATE THE MALL, BUT NOT IN THEIR BACKYARD Anyone planning on creating a commercial or retail real estate development in Canada better get ready for a fight: Canada's theme song is "Not In My Backyard," according to ...
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The 2006 Saint Index©: Survey Reveals Decreased Opposition in Some Development Sectors
Spring 2007 Development Magazine According to The Saint Consulting Group's second annual survey across 14 industries and five regions, apartment/condominium, office building and large shopping center development sectors have encountered less opposition in 2006 than 2005. Saint Consulting Group initiated the Saint Index© in 2005 to assess attitudes and activism towards real estate ...
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The Brave New World Of NIMBYism
May, 2007 Shopping Center Business PUBLIC OPPOSITION IS CHANGING THE FACE OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT. Opposition to large shopping center development eased slightly in 2006, but Americans remain strongly opposed to real estate development projects in their hometown, according to The Saint Index. The Index is an annual survey conducted among 1,000 adults nationwide.
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Captain of Consulting
April 27, 2007 Planning Resource A PAINFULLY SLOW PLANNING PROCESS AND WIDE DISTRUST OF ITS PRACTITIONERS EMERGE FROM A SURVEY THAT SHOWS SOCIETY IS LARGELY OPPOSED TO NEW DEVELOPMENT, NICK KEABLE TELLS VIVIEN WILSON "Whichever way you look at it, the UK is a pretty nimby society," says Saint Consulting Group managing director ...
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Challenges Faced by Land Developers — And How to Overcome Them
April 23, 2007 Real Estate Business Whatever it is that real estate developers propose to build these days, they will run up against some citizens who say, ‘no.’ How developers prepare for and react to citizen objectors can determine whether their projects ever get built. Understanding the citizens' motivation is a key to ...
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Managing the Power of NIMBYism
April 18, 2007 Ottawa Business Journal For developers and municipal governments, "NIMBYism" is a force to be reckoned with. When "not-in-my-backyard" emotions are unleashed in a given community, prospective developers can find their projects downgraded, postponed, or even derailed. Recent proposals to expand the Carp Road Landfill is arguably a case in point. ...
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New Rallying Cry: Not In Our Backyard
April 16, 2007 Women's Wear Daily As open space dwindles, shopping center developers are being forced to seek locations in mature communities with existing malls. That reality creates new challenges because land costs are higher in these locales, obtaining required permits and environmental approvals is more complicated, as well as often being difficult ...
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Survey Finds Opposition for Some Development Still Strong
Spring 2007 Land Development Even though Americans remain strongly opposed to real estate development projects in their communities, support for new housing grew in the past year, according to results from a survey conducted by the The Saint Consulting Group. Survey Finds Opposition for Some Development Still Strong
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Understand Community, Developers Told
April 10, 2007 Daily Commercial News and Construction Record NATIONAL SURVEY SHOWS CANADIANS ANTI-DEVELOPMENT Developers need to be made aware of the political climate in perspective communities to avoid opposition from "Not in my backyard" (NIMBY) organizations, according to a national survey by the Saint Consulting Group. Over 70 per cent of Canadians are ...
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Canadians’ Attitudes Toward Local Planning Issues
April 5, 2007 National Post OTTAWA -- Many Canadians love to go to casinos but most don’t want one moving in near them. Yet, while many dread going to a hospital, it’s a development most would welcome in their community. Those are among the findings of a survey of Canadian attitudes towards real estate ...
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Nimbyism Is Alive and Well
March 23, 2007 Building Design Magazine More than 80% of people are against more development in their area, a survey of nimbyism has found. The Saint Consulting Group questioned 1,000 people throughout the UK in January and February and asked their views on a range of property developments. Nimbyism Is Alive and ...
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Nick Keable On Recognising One’s Own Elbow
March 23, 2007 Building Magazine Labour's record of planning reform is a tale of ineffectual confusion. And now it's just got worse. "Planning reform? Haven't we just done that? I thought we now had a faster, more efficient, more transparent and fairer planning system, or at least that's what the 200 or so ...
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Planning Reform ‘On Course’ Despite Delay
March 23, 2007 Building Magazine Michael Ankers, the chief executive of the Construction Products Association (CPA), has played down fears that the planning white paper will lead to a watering down of reform. The publication of the white paper, which outlines the government’s response to the Barker review of land use planning, had ...
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Supermarkets— People Love Them and Hate Them
March 20, 2007 The Retail Bulletin Supermarkets are rather like airports and budget airlines, with consumers flocking to them regardless of the environmental issues that they throw up, because they enjoy the convenient shopping experience and a good bargain. Evidence of this thinking came with recent research from Saint Consulting Group that found 59 ...
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Nimby Nation
March 19, 2007 Evening Standard MORE than eight in 10 adults do not want any new developments near them. The typical Nimby ("Not In My Back Yard") is aged 45-54, votes Tory and lives in the South, a survey by planning experts The Saint Consultancy Group reveals. Nimby Nation
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Sainsbury’s Least Likely To Be Welcomed By Local Residents
March 17, 2007 The Grocer Magazine Sainsbury's has topped the list of supermarkets people would least like to open in their area. The survey of 1,000 people indicated 65% would be less likely to support a new supermarket in their neighbourhood if it were proposed by Sainsbury's.
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Survey Highlights Need To Tackle Public’s Concerns In Early Stages
March 16, 2007 Planning Resource Lamenting the anti-development ethos across much of the county is nothing new. But the scale of opposition revealed by Saint Consulting's survey this week is alarming. It shows that eight out of ten people would be against further development in their areas. Saint Consulting Group's second annual poll ...
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Poll Raises Nimby Issues
March 16, 2007 Planning Resource DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS THAT COULD GENERATE JOBS, HOMES AND OTHER LOCAL BENEFITS ARE FACING A BACKLASH FROM LOCAL COMMUNITIES AS WELL AS TRADITIONAL NUISANCE NEIGHBOURS, REPORTS LEE BAKER The nimby brigade is on the march. This is the warning emerging from latest research that suggests eight out of ten ...
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Public’s Nimby Opposition To Development Strong As Ever
March 16, 2007 Property Week SURVEY REVEALS ONE IN SIX LOCAL RESIDENTS OPPOSE PLANNING APPLICATIONS Public opposition to residential and commercial development appears to be as strong as ever, while many people believe they are being let down by their local councils on planning, according to the world's largest consultant on zoning and land-use ...
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Nimbys To Man the Barricades
March 16, 2007 The Times Online There may be large differences of opinion over how many new homes Britain needs each year to cope with the expected surge in the number of households — the Government-commissioned Barker review estimated more than 209,000, a controversial target to say the least. But plans continue to ...
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Research Uncovers Supermarket Ill Will
March 16, 2007 Planning Resource Supermarket opposition has hardened over the past year, with six out of ten people now against a new store near where they live. Latest research on public attitudes to development reveals that 40 per cent of people surveyed would "strongly oppose" a new supermarket near them, up from ...
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Distrust of Council and Developers
March 13, 2007 The Financial Times Housebuilders may be frustrated with local councils for their failure to grant planning permission for new developments, but most Britons distrust councils and developers for being in each others' pockets, according to a survey. It found nimbyism to be alive and well, with 83 per cent of ...
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No More Development In Our Back Yard, Says UK Public
March 13, 2007 MIPIM News PUBLIC opposition to residential and commercial development in the UK is becoming more entrenched, according to The Saint Consulting Group. Published at MIPIM, Saint Consulting’s second annual poll of consumer attitudes to development shows that as many as 83% of British people want no more schemes in their local ...
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British Public Wary Of New Planning Developments
March 13, 2007 Turkish Daily News As the government prepares to rip up planning red tape to make it easier for major retail and infrastructure projects, a survey on Monday showed that the public are unenthusiastic about local developments. The Saint Index -- an annual survey of people's attitudes to local planning issues ...
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In the Land of the Giants
In the Land of the Giants THE AVENUES LEADING INTO FORTUNE 1000 CLIENTS HAVE LONG BEEN LITTERED WITH SMALL FIRMS THAT HAVE BEEN STEPPED ON BY LARGER AND MORE AGGRESSIVE RIVALS. HERE'S A LOOK AT 7 SMALL FIRMS THAT THRIVE BESIDE THE ELEPHANTS. P. Michael Saint was running is own small PR firm when he ...
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Public Wary of New Planning Developments
March 12, 2007 Reuters UK LONDON (Reuters) - As the government prepares to rip up planning red tape to make it easier for major retail and infrastructure projects, a survey on Monday showed that the public are unenthusiastic about local developments. The Saint Index -- an annual survey of people's attitudes to local planning ...
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Casino Land-Use and Zoning in Spotlight
March 8, 2007 TriState Observer Harrisburg, PA - The 3rd Pennsylvania Gaming Congress & Racing Forum will feature a timely presentation on "Casinos and Land-Use Fights" by nationally prominent experts in land-use politics. P. Michael Saint, Chairman and CEO of Saint Consulting, has spent more than two decades developing specialized political techniques that help ...
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The Saint Index Reveals Opposition to Land-Use Development
Februray 2007 Buildings THE SAINT CONSULTING GROUP, BASED IN BOSTON, HAS RELEASED ITS SECOND SURVEY ON LAND-USE POLITICS — THE SAINT INDEX. Results from the 2006 survey show Americans' opposition to real estate development projects across 14 industries and five regions. Saint Consulting initiated the Saint Index to assess attitudes and activism toward real ...
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Americans Support Hospital Building
February 2007 Health Facilities Management Magazine A national telephone survey of 1,000 Americans tracking land use development attitudes shows that 71 percent of Americans would support a new hospital in their community, the second most supported land use. Americans Support Hospital Building http://www.hfmmagazine.com
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Poll: Wal-Mart least popular development
February 3, 2007 New Jersey Daily Record So, what type of real estate do people want most NOT to be built in their community? The booby prize goes to: Wal-Mart. Some 68 percent of respondents in a poll conducted by Saint Consulting Group in Massachusetts were opposed to a new Wal-Mart, perhaps because of ...
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Nimbyists Grow Stronger
January/February 2007 Electric Perspectives Results from the 2006 Saint Index may not be surprising, but it is worth reporting that Americans are strongly opposed—and increasingly so—to several types of real-estate development projects, including biotech laboratories,landfills, power plants, quarries, and “big box” stores (like Wal-Mart). Twice as many actively oppose developmentas support it. Further, 70 ...
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The NIMBY War Cry
January 2007 Chain Store Age A year-long battle between Wal-Mart and a small-town mayor has been playing out in the pages of the Lincoln Journal-Star. The retail giant and Colleen Seng, mayor of Lincoln, Neb., first sharpened their swords when Wal-Mart announced its intentions to open a third Lincoln store in a rapidly ...
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January 9, 2007 Architectural Record Americans Getting NIMBY With It
January 9, 2007 Architectural Record For the second year in a row, Saint Consulting Group, a land-use political consultancy, has issued its Saint Index, a phone survey of 1,000 randomly chosen respondents across the U.S. The survey aims to evaluate the political climate surrounding land use, and even at this early stage, researchers have ...
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Casi-NO
January 2, 2007 The Kansas City Star The bad news: 67 percent of the American population opposes construction of a casino in their neighborhood. The good news: That’s down from 80 percent a year ago, according to the Saint Consulting Group’s annual “Saint Index,” which measures public attitudes about land-use issues. The ...
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