Top 10 Virtual Public Hearing Mistakes
It’s the “new normal” and it comes with both opportunities and challenges. Virtual public meetings are substantially different in tone and process sometimes making experienced
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Dissent: The Consensus Strategies Blog
The Proof is in the Data
Land use and development is political and quantifiable. With over 15 years of survey data we know that a politician’s stance on development and growth are a
SVP Releases New Book
When Consensus Strategies’ SVP Owen Eagan isn’t managing your projects, he is an Executive-in-Residence at Emerson College, the nation’s only four-year institution dedicated exclusively to
Covid-19: New Challenges and Opportunities
The Covid-19 crisis is likely to be the greatest disaster of our lifetime with implications that will extend for years to come. The changes to society, business, politics and public perceptions will be extensive with both new challenges and opportunities for developers and all companies operating in the public sphere.
CEO, Patrick Fox, on the Commercial Real Estate Show
U.S. zoning expert Patrick Fox joins show host/broker Michael Bull to discuss how COVID has changed the rezoning and entitlement process. Discussions include new strategies
Study Shows Post-COVID Second Chance for Big Development Projects
New “Digital Advocates” will change local planning and decision making.
Opportunities and Threats of Virtual Public Hearings
This societal crisis, unlike any we have seen in our lifetimes, has presented a myriad of challenges. Arguably one of the hardest challenges to grapple with has been social distancing and orders prohibiting large gatherings. But we’re adapting. Online
Five social media tactics in a time of crisis
We are living in a weird time: The current crisis and “social distancing” orders have put jobs, activities and lives on hold. Whether working from
Engineering a Pipeline Protest
I am often asked “what are the toughest projects on which you work?” The stories of epic multiyear, knockdown, drag-out battles are best told over
Bringing a Knife to a Gun Fight
Don’t be naive about who your opponents are and what they really want. Seemingly irrational opponents may have a very rational motivation to shut you
Ten Things You Should Know About Project Applicants
1. They have got to win this approval. The business men and women who appear before your commissions and boards seeking approvals are under tremendous
Ten Things You Should Know About Project Opponents
1. Opponents defy demographics. They now come from every ethnicity, age, party, ideology, region, religion, and gender. While in many situations the more affluent —
Ten Things You Should Know About How the Public Feels About Development
1. Stop all development anywhere near me. 79% of Americans want no new development projects in their communities. Now that does not mean they are
Consensus SVP Interviewed by Rogue Rocket
Successful movie studios are harnessing digital media and grassroots techniques to build audiences and promote films. Consensus SVP Owen Eagan is a leading expert on
The Self-Storage Conundrum
When your projects benefits become its negatives. Self-storage is experiencing explosive growth. Annual industry revenue in the US is now $38 billion and it remains
Hiding Is Not a Strategy
Hiding is not a strategy. The opponents are coming whether they are anxious abutters, political opportunists, competitor funded rabble-rousers or local activists. Keeping quiet doesn’t
Top 10 CRE Developer Mistakes
History is constantly repeating with developers making these same old mistakes. Learn from experience and have a strategy to avoid these common problems. 1. “Don’t
The Truth about Fake Protesters
Whether protesting a president, a policy, a pipeline or a development project, it is highly unlikely that protesters have been paid. It is much more
The Usual Suspects
These Characters show up at every public hearing. You know they’re coming but are you ready for them? By Patrick Fox EMAIL Opponents dominate public
Clandestine Market Defense
By Patrick Fox EMAIL It’s secretly acting to protect your market share and profits from an encroaching competitor by generating and organizing community opposition. It
Empowering Fools
Dealing with the Idiotic, Irrational and Incomprehensible By Patrick Fox EMAIL Anyone advocating for a controversial initiative today
Truthiness and CRE Rules of Engagement
By Patrick Fox EMAIL Credibility is crucial for commercial developers but not so much for their opponents. The greatest advantage held by opponents today
Managing Land Use Campaigns
Tips for Managing the Unmanageable By Patrick Fox EMAIL Every commercial real estate development team is made up of experts from a variety of disciplines.
Broken Planning
Broken Planning: How Opponents Hijacked the Planning Process By Patrick Fox EMAIL Former U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill famously said that “All
Political Due Diligence in Commercial Real Estate
By Patrick Fox EMAIL Any company making decisions about a commercial real estate deal does a lot of due diligence. They study demographics, market share,
When Public Hearings Go Horribly Wrong
Zola faces the mob, by Henry de Groux, 1898 Having a good project is not enough. Remember that it is all about the politics. By
A Developer’s Nightmare
Whether you call them NIMBYs, BANANAs, CAVE* people or misinformed nutcases, they are organizing to stop your project and, often, they are winning. By Patrick
Dealing With Angry Citizens
By Patrick Fox EMAIL Some people are just plain angry. Fear of change as well as rumors, misunderstandings and outright lies can leave developers confronted by