Developers constantly fall into the same trap: believing that data, expert studies, and facts will carry the day.
Unfortunately, in land use politics, truth is necessary for developers—but optional for opponents.
Opposition groups can—and routinely do—throw out any allegation, fear, or statistic without regard for accuracy. A neighbor’s cousin “counted the traffic” last Thanksgiving? Suddenly, your engineered traffic study is treated as suspect. A rumor on Facebook about water contamination? You now need hydrological reports to disprove it.
Meanwhile, opponents can say virtually anything without consequence.
If you misstate one fact? Your entire credibility collapses.
This asymmetry creates what I call the Credibility Gap:
- Developers must be precise, transparent, and accurate.
- Opponents face no such standards—and their misstatements are simply dismissed as passion.
This is why “death by a thousand cuts” remains the most common strategy against you.
One outrageous claim after another—each requiring time, experts, and money to rebut—drains momentum and erodes political viability.
Key Takeaway
Winning requires more than truth. It requires strategic advocacy, narrative control, early engagement, and the ability to counter misinformation before it metastasizes.
