NIMBYism and lessons learned
Some developments in the land-use process. The short version: one neighbor (several houses removed) decided to do his best to torpedo things with the city. He approached my neighbor to the south and got her riled up enough to write a letter objecting to the building. As a result, I had to downscale the size of the ADU and move the structure off the property line.
Ironically, the neighbor who complained most vehemently is one who is himself a small-scale developer who has divided his lot and placed multiple buildings on the land. And, nimbyism has its price – nearly $1000 in design fees and a month delay.
Lessons learned:
1) Broaden the circle when approaching neighbors. Get as many on board before the city comment period. Also, it’s clear that the neighbor who objected had many incorrect assumptions about the building. I’ve since spoken with him and mostly ironed things out, but the damage is done. Fortunately, he didn’t appeal the city’s decision.
2) When talking to the city, get them to WRITE THINGS DOWN. Somewhere. Anywhere. When I began the process, they indicated I could probably get the 800 sq. ft. increase. However, later in the process, they said that they wanted the project to be closer to 700 sq. ft. If I had known this from the get-go, I would have saved a ton of time and money.
3) Shoot for the moon. Sadly, one of my take-aways from this process is that it’s more about the PERCEPTION of compromise than it is about true sacrifice. I reduced the size of the building, moved it off the property line, etc…but at the end of the day, these changes will have almost no impact on the overall building. This is why developers often ask for outrageous zoning adjustments – it allows them to “scale back” their plans, putting the designs where they wanted them all along.
4) Get it in writing. It would have been better if I could have provided written testimony and support from my neighbors who were in agreement with the project. In fact, it would have really helped to have the neighbor to the south on record – she supported the project then flipped once the nimby-neighbor riled her up.
Ok, now for the funny part: Here’s the most colorful of the letters: Gaile’s Letter