On Risk, Part III
In part II, you learned that you need to read and understand the adopted codes relevant to your property and then look contextually at improvements around you, to discern if there is a discretionary element modifying the adopted codes. This provides you a baseline on what can be done.
The next step is to understand who the stakeholders are. These are typically abutting neighbors, long-standing community groups, anyone who holds an easement or deed restriction on your property, and the authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ) over any entitlements.
Real estate is reputed to be all about Location, Location, Location. During the approvals process it is more like Neighbors, Neighbors, Neighbors (NNN). And their first reaction to any change is likely to be No, No, No. And you need to get to yes, yes, yes.
Your key task is to go and talk with your neighbors, propose the changes to the neighborhood, why they should support you, and why you are doing it now.
The objective is to get a letter of support from each of your abutting neighbors for your intended use.
You will need conceptual level plans, elevations, and what the improvements will look like from their vantage point. You are not selling a project, you are proposing this in the neighborhood and you want to understand their concerns.
Rinse and repeat with any community groups, other non-abutting but influential neighbors, non-governmental committees (historical, etc), and easement holders. The objective here is to respond to concerns on your intended use before it shows up in the public arena.
Caution: too much community wrangling can make the intended use look like it was designed by a committee (which it was) rather than the voice of your architect. The goal is incorporation by your architect of contextually derived ideas, not design by committee.
Only after you gain neighborhood support for your intended use do you move forward. Moving forward without this support is pissing into the wind. Not to mention expensive.
