Real estate developers and investors who have been in the business for any length of time often use a variety of labels to describe the planning and zoning departments of the cities where they develop projects.

These labels may be as simple as “pro-growth,” “anti-growth,” or “costly.” Or they may refer more to the process or the manpower: “understaffed,” “backlogged,” “efficient” or “well-managed.”

If the word is out that a city’s planning and zoning department isn’t up to snuff, it can certainly damage the municipality’s reputation and ability to attract quality development. Would-be real estate investors must do their due diligence to know what they’re getting into before they buy land and start the often long process of new construction.

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