A successful project begins with proper planning. That’s why it’s important to work with an experienced land use and zoning attorney from the start. At Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, we help make sure you begin on a solid base.
Planning a project of any size, from simple expansion to major development, is likely to include legal issues. Maybe you’re fortunate and your parcel already is zoned to allow what you want to do. If you need a zoning change, though, you need to be prepared.
Planning commissions and zoning boards review a lot of data in deciding whether to allow projects. This includes access to public services, neighborhood characteristics, traffic patterns, and more. Gathering the information is a lot of work, but it’s work we do every day.
It’s also important to know the criteria the boards and commissions use to determine whether to grant your request. You may have a fabulous project, but unless it meets the standards for an exception, you could be out of luck. At Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, we’ve worked with these agencies long enough – one of our attorneys is a past planning commissioner – that we know how to give your request the best possible chance.
There are times, too, when you’ll want to be proactive. Cities and counties update their comprehensive plans periodically. If you see something in a proposed update that concerns you, it’s best to speak out before the change happens. We can help.
We also work with people who have concerns about projects. We’ve helped them battle to keep liquor stores out of their neighborhoods, and we’ve helped them iron out disputes with businesses that they feared would be disruptive.
We believe the best first action in most issues is preparation, planning, and negotiation. Though we try to work things out without a court case, our skilled litigators can go that route if necessary.