How to Get the City On Board with a New Development Concept
ASK:
I have a new development concept I’m excited about, but how do I get the city on board before I spend months (and money) on plans?
ANSWER:
The fastest way to lose time and trust with a city is to drop a fully baked plan on their desk without involving them early.
Cities aren’t just regulators. They’re stakeholders with their own political realities, staffing limits, and long-term goals. If your concept doesn’t fit their vision or if you don’t build relationships with the people who influence decisions you can burn months (or years) trying to recover.
At I&D Consulting Services, we build city alignment into the front end of every project. That means:
– Meeting with staff before design starts to understand how your concept aligns with the General Plan and current priorities.
– Identifying champions: planners, economic development staff, and even elected officials who will see the project’s value and advocate for it.
– Anticipating public feedback, both positive and negative, and having a strategy for it before you ever hit a hearing agenda.
A Proven Model: Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure
Hydrogen fueling was once a foreign concept to many cities. Over the last decade, we’ve helped deliver and replicate these projects across multiple jurisdictions often in places where there was no precedent.
The key was framing the conversation:
– Instead of leading with technical specs, we positioned hydrogen as an economic development win and an environmental leadership opportunity.
– We connected the project to climate action goals, transportation plans, and future-proofing infrastructure.
– We engaged public works, planning staff, and elected officials early, addressing safety, permitting, and utility coordination before submitting plans.
By building support in advance, we turned a “never done before” idea into a repeatable approval process we could replicate in city after city.
What’s Next: A Sports & Wellness Complex
We’re now applying the same model to a very different concept. A large-scale sports and wellness complex designed for local community connection, year-round activity, and a tourism draw.
This will include:
– Beach volleyball and pickleball courts
– Indoor wellness amenities like yoga & sauna
– A lazy river circling the site
– Flexible food hall space for local vendors
– Outdoor event space and live music
– Medical/wellness tenants to anchor weekday traffic
It’s not currently in the city’s plan, but it checks multiple boxes they care about: public health, economic vitality, & attracting a younger, active demographic.
Just like with hydrogen, we’re starting before design is finalized. Meeting with cities to align the concept with their economic development priorities, capital planning timelines, & community goals. The playbook is the same: build trust, align visions, and make them part of the win.
Inspiration from: https://lnkd.in/dN-mudzp
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