How to Navigate Conflicting City Department Comments Without Losing Months
ASK:
Fire requires one solution. Engineering requires another. How do we resolve conflicting comments without stalling the project?
ANSWER:
Conflicting department comments are not an exception in development. They are the norm. What surprises many developers is that no one inside the city is responsible for reconciling those conflicts.
Each department operates within its own mandate. Fire enforces life safety. Engineering enforces infrastructure standards. Planning enforces policy. Building enforces code. None of them are tasked with aligning their requirements with each other.
That responsibility falls entirely on the applicant.
When a project receives conflicting comments, the worst response is to resubmit plans repeatedly in hopes that the conflict resolves itself. That approach guarantees delay. Drawings change. Consultants bill more hours. Review cycles restart.
At I&D Consulting, we address conflict directly and early. When comments conflict, we pause resubmittals and seek clarity. We request coordination meetings. We document agreed solutions in writing. We confirm which department has final authority on overlapping issues.
This work requires confidence and preparation. It also requires understanding how cities actually operate. Departments rarely communicate with each other unless prompted. When a developer facilitates that conversation, solutions emerge faster.
We also plan for conflict before it happens. During feasibility and pre-application phases, we flag known friction points. Fire access, turning radii, drainage alignment, utility routing, and emergency access are recurring sources of disagreement. Identifying these early allows teams to design with resolution in mind.
Projects do not lose months because cities are difficult. They lose months because no one owns coordination.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Conflicting comments are predictable in multi-department reviews
• Cities do not resolve internal conflicts for applicants
• Direct coordination prevents repeated resubmittals
• Early identification of friction points saves time and cost
People Also Ask
1) Should the city resolve conflicting department comments?
In most jurisdictions, no. The applicant is responsible for proposing a compliant solution.
2) How should agreements between departments be documented?
Written confirmation through meeting summaries or follow-up emails is essential.
3) Can consultants manage this without an owner’s representative?
Sometimes, but without a central coordinator, conflicts often resurface later.
