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Funny you mention this subject, but I'll bet it felt good to express your thoughts, been there done that LOL ! I deal with issues like these for customers, when they need to go before a planning or zoning board when called for by the code. One of the things I notice is that so many people show up to these meetings uninformed, misinformed, know nothing of the applicable codes, present their proposal poorly and even don't consider their personal appearance. Same people sometimes become visibly upset, make rash statements, draw unecessary attention to themselves which is not goos if they are required to return to another meeting to have the issue approved, settled or otherwise resolved. This is not to say that within some of these municipalities, there are those who hold positions that are less than desirable, dishonest and all the other typical scenarios one can think of, it's happened here, crooked building inspector not only got caught in a scandal, was mean to every person who had to deal with him for over 30 years, also succomed to some nasty illness and passed away soon after, no one had a kind word for the guy after years of badgering people. We made fools of the town and their attorney's when they attempted to execute a condemnation proceeding on our old victorian farm house and barn by securing an injunction stopping the proceeding dead in it's tracks. It made the front page of the newspaper, and was an ugly scene at the site where a demolition company was mobilized to take the buildings down, involving the state troopers unfortunately. The proceedings they executed also included breaking and entering a locked and boarded up building to make a bogus engineering assessment, fueled by a rotten neighbor, the crooked building inspector and the rest of their cronies. It was a defining moment in our relationship with the town, also proved that their proceedings were illegal and needed to be changed. If we had the money to pursue it then, we could have pursued legal action against them, risking hefty legal fees, would have been great if money was no issue, they deserved it. Funny how in the end the buildings came down and they paid the bill. The administration has changed since, but they are extremely careful in all proceedings now. I find that the codes, specifications, technical issues and most of the criteria is parallel to what I did in my construction management career, so I do represent clients when they need to deal with these issues, in conjunction with an attorney if need be, as well as feeling out the political climate involved. There are no guarantees any time you have to deal with these issues, but it is in the applicants best interest to be prepared in regards to the local planning board, zoning board and or codes when you need an approval, use variance or whatever the criteria is calling for. I see so many people proceed in such a half haphazard manner, without careful consideration. I did a somewhat complicated application to a planning board and zoning board for a client last year, whereas the use of the commercial buiding was not defined or classified as it was proposed to be used for the clients business headquarters. Diligent research of their codes paid off, they even accepted my drawings for the site plan, (I'm not a professional designer either) because they met the requirements, client was approved, I delivered a certficate of occupancy to the client shortly after. We appeared in suits and ties, accompanied by legal counsel each time. I had also met with the code director prior to all proceedings. And I noted at these meetings, the people who were completely unprepared, seems these boards sometimes thrive on rejecting as much as they can or adjourn for several more meetings, which can make it a long drawn out process for these people and even those who have large complicated proposals presented by a team of paid professionals.
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