The Problem
A developer preparing to make a large investment in a suburban community was confronted with inexplicably high impact fees from one of the local taxing bodies. Our client sought a better understanding of how the community, and the taxing body in question, handled similar projects in the past.
Our Solution
221B Partners took a multi-pronged approach to our client’s situation, first reviewing press coverage of previous projects in the community going back two decades. This meant searching not only regional newspapers but also smaller local papers that are usually left out of major press databases. Reading these press reports gave us not only a useful timeline of major development projects over time, but a sense of who the major players were and issues cited in support of, or opposition to, area development.
Next, we obtained agenda and meeting minutes from the taxing body that was making things difficult for our client. We used artificial intelligence to efficiently analyze hundreds of pages of records, identifying specific examples of how the taxing body had dealt with similar developments and getting a broad sense of how it had handled the issue of development more generally over time.
Last but not least, we reviewed social media from individuals and community groups aligned with one side or the other. In so doing we were able to identify additional key players and organizations who had weighed in on the issue, as well as time-tested arguments that had been used in the past to support or oppose such projects.
The Outcome
221B provided our client with a deeply researched and well-sourced report that provided important context and history related to development in the community. Our findings showed that the taxing body had overestimated the impact of many such projects over the years. This research helped the client identify potential pitfalls to avoid and determine the best approach to take in negotiations.