What Incentives Will Work in Your Community

Preferences and Politics

Every community has their own attitude toward development. Some eagerly welcome it for the economic benefits. Others are wary of it changing the character of their town. Most are a mix of the two. Before offering any particular incentive you need to develop an understanding of local preferences and politics.

Talk With Planning

Your city planner will likely know very well what will be acceptable and what will not. Start by going through the list of possible incentives and discuss the implications of each. For example by allowing T turnarounds additional units could be built. How will this affect the town’s density calculations. Does the town see additional units as desirable or not. How many extra units would be acceptable.

The answers may vary neighborhood by neighborhood and zoning district by zoning district. You need to know this before offering any incentives.

Talk With Developers Before the Planning Stage

Consider pre-application meetings with all stakeholders Talk with some developers about what incentives they find most appealing. Get a sense from the developers which incentives can have the biggest effect on their bottom line. For example reduced street width or not requiring a second access point can substantially reduce construction costs.

Once you have developed your incentive program it’s time to sell it, which starts with preparing your presentation.