See John Eric's BIO at https:// about.me/jpbauer
Monday, March 7, 2016
New Brunswick Property Tax Assessment Search - Propertize.ca
New Brunswick Property Tax Assessment Search - Propertize.ca: View and compare property tax assessment information for properties located in New Brunswick.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Friday, March 4, 2016
Development Planning Commissions are strictly focused on maximizing and extracting as many benefits possible for their community
TITLE OF POST - Development Planning Commissions are strictly focused on maximizing and extracting as many "Green" benefits as possible for their community
I have been a lawyer practicing real estate law in New Brunswick for over thirty (30) years, and I have seen a noticeable change in the way Development Planning Officers interact with Developers in the last 5 - 7 years, some changes good and some not so good changes.
From the good side, Development Planners are more knowledgeable and better trained to keep up with the needs of the building and construction industries which have embraced technology to keep up with the fast pace of change and competition in the business and residential marketplace. The creation of Professional Associations for people working in the Municipal Planning and Development areas has most certainly elevated both the level of general knowledge as well as special areas of expertise being shared among its members, leading to a more informed group of planners.
From the bad side, it seems, and this is speaking solely from my vantage point, as though senior planners in the planning departments are being dictated / ordered by their political masters, namely the Municipal Councillors for the communities they work for, to ensure development projects are being carried out with much more "Green" attributes and initiatives, with little or no consideration be given to the huge costs associated with same. So what is wrong with that, you say?
The costs of real estate developing are increasing at rates faster than the consumers can or are willing to pay for and that doesn't bode well for real estate developers, who operate business with a view of making a profit and remaining profitable for the foreseeable future. I think it is fair to say that municipal councils are instructing their municipal planning development officers ( and often on a micro-management basis) to incorporate more and more "Greening" and environmental friendly initiatives in the new residential and commercial development projects seeking approval, thereby substantially increasing the costs of the developer. It used to be municipal planning officials would use persuasion, friendly suggestions and encouragement to have developers incorporate new "Green" initiatives into their real estate development projects, Now, developers are being told that their development projects will not be approved without x, y and z being done. In effect, they are being ordered to do additional "Green" development work, failing which their development projects will be refused their Construction/Building Permit to proceed.
A City's Municipal Plan and Subdivision By-Law sets out the rules and guidelines on any real estate development taking place in their respective communities, In recent years, what I and my developer clients find most dissheartening is the extreme and hard line positions now being taken by planning staff and the senior planner's unwillingness and refusal to negotiate and discuss a fair and reasonable solution to a development project requirement, without breaking the bank.
Personally, I feel this attitude stems from the degree of micro managing that appears to take place between the municipality's politicians and the municipality's senior development planners during the approval process of a particular development project(s).
Where are we at now? The economy has somewhat weakened in the winter of 2016, and developers have naturally scaled back their 2016 development plans accordingly, however, when the economy strengthens, and good times are back again, it will certainly be interesting to see how many developers will be moving ahead with new development projects anytime soon. Yes, only time will tell.
I have been a lawyer practicing real estate law in New Brunswick for over thirty (30) years, and I have seen a noticeable change in the way Development Planning Officers interact with Developers in the last 5 - 7 years, some changes good and some not so good changes.
From the good side, Development Planners are more knowledgeable and better trained to keep up with the needs of the building and construction industries which have embraced technology to keep up with the fast pace of change and competition in the business and residential marketplace. The creation of Professional Associations for people working in the Municipal Planning and Development areas has most certainly elevated both the level of general knowledge as well as special areas of expertise being shared among its members, leading to a more informed group of planners.
From the bad side, it seems, and this is speaking solely from my vantage point, as though senior planners in the planning departments are being dictated / ordered by their political masters, namely the Municipal Councillors for the communities they work for, to ensure development projects are being carried out with much more "Green" attributes and initiatives, with little or no consideration be given to the huge costs associated with same. So what is wrong with that, you say?
The costs of real estate developing are increasing at rates faster than the consumers can or are willing to pay for and that doesn't bode well for real estate developers, who operate business with a view of making a profit and remaining profitable for the foreseeable future. I think it is fair to say that municipal councils are instructing their municipal planning development officers ( and often on a micro-management basis) to incorporate more and more "Greening" and environmental friendly initiatives in the new residential and commercial development projects seeking approval, thereby substantially increasing the costs of the developer. It used to be municipal planning officials would use persuasion, friendly suggestions and encouragement to have developers incorporate new "Green" initiatives into their real estate development projects, Now, developers are being told that their development projects will not be approved without x, y and z being done. In effect, they are being ordered to do additional "Green" development work, failing which their development projects will be refused their Construction/Building Permit to proceed.
A City's Municipal Plan and Subdivision By-Law sets out the rules and guidelines on any real estate development taking place in their respective communities, In recent years, what I and my developer clients find most dissheartening is the extreme and hard line positions now being taken by planning staff and the senior planner's unwillingness and refusal to negotiate and discuss a fair and reasonable solution to a development project requirement, without breaking the bank.
Personally, I feel this attitude stems from the degree of micro managing that appears to take place between the municipality's politicians and the municipality's senior development planners during the approval process of a particular development project(s).
Where are we at now? The economy has somewhat weakened in the winter of 2016, and developers have naturally scaled back their 2016 development plans accordingly, however, when the economy strengthens, and good times are back again, it will certainly be interesting to see how many developers will be moving ahead with new development projects anytime soon. Yes, only time will tell.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Saturday, August 1, 2015
A very simple yet important rule: Don't jerk people around!
I picked up up the following commentary from Seth Godin, who is a remarkable person as well as a genius marketing guru:
Yes!, please and thank you
Don't jerk people around
Here's a simple marketing strategy for a smaller company trying to compete in a big-company world: Choose your customers, trust them, treat them well.
Say yes.
Bend the rules.
Show up on time.
Keep your promises.
Don't exert power merely because you can.
Be human, be kind, pay attention, smile.
Not everyone deserves this sort of treatment, not everyone will do their part to be the kind of customer you can delight and serve. But that's okay, you don't need everyone.
When in doubt, be the anti-airline.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
The landlord’s only alleged crime was leasing space to a medical marijuana tenant
The landlord’s only alleged crime was leasing space to a medical marijuana tenant
There is an interesting legal development going on in Colorado, U.S.A. As most people know, the Federal Laws of the United States are zero tolerance for drugs, however, a few states, including Colorado have state laws permitting both the sale and personal use of marijuana. An anti-crime group called Safe Streets Alliance and a hotel operator sued a landlord (and others) under the Federal RICO statute for engaging in a criminal enterprise. As far as I know, the landlord’s only crime was leasing space to a medical marijuana tenant near the hotel. I have checked on the case occasionally and it seems to be going well for the plaintiffs.
There is an interesting legal development going on in Colorado, U.S.A. As most people know, the Federal Laws of the United States are zero tolerance for drugs, however, a few states, including Colorado have state laws permitting both the sale and personal use of marijuana. An anti-crime group called Safe Streets Alliance and a hotel operator sued a landlord (and others) under the Federal RICO statute for engaging in a criminal enterprise. As far as I know, the landlord’s only crime was leasing space to a medical marijuana tenant near the hotel. I have checked on the case occasionally and it seems to be going well for the plaintiffs.
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