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Gonsalves: How to wage NIMBY warfare
By Sean Gonsalves
September 18, 2011 – 2:00 AM
Here’s a book to put on your fall reading list — “NIMBY Wars: The Politics of Land Use” by P. Michael Saint, Robert J. Flavell, and Patrick F. Fox.

Whether we’re talking about the roulette of rhetoric over casino and wind turbine proposals, or plans for a new supermarket, school, or backyard chicken coop, “all politics is local (and) all land use is political,” as the book’s first chapter explores.

The new land-use reality is not like the “good ol’ days,” when building permits were rubber-stamped without requiring, say, a subdivision developer to include wastewater infrastructure and roads so taxpayers aren’t saddled with multibillion-dollar sewer projects, or expensive road takings when residents learn they can’t get snow plow service on their private way.

Nowadays, development brings out the Not-In-My-Back-Yard naysayers, no matter how much “economic growth” or “community benefit” is in sight.

Of course, “if the only opposition to a project proposal is from competitors or outside interest groups, local officials aren’t generally going to pay much heed. But fill the hall with angry constituents with their built-in credibility and right to vote, and local public officials will sit up, listen, and usually act accordingly,” the authors note.

Founder and CEO of the Hingham-based Saint Consulting Group (www.tscg.biz), P. Michael Saint is one of the leading land-use consultants in the country, former owner of the Cape Cod Business Journal, and, incidentally, the son of the late Brewster Selectman Paul Saint. (Saint’s Landing, across the street from Robbins Hill Road in Brewster, is named after Saint’s family.)

When I spoke to him on Friday from his home in Franklin, Tenn., Saint said when it comes to land-use politics, perception is reality. He also pointed out how a small group of well-organized neighborhood opponents can have a disproportionate influence on outcomes; partly because, even if a majority of local residents favor a project, it’s much easier to get fired-up opponents to pack a meeting for something they reject, than to get proponents to show up.

Keep in mind, the most recent annual “Saint Index” survey found that 79 percent of Americans want NO new development built in their community. Period. The GOP spin about tax rates and “regulatory uncertainty” notwithstanding, NIMBYism is a formidable “job killer” in its own right.

“And in more well-to-do communities, people aren’t swayed by arguments about jobs and increased tax revenues,” Saint said.

There’s two big common mistakes project proponents often make, he said. The first is not understanding the various types of opposition groups and their reasons for saying no. The second is launching a project proposal from a marketing perspective, instead of treating it like a political campaign.

“You have to distinguish between types (of opposition) because how you deal with them are different,” Saint said.

There are the NIMBYs fearful of change and the potential impact on their property values. “They react emotionally, but if you talk to them before their opinions harden you can often find ways to mitigate the negative consequences or alleviate fears.”

There are labor unions opposed to a proposal, hoping to force employers to hire union labor. “They are trying to give themselves leverage. So you’ll see a union fight a Wal-Mart, for example. But union concerns can’t be solved by the solutions offered to NIMBYs,” Saint said.

A third type of opposition comes from competitors, who sell products or services in a geographic area where they depend on a limited customer pool. Supermarkets and malls have these kind of behind-the-scenes fights all the time.

“There’s only so many sales dollars in a geographic area for a particular industry. Hospitals are a good example. And sometimes competitors will give technical support to the NIMBYs.”

Lastly, there are activists committed to a cause like environmentalism, where you may see members of an interest group arrive from across the country because a project threatens the cause.

The second big mistake project planners often make is not taking the time and effort to find local citizens to support and get involved in the project. “It’s not enough to put out a fancy press release and brochure,” Saint said. “You don’t buy in the same way you sell toothpaste.”

But “NIMBY Wars” isn’t a mere how-to manual for developers. There are insights for activists, too. “The approval of a new use-of-land is a political process. If you don’t want it, you have to run a political campaign against it. If you want it, you have to run a political campaign for it,” Saint said.

It may be human nature to oppose change that new development brings. NIMBYism will be with us for a while. But, if you’re going to do battle, better to know the lay of the land.

Wastewater planners, wind turbine foes and allies, conservationists and project proponents everywhere — read this book and pray for a Saint to come along.

Read past Sean Gonsalves columns at www.capecodonline.com/gonsalves. Email him at sgonsalves@capecodonline.com.