December 13, 2008 Venture Nashville Connections
'Nowhere is Safe': Saint Reaches $30MM in NIMBY Wars
FRANKLIN-BASED MIKE SAINT HAS CREATED A $30 MILLION INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANCY DRIVEN BY CONTROVERSY, THANKS LARGELY TO "DOING LESS," IN ORDER TO DO IT VERY, VERY WELL.
Saint is founder, chairman, CEO and treasurer of The Saint Consulting Group Inc., which helps real-estate developers and industrial plant builders win government permits or thwart competitors' projects, through political action.
In a series of VNC interviews, Saint explained that 25 years of political skirmishing has taught him and his colleagues a lot about the strength of passion, over intellect.
Saint's work has traditionally centered on major retailers' development projects – often headline-making "big-boxes." Now, his portfolio also includes wind-to-energy farms, healthcare facilities, landfills, mining operations and other projects facing land-use conflicts.
http://www.venturenashville.com/news.php?viewStory=191
December 2008 Campaigns & Elections' Politics magazine
Winners and Losers In the 2008 Election Cycle
Saint Consulting is included in Campaign & Elections' Politics magazine's annual listing of winners and losers in the 2008 election cycle. Saint is listed for the firm's work on behalf of the winning rail transportation referendum in Honolulu.
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Fall 2008 Concrete Answers
You Can Pay For It Now Or Pay For It Later
by Saint Consulting's Christopher M. Hopkins
Being a good corporate neighbor takes a lot of time and effort—but the rewards are significant.
Rohrer's Quarry, Inc. experienced the benefits first-hand when it recently won permits for a new concrete plant in Lititz, Pennsylvania.
Rohrer's has a long history of community involvement, from community open houses (last year's attracted more than 3,000 visitors) to school tours and participation in the "Pennsylvania Rock Hound Kit" programme sponsored by Pennsylvania Geologic Survey.
October 2008 Colorado Biz
FasTracks to Private Property
RTD AND LAND OWNERS BATTLE OVER EMINENT DOMAIN AS THE TRANSIT PROJECT GAINS MOMENTUM
Plastered along the faux-Grecian columns of Denver’s Civic Center Park, giant red, white and
blue banners fairly scream at the few dozen people gathered on this gray February day to protest
the "land grab" of private property by Denver’s Regional Transportation District.
"RTD: You may take our property from us, but you will never take us from our property."
"RTD: We tear down buildings just because we can."
http://www.cobizmag.com/articles.asp?id=2363
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August 1, 2008 Retail Traffic
In Your Face
They started as a way for college students to connect with their peers without getting off the couch, but
today social networking sites are gaining momentum as one of the tools real estate developers can use to
gain support for their projects. Since signing up for a profile costs nothing and has the potential to expose a
property to thousands of people, Washington, D.C.-based developer Madison Marquette recently created
Facebook pages for several of its upcoming projects.
August 2008 Public Affairs
Developers Suffering Amid Downturn and 'Nimbyism'
Public attitudes towards new building are becoming increasingly hostile, according to research presented at a housing-sector conference.
Nick Keable, vice-president of UK operations at Saint Consulting, presented the research at the 'Delivering housing growth: overcoming opposition' conference on 8 July, which showed increasing 'nimbyism' ('not in my back yard' attitudes) among Brits over the last three years.
Keable was presenting results of a survey of 1,006 of UK adults in mid-February undertaken by ComRes on behalf of his firm. The South West was statistically the 'most nimby', with the North East the least.
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July 2008 Aggregates Manager Atlas
After You Beat Them, Join Them
DON'T VIEW PERMITTING AS A ONETIME PUBLIC RELATIONS ENDEAVOR. THOSE OLD FRIENDS MAY INFLUENCE NEW GOALS AS WELL.
The relief of no longer having to deal with irrational neighborhood opponents and their trumped-up arguments can be one of the most satisfying parts of successfully permitting your quarry or plant and opening for business. You'll never have to deal with those meddling troublemakers again.
It's an appealing pipe dream. But sitting back and expecting your vanquished foes to "live and let live" won't cut it.
You may not know it now, but eventually you’ll find yourself needing zoning relief or public approvals for change in your operations or an expansion. You might even want to open a new facility in another community miles away.
July 10, 2008 The Philadelphia Inquirer
A Toxic Cargo: Slots In Phila.
Remember the Khian Sea? The cargo ship, dubbed the Flying Dutchman of Debris, spent 14 months in the 1980s
sailing the globe with 14,000 tons of Philadelphia's toxic incinerator dust in search of a landfill.
Know what's like the Khian Sea? Philadelphia's proposed casinos. The big boxes of slots keep moving in search of a
final resting place.
Turns out citizens don't want them in their neighborhood. Which is a problem because Philadelphia, you may have
noticed, is a city of neighborhoods. Local and state representatives, who like to get reelected, are fighting the current
locations.
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July 10, 2008 Ottawa Citizen
Food Prices Prompt Rethink of Ethanol Policy
BOOST TO 10% OF GAS NOW UNLIKELY
Ontario is considering turning its back on a promise to boost ethanol content in gasoline in light of the biofuel's
impact on rising food costs, Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday.
Mr. McGuinty questioned whether it "is in the public interest" to raise the proportion of the corn-derived additive to
10 per cent of all gasoline. The province has maintained five per cent ethanol content at gas pumps since Jan. 1,
2007.
But increased worldwide ethanol production is being blamed for soaring food prices, as rising grain prices put
pressure on meat, dairy and poultry producers.
July 1, 2008 Commercial Property News
Economy May Sputter; NIMBY Still Refuses to Let Up
Though a new mall down the road would create jobs and revenue, the NIMBY movement
remains strong. Communities are still reluctant to roll out the red carpet for real estate
projects targeting their neighborhoods, despite the potential economic rewards.
According to the national Saint Index Snapshot poll, only 29 percent of Americans
support new development in the disagreeable economic climate. And 75 percent of U.S.
residents object to loosening land-use regulations.
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Summer, 2008 Development Magazine
The 2007 Saint Index©: Survey Reveals Energy Awareness and NIMBYism Growth
According to The Saint Consulting Group's third annual survey across 14 industries
and five regions, apartment/condominium, office building and large shopping center
development sectors have encountered slightly more opposition in 2007 than
2006.
July 09, 2008 National Post
Nimbys Turn Against Ethanol
ALTERNATIVE FUEL PLANTS JOIN RANKS OF SUCH OTHER UNDESIRABLE LOCAL DEVELOPMENTS AS NECULAR POWER FACILITIES AND WAL-MART STORES, SURVEY FINDS.
Most Canadians - 53%, up from 45% last year - would now oppose construction of a local ethanol plant, according to the Saint Consulting Group's second annual national survey of responses to various real estate developments.
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=641366
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May 19, 2008 Los Angeles Times
Don't Count On Prop. 99
THE PURPORTED ANTI-CONDEMNATION MEASURE WOULD ACTUALLY BLOCK MEANINGFUL EMINENT-DOMAIN REFORM.
The U.S. Supreme Court created a huge political backlash when it ruled that local governments could use eminent domain to seize private property and transfer it to other private owners for "economic development." Since the Kelo ruling in 2005, 42 states have enacted limitations on eminent domain—not always effective ones. But like lawmakers in many other states, some California officials are trying to block real eminent domain reform.
On June 3, Californians will vote on Proposition 99, a ballot initiative sponsored by groups representing cities, counties, redevelopment agencies and other pro-condemnation interests. It purports to protect property rights against eminent domain, but it actually provides almost no protection.
May/June 2008 Resource
The Politics Of Land Use
NO ONE LIKES TO BE THOUGHT OF AS A NIMBY. OR DO WE? LIBBY PEAKE SHOWS HOW THE LATEST RESEARCH FROM SAINT CONSULTING TELLS US EXACTLY WHAT THE UK WILL TOLERATE, AND HOW WELL THIS BODES FOR GOVERNMENT POLICY.
As the population of Britain continues to grow and undeveloped land decreases correspondingly, the politics of land use becomes ever more intriguing and indeed pressing to those affected by new development. Since 2006, the Saint Consulting Group has produced the UK Saint Index to monitor public attitudes towards real estate projects and recently published its 2008 index quantifying the attitudes of 1,000 UK citizens towards large-scale developments.
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May 2008 Shopping Center Business
Opposition To Development Takes A New Turn
VIEWS ARE CHANGING AS THE COMMERCIAL MARKET SLOWS, BUT NIMBYISM CONTINUES TO SPREAD.
Opposition to development—commercial and residential—is increasing, and represents a growing concern for real estate developers and politicians alike, according to the 2007 Saint Index Survey of Americans' attitudes towards development. In comparison to 2006, when opposition to large shopping center development eased slightly, this is no longer the case. There has always been and continues to be, strong opposition to development projects. In fact, nationwide, 78 percent of Americans believe there should be no new development in their hometown, saying their community is fine the way it is or already over-developed—a 6 percent increase after 2 years holding steady at 73 percent.
May 5, 2008 Shopping Centres Today Week
Saint: Use Political Savvy To Win Over Project Foes
Developers could take notes from presidential candidates Barack Obama and John
McCain when trying to put a new center in a community, because often it involves a
major political undertaking, says a consultant, who specializes in winning
communities over to developments.
“When you drill down into the heart of all this, people are afraid that new
development will adversely affect them. That emotion overcomes any facts given to
them,” said Michael Saint, founder of The Saint Consulting Group, based in Hingham,
Mass., who will participate in a discussion panel on such issues at ICSC’s RECon (May
18–21).
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May 2008 Quarry Management
Care for the Community
WITH THE SPREAD OF 'NIMBYISM', THE AGGREGATES INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO FACE THE CHALLENGING TEST OF CHANGING THE NEGATIVE PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF QUARRIES. THE SAINT CONSULTING GROUP OFFER SOME ADVICE ON OVERCOMING PUBLIC OPPOSITION
A recent survey carried out by The Saint Consulting Group has found that nearly nine out of 10 people in Britain are NIMBYs (people who oppose development under the banner ‘Not In My Backyard’). Clearly, this does not bode well for quarry operators, as the 2008 Saint UK Index showed that almost a quarter of all UK households have objected to a planning application of one kind or another in their local area over the last 12 months.
April 1, 2008 Western Mail
Land of the NIMBYs - How Welsh Try to Send Developers Elsewhere
CASINOS VIE WITH LANDFILLS AS MOST POPULAR
Four out of five people in Wales have been classed as "Nimbys" by an annual survey that reveals hardening oppositions to new buildings, roads or industrial developments.
The research also reveals another increase in the proportion of people who would oppose in a new supermarket in their area.
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales...
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April 1, 2008 Chain Store Age
Upping the Anti-
If you could choose between having a dump or a casino in your backyard, which would it be?
It didn't take me but about a half-second to answer "neither," and I'm feeling pretty comfortable that you're in agreement. And a whole lot of Americans are with us.
The most recent Saint Index survey of Americans' attitudes toward development revealed that casinos are now tied with landfills as the most-opposed type of local real estate project. The 2007 report, created by New York City-based Saint Consulting Group with the University of Massachusetts' Center for Economic and Civic Opinion, polled 1,000 respondents in the third
quarter of 2007.
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March 30, 2008 Honolulu Star Bulletin
Operator Cites Shortage of Construction Materials
Grace Pacific is sending out an SOS to the construction industry over the delays in getting permits to expand and extend the operational life of Makakilo Quarry.
While the company has six to eight years left of grade B aggregate in its current quarry pit, it needs grade A aggregate to complete many of its construction commitments on the island, said Bob Creps, a senior vice president at Grace Pacific.
http://starbulletin.com/2008/03/30/business/story02.html
March 21, 2008 Regeneration & Renewal
Residents Oppose New Development
Nearly nine out of ten UK residents are opposed to future development near them, according to a survey.
In a poll of 1,000 people by Saint Consulting Group, released during the Mipim conference, 86 per cent said that their neighbourhoods are either overdeveloped or have the right level of development already. And 68 per cent said the Government's goal of building three million homes by 2020 is unrealistic.
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March 15, 2008 The Grocer
Convenience Hit Hardest by Opposition to Development
Public opposition to c-store and supermarket development has deepened dramatically over the past year.
A survey of 1,000 people, conducted by planning specialists Saint Consulting, found a rise in so-called NIMBY-ism across the board.
C-stores have fallen most in popularity with an approval rating of 4% compared with 13% last year, according to the report's authors, who blamed the rapid expansion of the multiples' convenience formats.
March 15, 2008 Estates Gazette
No Kudos From Planning Gain
Almost 70% of the public cannot identify any planning gain in their community, despite developers spending billions on section 106 agreements.
According to the latest Saint UK report - published at MIPIM this week - developers gain little or no kudos for the £2bn they spend on planning gain each year.
The report, which surveyed the attitudes of 1,000 people towards property development, also reveals a growing trend of NIMBYism in the UK - with one in four households having actively opposed a planning application within the past year.
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March 14, 2008 Property Week
Research Reveals Nimby Britain
The British public is becoming increasingly hostile to development and often actively opposes it, according to a survey carried out by the Saint Consulting Group.
In its second annual survey of public attitude to development, the group found, after questioning 1,000 people, that 86% of the British public can now be classified as nimbys.
March 14, 2008 Planning Portal
One in Four UK Households Opposed Planning Application Last Year
One in four UK households has actively opposed a planning application last year and some 86 per cent of the population can be classified as 'nimbys' (Not In My Back Yard).
That's according to the latest annual survey on attitudes to property development carried out by The Saint Group. The survey showed that 65 per cent of those polled were dissatisfied with their council's performance on planning while 69 per cent could not identify any planning gain in their community.
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March 14, 2008 Planning Daily
Survey Pans Gains Profile
DEVELOPERS MUST DO MORE TO INFORM THE PUBLIC WHEN PLANNING GAIN CONTRIBUTION BENEFIT THEIR COMMUNITIES, A LEADING POLITICAL LAND-USE CONSULTANCY HAS SAID.
This would improve the public's perception of development and reduce nimbyism, according to Saint Consulting managing director Nick Keable.
In its annual survey into attitudes on development, the consultancy found that 69 per cent of people cannot identify any planning gain in their community, despite £2 billion being spent in England each year on facilities such as public spaces.
March 14, 2008 Building Magazine
Public Sceptical of 3 Million Drive
The government’s housing plans have been put under further scrutiny as two pieces of research show falling public support.
A report by Saint Consulting revealed that 68% of the British public does not believe the government can deliver 3 million new homes by 2020.
At the same time the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has produced research showing that 53% of people are opposing the targets. As a result, it has launched a campaign to call for a government rethink.
http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=555...
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March 11, 2008 The Birmingham Post (UK)
NIMBYs Are Thorn In Hide of Developers
Government policy and public opinion are pulling in different directions over development, according to a new survey by the Saint Consulting Group released at MIPIM.
It shows a growing tide of 'NIMBY' (Not in My Backyard) anger is frustrating development.
Saint Consulting says 86 per cent of the public can be classed as NIMBYs - one-in-four households has actively opposed a planning application in the past year.
March 10, 2008 Reuters UK
Britons Don't Trust Government Building Plans
LONDON (Reuters) - More than two-thirds of Britons don't believe the government can achieve
its goal of building three million new homes by 2020, according to a survey published on Monday.
And not only that but nearly nine out of 10 people and one in four households has objected in the
past year to a local planning apllication, making the British a nation of NIMBYs (Not In My
BackYard), Saint Consulting said.
"We are seeing NIMBYism increasing and local community activism against development
spiralling upwards," said Nick Keable, the group's UK managing director.
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March 3, 2008 The Tennessean
Consultant says developers must organize to fight NIMBYs
"People think developers get everything they want," Michael Saint told a meeting of the Urban Land Institute on Friday morning. "That's a joke these days."
To Saint, a consultant who specializes in zoning battles, the NIMBYs—people who oppose development under the banner Not In My Backyard—are on the ascendancy. A survey conducted by his firm last fall in coordination with the University of Massachusetts found that 78 percent of Americans believe there should be absolutely no new development in their hometown.
March 2008 MIPIM News
Upping the Antis
THE THIRD ANNUAL SURVEY OF PUBLIC ATTITUDE TO PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT IN THE UK, CARRIED OUT BY THE SAINT CONSULTING GROUP, HAS BEEN RELEASED. THE REPORT’S FINDINGS HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPERS AND BOTH CENTRAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE UK - AND POSSIBLY IN THE WIDER EUROPEAN AREA. PAUL STROHM REPORTS
When 1,000 people from up and down the UK were polled recently, the resulting survey revealed that government policy and public opinion are at odds over development. Sixty-eight per cent of those questioned, for example, said that the goal of building three million new homes by 2020 is unrealistic
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February 22, 2008 EnergyWashington.com
Poll Shows Support Increasing For Power Plant Construction
The popular notion of energy security (due in part to rhetoric coming out of Washington), as well as the rise in the price of oil and electricity, may be driving Americans to abide by siting decisions to build new power plants near or in their neighborhoods, according to an international development pollster, who has been tracking public opinion on energy infrastructure for a real estate developer clientèle.
The new polling data could indicate the public has turned a corner when it comes to the construction of new energy infrastructure. The change is significant, considering the states’ alarm over federal preemption authority in siting transmission lines, considered by many the most critical energy infrastructure weakness. Although the percentages of opposition are still relatively high, the pollster says there has been a substantial
rise in the popularity and support for power plant construction in the last year. He notes that the rise is somewhat unprecedented in terms of the nation’s willingness to have new facilities built near homes and residential areas.
February 2008 Rock Products
Overcoming Public Opposition To Quarry Development
So, you want to build a quarry? "Not in my community!"
That's the opinion of 64 percent of Americans interviewed for the 2007 Saint Index survey of attitudes toward real estate development. To put that into startling perspective, 65 percent said they would oppose a nuclear power plant in their hometown. Only land-fills and casinos—both with 76 percent opposition—are more opposed.
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Winter 2008 Land Development
Public Distrust of Development in U.S. Grows; First Time in Two Years
THE NATIONWIDE THEME OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC SEEMS TO BE: NO NEW DEVELOPMENT, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST DATA FROM THE SAINT CONSULTING COMPANY.
Our firm's latest Saint Index© found that 78 percent of Americans believe new development should not occur in their hometowns—which is up 5 points from the 2006 survey, after holding steady for two years.
The most significant overall finding, however, was that Americans are far more willing to fight than support local development projects. The survey found that just under a quarter (24 percent) of Americans say they or a family member have actively opposed development and 30 percent belong to the most vocal group, which is individuals aged 56–65
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