Zoning laws can drastically affect your ability to use your commercial property as you see fit. If you wind up buying a piece of commercial real estate that’s subjected to restrictive zoning ordinances, then you’ll have to take additional action to seek a variance if necessary to conduct business. But this isn’t a process you navigate every day, so the process may seem burdensome. We hope this post will give you some insight into how to prepare your argument for a zoning variance.
Tips for presenting an effective argument for a zoning variance
The zoning variance process may seem nebulous, but there’s a lot you can do to advance your interests and give yourself a better chance at success. This includes:
- Gathering evidence that shows how the applicable zoning law creates a substantial hardship that is much more than a slight inconvenience.
- Demonstrating how your request seeks the minimal amount of change to alleviate any hardship you may be facing.
- Highlighting how the issue at hand is unique to your property and is not consistent throughout the neighborhood.
- Showing that you haven’t created the problem at hand.
- Demonstrating how you won’t be able to put the property to conforming use without the variance.
- Illustrating how even with the variance your modifications won’t affect neighboring properties or negatively impact public health.
Build an effective argument for your zoning variance request
Your ability to secure a zoning variance could make or break your vision of the future, potentially causing significant damage to your profitability. Fortunately, you can increase your chances of securing the outcome that you want by gathering evidence and tailoring your arguments to the laws at hand.