Every business large and small must have the correct permits approved by the Planning Commission and if denied the city or town council . The process needs diplomacy, correct plans submitted and all of the various sign offs from several departments within. For example fire and Parks and Recreation for anything having to do with the outside.
HWG Law Group has had years of experience helping to navigate many projects through the city and towns. Often times neighbors within 500 feet of a project have the right to appeal . While the majority of the time these people do not prevail their filings trigger an appeal process that requires skill and advanced planning. The ABC for liquor licensing for expansions of patio seating is a big cause for many near by homeowners.
Lawyers are often brought in to organize the position of the merchant and are a key bridge between the fight. Many business’s do not know that a tree cannot even be removed without a permit even if it has been damaged by mother nature. Pull the tree without permits the city (San Jose for example) sends a hugely high bill and a command to appear at a hearing to explain. This happened at Santana Row years ago and it was a very high drama proceeding. Armed with a carefully prepared lawyer the matter was resolved favorably.
HWG Law Group first experience in the permit process happened many years ago in Los Gatos. Federal Reality Investment Trust (FREIT) owns a shopping center in town -Old Town. The problem was with a wide fence around a huge tree that blocked a direct access from the parking lot into the front door of the store. With thousands of dollars of rent on the line with the lease in peril . Having a professional relationship with the Town of Los Gatos for many years FREIT hired HWG Law Group to fix the problem. The time to complete the project was six weeks. Mr. Green completed the task including having the fence reduced to the requirements of the merchant in eight yes 8 hours.
Many times the key to resolving conflicts in the permit process is relationship building. If a town council vote is required rather than going in with a “big stick” the better approach is to have the arguments and evidence uploaded into a disc that every council member can upload to their computers and then quickly view the sticking points (advance can be welcomed by most cities and towns as council time is a premium similar to a court) and then make final arguments on the record.
HWG Law Group with Mr. Green can use these techniques and get the project from a stalled and thus expensive phase to place the permits on the job site and keep the opening date or completion schedule as set by the project manager.
HWG Law Group has three convenient office locations to meet and discuss the permit problem. The office works on a flat fee in most cases making it easier to cap costs and stay within a budget. Every stage is negotiable and can be worked out so the business has an effective advocate without running the risk of a high legal bill set at every seven minutes by the clock (as is often the case).
HWG Law Group looks forward to stepping in and get the permits approved, the plans signed off and the project finished. Whether it is from City Hall’s in San Jose to Santa Cruz or up to Palo Alto or down to local townships such as Los Gatos Mr. Green is here to help.
