Debating whether to gut renovate or just patch up a 1980s office building in Columbus - took 3 weeks to get a straight answer from the city on permits

I spent 45 days just waiting on a zoning variance for a strip mall in Cleveland, which made me miss an entire leasing season - do you push through the red tape or just work around it?

3 comments

3 Comments

stellam8922h ago

That 45 day wait on the zoning variance sounds brutal, especially missing an entire leasing season. I feel your pain on the red tape, it's like they don't care about your timeline at all. If you can swing the cost, I'd push through the permit route rather than risk bigger headaches later.

williamprice12h ago

That 45 day wait is annoying yeah but think about what happens when you rush the permit route and an inspector shows up after your tenants moved in. I've watched projects get shut down for months over one thing like a window being 6 inches off from the plans. Sometimes that extra time with the board actually saves you from way bigger problems down the road.

evah4017h ago

OH TOTALLY agree with you on that. The permit route might cost more upfront but it SAVES you from those endless back and forth with the board later. I've seen people try to save a few grand and end up spending double on lawyers and fees because the city flagged their work. Plus once you're under the gun with tenants waiting, every extra month of delay is lost money anyway. Better to take the hit now and have the peace of mind that everything's above board.