Planning Director Explains How Infrastructure Vagueness Causes Cities to Lose Development Deals

Written by:

Rudi Davis

Date:

14 Feb 2026

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A persistent issue in real estate development rarely receives direct attention: many cities lack clear knowledge of their infrastructure capacity, making it difficult or impossible for developers to obtain straightforward answers about water and sewer availability. According to Waleed Albakry, Planning Director for the City of Danbury, Connecticut, this knowledge gap drives investors and developers to seek opportunities elsewhere.

When a developer submits plans for a significant residential or commercial project, one of their first questions is about the availability of water and sewer capacity. Too often, city officials provide vague or delayed responses, sometimes requiring lengthy studies to determine capacity. This uncertainty, Albakry says, derails deals before they begin and makes accurate financial planning impossible. Investors, faced with unpredictable costs and timelines, prefer to work in jurisdictions that offer clear, immediate answers.

“As an investor, nothing you will dislike more than vagueness,” Albakry says. He notes that the lack of clarity sometimes stems from unintentional gaps, as cities lack up-to-date data. “Sometimes the vagueness is strategic, because the city might not know,” he adds. This lack of information puts both the city and developers at a disadvantage.

The Infrastructure Knowledge Gap

Albakry emphasizes that most cities are not deliberately obstructive; they genuinely lack the information developers need. “For a long time, the city was not assessing infrastructure like water and sewer,” Albakry explains. When a development application is submitted, it can take months for staff to determine whether sufficient capacity exists, delaying projects and increasing risk for all parties.

The absence of reliable infrastructure data has concrete consequences for developers. Without precise information on water and sewer capacity, developers cannot estimate project costs, determine feasible densities, or provide investors with reliable timelines. Many developers, faced with this uncertainty, either abandon projects or pursue opportunities in cities where infrastructure answers are available up front.

“As an investor or somebody who is putting their money on the line, you need predictability,” Albakry says. The lack of it sends a clear signal: invest elsewhere.

The need for reliable infrastructure information is becoming more urgent as cities compete for development capital. Jurisdictions that can provide clear, timely information about infrastructure capacity and regulatory requirements have a distinct advantage. Cities that remain unclear or uncoordinated risk losing out to more transparent competitors.

Danbury’s Proactive Approach

To address the infrastructure knowledge gap, Danbury’s planning department has shifted its strategy. The City of Danbury is now conducting a comprehensive study to assess its water and sewer capacity before development proposals are submitted, rather than reacting to each application individually.

“We are working to stay ahead by knowing the current status of water and sewer capacity,” Albakry says. By identifying infrastructure constraints in advance, both developers and the City of Danbury can make informed decisions earlier in the process. This proactive assessment reduces surprises and allows for more accurate project planning.

This approach reflects a broader change in how the City of Danbury manages development. Instead of waiting for permit applications to trigger infrastructure assessments, the planning department is treating accurate capacity data as baseline information that should be in place before the market even expresses interest.

The Internal Coordination Challenge

A second source of vagueness, Albakry notes, is poor communication between city departments. When planning, engineering, utilities, and other departments do not coordinate, developers receive inconsistent or incomplete information.

To address internal coordination challenges, the City of Danbury now brings all development-related department heads together every four weeks to discuss current applications, upcoming projects, and opportunities to streamline the approval process. “We don’t wait for issues,” Albakry says. “We proactively anticipate challenges and know in advance what needs attention.” This regular coordination helps ensure that all departments are working from the same information and can respond quickly to developer needs.

The Emerging Solution

Danbury’s proactive strategy, which combines conducting infrastructure assessments before developers submit applications with improving internal coordination, offers a model for how cities can compete more effectively for development investment. By providing clarity and predictability, the City of Danbury positions itself as a more attractive destination for builders and investors.

Whether Danbury’s approach becomes standard practice may depend on how quickly other municipalities recognize the connection between clear information and their ability to attract new projects. For now, Albakry says, the problem remains widespread. Cities that fail to address their infrastructure knowledge gaps often remain unaware of the opportunities they are missing to more transparent, better-prepared competitors.

The stakes are growing as developers seek out cities where they can move quickly and plan with confidence. For municipalities, investing in accurate infrastructure data and internal coordination may be the difference between attracting new development and losing projects to other jurisdictions.