A significant obstacle to development in many cities is not zoning or neighborhood opposition, but the lack of clarity in the approval process itself. In Farmington Hills, Michigan, a new system is removing this uncertainty by offering developers unlimited, free pre-application meetings with all relevant municipal departments before any formal plans are submitted.
Cristia Brockway, Director of Economic Development for the City of Farmington Hills, has implemented a program that allows developers and business owners to meet with city staff from every service department at once. During these sessions, participants can review preliminary site plans, ask detailed questions, and receive clear guidance on what the city expects for a successful application.
“We offer people who are looking to bring in their businesses or developers or anybody looking to build something a free opportunity to meet with all of our service departments and ask questions,” Brockway says. “We will review a preliminary site plan if they have one. We will be able to share with them the information they have for their engineering requirements.”
These sessions are designed to address what Brockway calls the “multi-revision problem.” Traditionally, developers submit plans, receive comments requiring changes, resubmit, and repeat the cycle multiple times before receiving approval. Each round adds weeks or months to the process, increasing costs and often making borderline projects unfeasible.
Farmington Hills’ approach is distinct because it places no limits on the number of pre-application meetings developers can request. Brockway says developers can return for as many sessions as needed to refine their proposals.
“We will do that as many times as it takes for that discussion to provide them the best ample chance of submitting a perfect site plan for approval,” she says.
While this approach requires a significant commitment of staff time, Brockway argues that it pays off through higher-quality initial submissions and faster approvals. “When they are ready to build or ready to submit their plans, they have their best opportunity to submit their plans the first time, and it does not have to go back and forth multiple times because they missed something,” she explains.
This model also helps level the playing field between large developers with in-house consultants and smaller operators who may be unfamiliar with the municipal process. By making city staff expertise available to all applicants, Farmington Hills removes barriers for those without extensive resources or prior experience.
The pre-application sessions go beyond technical requirements. Brockway notes that city staff also provide insight into the preferences of local boards, commissions, and council members. This political context helps developers tailor their projects to align with community priorities from the outset, reducing the risk of encountering unexpected obstacles later.
“We like to be able to give them that information so when they are ready to build or ready to submit their plans, they have their best opportunity to submit their plans the first time,” Brockway says.
Sessions also address zoning questions, such as whether a project will require variances or special approvals. “We can offer suggestions on things that might need to be improved in terms of the plan or if there are things that are initially missing on their site plan or just even going over what the existing zoning is and how they might need to have something like variances,” she adds.
Jin-Jing Electric’s recent expansion illustrates the system’s effectiveness. The company, which had owned land in Farmington Hills for years, used the pre-application process to clarify requirements before formally submitting plans.
“What has set us apart is that we provide them the in-house opportunity without a cost to sit down and have that discussion,” Brockway says.
According to Brockway, the clarity and support offered through these consultations played a role in the company’s decision to expand in Farmington Hills rather than elsewhere. This suggests that transparent pre-application support can give cities a competitive edge in attracting investment.
Farmington Hills’ consultation system reflects a broader change in how cities interact with developers. Instead of acting solely as regulators, city staff serve as facilitators, helping projects move forward if they meet community standards.
“We can help provide that guidance,” Brockway says. The focus is on transparency and support, not just enforcement. The city makes its standards clear and helps applicants understand how to meet them before they commit significant resources to a formal submission.
This approach does not relax standards or guarantee approval for every project. Instead, it reduces uncertainty and helps applicants avoid costly mistakes or misunderstandings that can stall or derail development.
If Farmington Hills continues to attract investment and speed up approvals with this model, other cities may follow suit. The approach is especially relevant for communities competing for new projects in markets where developers have multiple location options.
However, the system requires both adequate staff capacity and a willingness to abandon the adversarial mindset that often characterizes municipal-developer relations. Cities considering this model must be prepared to invest time and shift their internal culture toward collaboration.
For municipalities where development has stalled despite available land and reasonable zoning, the problem may be less about demand and more about a confusing or unpredictable approval process. Farmington Hills’ experience suggests that offering transparent, unlimited pre-application consultation can unlock projects that might otherwise never happen.
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