Anthony Galluccio, land use and permitting attorney and law partner at Galluccio & Watson LLP, is issuing a public alert about a common and avoidable risk he sees across communities and careers: moving forward without understanding the process. After decades in public service, law, youth coaching, and charity leadership, Galluccio says the same mistake repeats itself. People rush and decide internally that their project is "good for the community." He emphasizes that the first public meeting should come after months of listening and getting to know neighbors. "Start ahead, stay ahead. Start with mistrust and you may never recover," Galluccio said.
Galluccio notes that some clients resist public process but either listen or learn the hard way. "Treat people as you would want to be treated if the project was in your neighborhood," he said. He advises against writing off opponents as unsolvable, noting that opposition can be cooled and opponents can become supporters. "Good intentions aren't enough," Galluccio added, stressing that compromise and trust-building are essential.
Studies show that nearly 60% of project delays stem from poor planning or unclear processes, and communities lacking public engagement experience higher conflict and longer approval timelines. Galluccio identifies the common trap of "drinking your own kool aid"—developers spending months internally celebrating a project without seeking real feedback. "Permitting isn't fast work; it's trust-based work," he said. "Community process saves people time later. You either invest it upfront or pay for it later."
Galluccio offers a self-check for those at risk: skipping community process, letting artificial deadlines control the process, relying on urgency instead of preparation, resenting challenging questions, assuming approval without confirmation, seeing compromise as failure, skipping planning, and viewing criticism as a setback rather than an opportunity. Answering "yes" to three or more suggests the risk applies.
He recommends a decision tree: if rushed, refine success as getting feasible entitlements approved on a reasonable timeline; if unclear, allow the project to evolve with community input; if facing resistance, encourage process that creates specific requests so the project becomes "theirs" not "yours"; if overwhelmed, remind yourself that permits must be earned. "Every day is like a game. You win, you reflect and get better; you lose, you get to practice and get better," Galluccio said.
Galluccio calls for comforting the community before they are unnerved, telling them there will be another meeting before the first one starts. "Trust is built when you show up consistently and respond to concerns," he said. "You have to get beat up, endure and prove to the community you are worthy of partnership."
