Municipal permitting is often blamed for commercial construction delays, but Mike Marden, a registered architect and licensed general contractor at WDS Architecture in Phoenix, argues that the most damaging delays occur before a single document is filed.
Marden points to a common problem: clients treat casual conversations with city counter employees as authoritative guidance. A client may call the city, describe a project, and receive generic answers about timelines and required documents. However, these responses are not project-specific or documented. “They often say, ‘we already spoke with someone at the city. They said we just turn in this form and this is roughly the time,’” Marden says. “First of all, that’s not a documented conversation. There is no log number or record. None of that’s official. And everything on the checklist might not even apply.”
The city employee works from a script, not a tailored assessment. Checklists may include irrelevant requirements or omit critical ones. Clients who plan around such conversations may discover discrepancies only after entering the review process, costing months.
The sequential model of project delivery also creates built-in delays. In the conventional approach—complete design, submit for permits, wait, then build—nothing happens during review. The lease clock runs, contractors stand by, and trade partners are reserved but idle. “Did you think about the gap where you’re bidding and trying to find a contractor, meanwhile, permits are ready and you’ve signed the lease?” Marden asks.
Firms that consistently meet timelines compress the process. They engage the city early, understand specific inspectors’ requirements, and start non-permitted construction activities while review is underway. At WDS Commercial, “We can start building the project as we’re turning in for a permit,” Marden says. “We’re the contractor, already contracted with the Owner, and have spent months participating in the design. If we are questioned or told to turn in drawings, well, we have already done that because we are also the Architect! We can go right up to first inspection with our work, gaining a month versus waiting on bid results, contracts, permits, and mobilization, losing a month or two.”
This parallel approach is possible only when architect and contractor are integrated. A separate architect and contractor cannot begin construction without complete drawings and a contractor under contract.
WDS Architecture applies this by mobilizing for non-permit activities, such as staging, layout, scoping, testing, demo, subcontracting, and material ordering, while permit review proceeds. The firm also leverages relationships with local jurisdictions to understand real requirements. “Over here, where we do this every day, we know what really needs to go in, how long it’s really going to take,” Marden says.
WDS also advises clients on permitting implications during site selection, before a lease is signed. A location with a low price may carry hidden permitting complexity, while a cleaner site may open faster. “It’s like building a project twice, when dealing with existing conditions, removing what is there so that new material can be installed to meet code,” Marden says. A former restaurant may seem ready but require extensive code updates, eroding apparent savings.
For business owners planning commercial build-outs in Phoenix, the takeaway is clear: expected permitting timelines often understate reality, and delays frequently originate from pre-filing decisions, not city processing speed.
