Issue #37: Lessons in Leveling (Decks and Egos Alike)

Welcome back, everyone! This week finds me reflecting on what happens when theory meets reality in this wild world of development. After thirty years in the business, I'm still getting schooled—sometimes by a crooked deck, sometimes by my tech-savvy son, and sometimes by small-town officials with big-city tactics.

Turns out there's a peculiar kind of wisdom that only comes from getting your hands dirty again. Who knew that the path to becoming a better consultant would involve so many humbling moments?

A quick note about this week's issue: You've probably noticed I've been experimenting with different sections in the newsletter. After getting your feedback (thanks for the brutally honest emails), I've learned that while you can get real estate development news anywhere, what you really want from me are solutions to old problems. So I'm officially rebranding the "Logical Links" section to "Land Tech" – a weekly feature where I test tools, prompts, and experiments so you don't have to. From zoning hacks to time-saving workflows, you'll get one tech-powered insight each week to help you move faster, think clearer, and waste less money.

Let's dive into a few “short takes” from the last little while...

Back To Basics: The Deck Debacle

After three decades navigating boardrooms and orchestrating eight-figure development deals, I've spent the past year in the trenches again—drawing site plans, calculating grades, and actually walking properties instead of just flying over them in PowerPoints.

And you know what? It's been humbling in the best possible way.

Case in point: Last summer I built a deck at our vacation property. Not because I couldn't hire someone (consultant rates are treating me just fine, thank you), but because I wanted to reconnect with the tactile side of building.

There I was, the guy who once directed the engineering of a 320-acre master-planned community, meticulously checking grades on a 200-square-foot deck. My previous team would barely recognize their former boss on his knees with a level, obsessing over a 2% slope for proper drainage.

The result? A perfectly sloped deck that isn't remotely square.

Lesson learned: Some principles never change, whether you're developing a commercial complex or building a backyard deck. Get the fundamentals right first, then worry about the refinements.

This renewed appreciation for fundamentals has actually transformed how I consult with clients. Last month, I helped a developer save $400K in unnecessary grading costs because I insisted we walk the entire site rather than rely solely on the topographic survey. Spotted three drainage solutions that weren't visible from the boardroom.

Back In The CAD Trenches

Speaking of getting back to basics—I've been doing a lot of CAD work lately. Yes, the former corporate executive who used to have people do this for him is now personally drawing subdivision layouts. My partners keep saying, "This is just 2D, we need actual grades," to which I've started responding: "You're absolutely right. Grab your boots—we're going on-site tomorrow."

But lest you think I've fully mastered this hands-on renaissance, I should share my most humbling moment yet. I was teaching my middle son Evan—our new development coordinator—the ins and outs of subdivision design in AutoCAD. There I was, dropping knowledge bombs about proper reference images and precision measurements, when he gently pointed out that my Google Earth XREF was tilted.

For the non-CAD geeks reading this: I'd imported a screenshot that made the site look like it was photographed by someone falling sideways out of a helicopter.

"I was testing you," I told him with all the dignity I could muster. "You passed."

He didn't buy it. Neither should you.

A Development Charge Fable

**not a 100% true story, but very close…names and places are changed to protect the innocent (and not so innocent).

Last week, I accompanied a client to an annual development and homebuilding update in a quaint BC town—one of those picture-perfect places where the mayor knows everyone by name and the planning department consists of two people sharing one desk.

The agenda promised updates on approval timelines, infrastructure plans, and various exciting initiatives. Suspiciously buried at the bottom, right after "Adjournment Refreshments," was a tiny line item: "Development Charge Review."

My client leaned over. "Should we be worried about that?"

"Nah," I whispered. "They never put the important stuff last. It's probably just housekeeping."

Famous last words.

For two hours, we sat through presentations about the town's new digital permit system (which is literally just Sharon with a new scanner), their comprehensive transportation plan (adding a bike lane to Main Street), and a tourism initiative involving oversized fiberglass fruit.

Finally, at 4:45 PM, when half the audience was discretely checking flight departure times:

PLANNING MANAGER: "And now for our development charge review. As you know, we haven't updated our fees since 2012."

ME: (whispering to client) "That's actually impressive fiscal restraint."

PLANNING MANAGER: "We've commissioned a comprehensive study of our infrastructure needs going forward..."

The PowerPoint slide changed to reveal a graph with a line that looked like a heart attack on an EKG.

PLANNING MANAGER: "...which indicates our current charges cover only 23% of actual growth-related costs."

ME: (still whispering) "Standard opening position. They're softening us up."

CLIENT: "Is this where they do the good cop/bad cop routine?"

PLANNING MANAGER: "Taking inflation into account, plus our infrastructure deficit..."

He clicked to the next slide. A collective gasp filled the room.

CLIENT: (no longer whispering) "Two hundred and fifty percent increase?!"

ME: "That can't be right. That's not an increase, that's a typo."

PLANNING MANAGER: (smiling serenely) "We know this adjustment may seem substantial, but remember, you've all been getting a deal for the past thirteen years."

The room fell so silent you could hear the planning assistant nervously clicking her pen.

DEVELOPER IN FRONT ROW: "But the feds just announced they're cutting DCs in half for multi-unit housing!"

PLANNING MANAGER: "Oh, that initiative targets major urban centers like Toronto and Vancouver. We're a small town with small town needs."

ME: (raising hand) "Isn't everything relative, though? I mean, your current fees might be lower than Toronto's, but a 250% increase is still a 250% increase."

PLANNING MANAGER: (with the patience of someone explaining physics to a toddler) "Mr. Mills, perhaps in Calgary you're used to lower development charges, but our infrastructure needs are just as real as any big city's."

He wasn't wrong. Calgary's DCs have historically been lower than those in larger Canadian cities—one reason we've maintained relatively better affordability. But that's not the point.

ME: "What about all the DC money sitting unused in municipal coffers? In Ontario alone, there's over a billion dollars collected but not spent."

PLANNING MANAGER: (smile tightening) "We're not Ontario. And we plan to use every penny."

After the meeting, shell-shocked developers gathered in the parking lot like survivors of a natural disaster.

CLIENT: "They can't be serious."

VETERAN LOCAL BUILDER: "Classic shock and awe. They hit us with 250%, we all freak out, then they'll 'generously' reduce it to 150% and expect us to be grateful."

ME: "How does this square with affordability goals? You can't make housing cheaper by making it more expensive to build."

PLANNING MANAGER: (suddenly appearing behind us) "We're simply ensuring new growth pays for itself rather than burdening existing taxpayers."

ME: "But at what cost to the future homebuyers who are already priced out?"

PLANNING MANAGER: (walking away) "The refreshments are still available inside if you'd like some. The cookies are quite good."

CLIENT: (watching him go) "Did he just try to buy us off with cookies?"

ME: "Welcome to small town development politics, where they cushion the blow of fiscal shock therapy with chocolate chips."

The irony isn't lost on me. While the federal government announces grand plans to slash development charges to boost housing supply, this small town—and countless others like it—see an opportunity to go the opposite direction. After all, if Toronto's DCs are getting cut by 50%, doesn't that mean everyone else has room to raise theirs?

Development is development, whether you're building in a metropolis or a town where the planning department doubles as the building inspection team. But politics? Politics is just politics, no matter the population size.

And the cookies weren't even that good.

These moments—whether it's building a crooked deck, importing a tilted XREF, or watching small-town officials deploy big-city negotiation tactics—remind me why I love this business. Behind every spreadsheet and site plan are people making decisions, sometimes brilliant, sometimes baffling.

That's what makes development consulting so valuable. After thirty years in this industry, I've seen every flavor of brilliance and baffling there is. And nothing helps clients navigate the new quite like someone who's seen it all before.

Each week, I test tools, AI prompts, and experiments so you don’t have to.
From zoning hacks to time-saving workflows, here’s one tech-powered insight to help you move faster, think clearer, and waste less money.

🎨 Designing in Seconds:

How to Use AI to Generate House Elevations Before Your Architect Has Finished Their Coffee

Let’s be honest—early elevation sketches can be slow, expensive, and subject to creative drift. Whether you're a developer trying to visualize a new product, a homebuilder testing styles before dropping $20K on renderings, or a marketer begging for a brochure image yesterday, you’ve probably wished there was a faster way.

Now there is. With AI tools like Sora (and others coming down the pipe), you can generate convincing elevation concepts in minutes. But here’s the trick: the output is only as good as the prompt. Garbage in, garbage elevation out.

So we built a reusable House Elevation Prompt Template to help you get exactly what you want—faster, cheaper, and with more control.

💸 Why It Matters:

• Save Thousands on concept sketches and early renderings

• Accelerate Approvals by testing visual massing early

• Create Faster Marketing Collateral while design is still evolving

• Get Aligned Visually before you pay an architect to redraw your disagreement in CAD

This prompt structure helps you skip the design telephone game and start with a visual baseline everyone can react to.

🧱 Sora House Elevation Prompt Template

Prompt Format:
"Generate a [render style] front elevation of a [building type] in [architectural style] featuring [cladding material and color], [roof type], and [window style]. Include a [porch type or entry detail], [garage configuration], and [special features or accents]. Set in a [landscaping or setting], with [lighting/time of day], viewed from a [viewpoint and angle]."

🧩 COMPONENT GUIDE

✅ Example in Action:

Want to use this? Start with this prompt template, pick one variable to change (like color palette or roof type), and generate a few options. You’ll get back testable concepts you can put in front of your partners, your architect, or your city—before you’ve even poured your coffee.

Which one is the real elevation, and which is Sora-generated? Hit reply and type “needs some work”, when you see the issue:

With just one prompt, we're 90% there. With a bit of tweaking—what Sora calls “remixing”…we will be 100%

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Do you need a development co-pilot? After 30 years in the trenches, I help developers avoid expensive mistakes through strategy sessions, deal analysis, and road mapping.

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See you next Friday.

- Greg