Insights That Matter
Expert analysis, market trends, and data-driven perspectives across real estate and local markets.
Latest Articles
Data Center Moratorium 2026 Tracker: 632 Jurisdictions Hit Pause
Cities are implementing moratoriums faster than data center developers can keep track. These are the 600+ municipalities who have recently paused data center buildout, extracted from meeting intelligence.
Sep 10, 2026Read
What Is a Site Plan? Definition, Process, and Approval
A site plan is the detailed drawing a local government reviews before issuing a building permit. Learn how site plan review works and what it covers.
Aug 28, 2026Read
What Is Behind the Meter (BTM)?
Behind the meter (BTM) means power generated on-site that never passes through a utility meter. This guide explains how BTM generation works and why it matters for data centers.
Aug 28, 2026Read
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Aug 26, 2026Data Center Sentiment: The Latest Market Swings
Track which markets are courting data centers and which are pausing them—before it hits the trade press.
Aug 26, 2026What Are RFP, RFQ, and RFI? Government Procurement Terms Explained
RFP, RFQ, and RFI are the three government procurement solicitations. Learn what each means, how they differ, and when a city uses which one.
Aug 21, 2026What Is a Development Permit? Types, Deadlines, and Order vs Permit
A development permit is any local approval that lets land be developed. This guide explores its process, common misconceptions, and answers frequently asked questions about development permits.
Aug 21, 2026GatherGov vs FiscalNote Curate: Alternatives to Curate in 2026
Comparing GatherGov and FiscalNote Curate for local government intelligence in 2026: coverage, meeting transcripts, data freshness, and which fits your workflow."
Aug 20, 2026What Is a Conditional Use Permit? Process, Conditions, Timeline
A conditional use permit is approval for a use that a zoning district allows only under stated conditions. This article explores how it works, who grants it, and what it actually binds you to.
Aug 18, 2026What Is a Nonconforming Use? Grandfathered Zoning Explained
A nonconforming use is a property use that was legal when it began but no longer meets current zoning. This article explores how it works, ways it can get revoked, and answers frequently asked questions about nonconforming use.
Aug 18, 2026What Is a City Council Agenda? Posting Rules and Legal Limits
A city council agenda is the published list of items a council can legally discuss or vote on at a meeting. Here is how it works.
Aug 17, 2026What Is NEPA? The National Environmental Policy Act Explained
NEPA requires federal agencies to study environmental effects before acting. This article explores what happens when it reaches private projects, the three review levels, and what changed in 2025.
Aug 17, 2026What Is CEQA? California Environmental Quality Act Explained
CEQA requires California agencies to study and disclose a project's environmental effects before approving it. This guide breaks down CEQA's three review tracks and what 2025 reform changed.
Aug 14, 2026What Is a Right-of-Way Permit? Working in Public Streets
A right-of-way permit authorizes any work that interferes with the public street corridor. This article covers its definition, why bonds and insurance are required, and which agency issues yours.
Aug 14, 2026What Is a Certificate of Occupancy? Process and Timing
No certificate of occupancy, no legal occupancy, and therefore no closing. This article goes over what triggers one, what holds one up, and why your jurisdiction may not even call it that.
Aug 13, 2026What Is IRR? Internal Rate of Return in Real Estate
IRR is the annual return an investment earns, counting when each dollar arrives. Here's how it works in real estate.
Aug 13, 2026What Is a Cap Rate? Formula, Uses, and Limits
A cap rate is a property's net operating income divided by its value, expressed as a percentage. Here's how it works and where it misleads.
Aug 13, 2026What Is Rezoning? A Guide For Real Estate Operators
Rezoning changes a parcel's zoning district—and the term gets misused constantly. What rezoning actually is, and what it isn't.
Aug 12, 2026What Is a Parcel Map? California Subdivision Map Act Basics
A parcel map is the California map type required to subdivide land into four or fewer parcels. What it shows, who prepares it, and why an assessor's map is not one.
Aug 12, 2026What Is a Subdivision? Land Division and Plat Approval
Splitting land into lots is a regulated act, not a paperwork step. Here is what triggers subdivision review, what it costs, and why the threshold is not the same everywhere.
Aug 11, 2026What Is a Planned Unit Development? PUD Zoning Explained
PUD zoning swaps standard district rules for a negotiated development plan. Here is who approves it, how long it takes, and what you give up to get it.
Aug 10, 2026What Is Adaptive Reuse? Definition and Development Guide
Adaptive reuse is converting an existing building to a use it wasn't designed for. Here's what makes a building convertible and what goes wrong.
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Aug 10, 2026What Is a Development Pro Forma? Definition and Structure
A development pro forma is a projection of a real estate project's costs, revenues, and returns, used to test whether the project is financially feasible.
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Aug 9, 2026What Is Rezoning? Definition and Process
Rezoning is a change to a jurisdiction’s zoning map that reclassifies a parcel to allow a different land use, approved by the local governing body.
Aug 6, 2026Doomed from the start: Prince William’s Digital Gateway
Analysts are treating Prince William County’s failed data centers like a typical case of unpredictable opposition, but Digital Gateway is nothing but typical; it’s what happens when poor site selection meets unfixable infrastructure constraints.
Jul 27, 2026What Is an APN? A Real Estate Guide to Assessor's Parcel Numbers
Addresses change. Owners change. The APN doesn't. Here's how assessor's parcel numbers work and where they break.
Jul 14, 2026Community Benefit Agreements for Data Centers: How Developers Can Regain Community Trust
Broken promises sink data center projects. Enforceable community benefit agreements are how developers win approval in a low-trust environment.
Jul 1, 2026Political Telephone: How xAI's Data Center Became a National Myth
How did one Memphis data center become a national myth?We trace how legitimate local concerns mutated into sensationalized claims as they spread, and why that "political telephone" is now a material risk for anyone building data centers.
Jun 23, 2026From Zoning Issue to Political Dynamite: How Data Centers are Reshaping American Politics
Data centers have gone from political safe bet to electoral liability. We trace how organized opposition reshaped local politics in Virginia—and why developers should treat entitlement risk as the next big variable in deal underwriting.
Jun 5, 2026Real Fears, Travelling Facts: Inside the Public Opposition Against Hyperscalers
Google, Amazon, and Meta Hyperscalers have been at the center of the growing data center backlash. Organized resident groups show up to these hearings armed with facts and research—citing the same cases, but each telling different versions.
May 15, 2026O'Fallon, MO Voted Down A Project. The State's Largest Homebuilder Is Suing.
The O'Fallon MO city council rejected Caballo Farms 5-3 against its own attorney's advice. The developer says this is illegal and has taken the city to court.
May 8, 2026Nuclear Is Coming Back...But Only In These States
Federal funding and demand from data centers have made nuclear power increasingly appealing. Momentum is building among local governments eager to build new plants and restart old ones — but not everyone is on board.
May 1, 2026'Behind-the-Meter' Enters Council Vocabulary as Data Center Projects Rise
BTM is the data center industry's fix for grid bottlenecks. The local officials approving these projects are still figuring out what it means.
Apr 23, 2026A New Jersey City Approved A Data Center. Then The Protests Started.
Rising community pressure and an upcoming election cycle has put pressure on Bayonne City Council to limit and repeal data center approvals.
Apr 7, 2026How Zoning Reports Are Changing: Why Due Diligence Now Demands Deeper Market Intelligence
Your zoning report says the site is compliant. It doesn't say the last three projects like yours got denied. Here's what to look for instead.
Apr 2, 2026How to Read and Interpret Zoning and Land Use Map
Learn how to read a land use map, decode zoning map colors, interpret overlay districts, and conduct a zoning property search for smarter real estate decisions.
Apr 2, 2026Industrial Real Estate Activity in Q1 2026: 10 Local Governments With the Most Development Signals
Analysis of industrial mentions across 3,360+ local governments reveals upcoming warehouse construction, manufacturing projects, data center proposals, and semiconductor facilities shaping the industrial property landscape for 2026.
Mar 31, 2026Types of Local Government in America: Structure, Powers & How They Work
There are 90,498 local governments in America. Learn the five types, how they get their powers, and why it matters for real estate.
Mar 29, 20265 Ways AI Is Changing Real Estate Data
AI in real estate is cracking open a historically siloed industry. Here are 5 ways new AI tools are transforming how agents and investors use real estate data.
Mar 29, 2026Upcoming RFPs of Q1 2026: 10 Local Governments With The Highest Signals
Analysis of 38,163 RFP mentions across 3,360 local governments reveals upcoming construction projects, software procurements, and service contracts for 2026.
Mar 25, 2026Commercial Zoning Classifications Explained: C1 Through C8
Understand what each commercial zoning classification allows before you buy. A practical guide for real estate investors and developers.
Mar 25, 2026The Land Entitlement Process Step-By-Step: From Raw Land to Shovel-Ready Site
Before you can build anything on a parcel, you need to obtain all the required government approvals known as entitlements. This guide takes you through everything real estate professionals need to know to navigate the process.
Mar 24, 2026What Are Zoning Laws? A Practical Guide for Real Estate Professionals
A short primer on everything real estate professionals need to know about zoning before they buy or build—what it is, how it works, and how to navigate the system.
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