We love planning. But let’s be honest, even the most passionate planner has a list of things that quietly (or loudly) drive them up the wall.

Here’s Part 1 of the unofficial ZOP list of planner pet peeves, the stuff we see, hear, or have to deal with that makes us do the internal sigh.

1. "We don’t want to become the next [insert city here]."
Every city gets dragged into the comparison game eventually. Whether it’s ‘we’re not trying to be New York’ or ‘this isn’t Portland,’ it’s often code for ‘we’re afraid of change.’

2. Public meetings scheduled at 2 p.m. on a weekday.
Because nothing says ‘community engagement’ like ensuring no one with a job, school, or childcare responsibilities can attend.

3. When 'character' is used as a weapon.
The word ‘character’ should describe architecture, not justify exclusion. If you mean 'I don’t want renters near me,' just say it (or better yet, don’t).

4. Last-minute plan changes that ignore months of community input.
Few things hurt more than pouring your heart into public engagement… only for it to be edited out in the final hour by someone in a different department.

5. Zoning codes that haven’t been updated since the 1970s.
Bonus points if it’s a PDF scanned from a typewriter. Planning in the present with tools from the past is like doing surgery with a butter knife.

6. 'Let the market decide.'
It already has. That’s why we’re in this mess. Good planning guides the market, it doesn’t just watch it happen like a reality show.

7. Applications with no site plan… but a six-paragraph vision statement.
We love dreams. But also: where are the parking spaces? Where is the building? What are we actually reviewing?

Every planner has their list. And we’re just getting started.

What’s on YOUR list of planning pet peeves?

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