If a property owner comes in to develop their property, you can't tell them "Sorry, you'll have to find someone else to develop your property".

That's patently ABSURD. They OWN THE PROPERTY!

Sounds like you have no idea what you're talking about.

And (something ELSE that you have no idea about which you are talking) developers sometimes try to work the political angle, to get what they want that staffers won't agree to. And sometimes (gasp!) they actually win.

Like... Staff tells them that they must dedicate the right-of-way for a proposed road (because the Ordinance says they have to), but the developer doesn't want to, so they fight Staff, and when they lose with the Staff, they go to the politicians and plead their case, asking for an exception to the Ordinance, which only the politicians can grant. Sometimes the politicians back the Staff position, sometimes they don't.

That kind of scenario happens all the time.

And sometimes, if they don't get what they want from the local politicians, they plead their case to the next level up.

One time they even tried going as far up as the Governor.

Sometimes they try going to Court to get what they want.

Maybe if your hubby had been a better negotiator, you wouldn't have to be making jewelry in the kitchen to make ends meet.