Municipal permitting is often blamed for commercial construction delays, but a Phoenix architect and contractor says the most damaging setbacks occur before a single document is filed. Mike Marden, founder of WDS Architecture and WDS Commercial, argues that clients' reliance on informal city conversations and a sequential project model create avoidable timeline problems.
Marden points to a common scenario: a client calls the city, describes a project in general terms, and receives a generic response about timelines and required documents. That conversation, he says, is not authoritative. “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 explains. “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.” City employees work from scripts, not project-specific assessments, so checklists may include inapplicable requirements or omit critical ones. Clients who plan around such advice often discover discrepancies only after entering the review process, costing months.
The sequential model—design, permit, then build—also builds in delay. While permit review proceeds, no construction happens, yet the client's lease clock runs and contractors wait. Marden notes that the gap between design completion and construction start is often extended by contractor selection and mobilization. “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?” he asks. This sequential approach treats permitting as a gate, but Marden says professionals who meet timelines compress the process instead of moving faster through it.
Successful firms, Marden says, engage the city early with preliminary questions, understand what specific inspectors in specific jurisdictions require, and start non-permit construction activities while review is underway. At WDS Commercial, where he serves as both architect and contractor, he says, “We can start building the project as we’re turning in for a permit. 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 requires integrated design-build, which WDS applies by combining architecture and general contracting. Marden also advises clients on permitting strategy during site selection. “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,” he says. A former restaurant space may look ready but require extensive code updates, erasing apparent savings.
For Phoenix business owners, the implication is clear: the expected permitting timeline likely understates reality, and the gap often stems from pre-filing decisions, not city processing speed. Marden’s firm, WDS Architecture and WDS Commercial, offers integrated design-build services across the Valley, providing a model for how to avoid these delays.
