Geoff Etnire published "Reducing Land Use Conflicts through Collaborative Easements" in the winter issue of the magazine of the Urban Land Institute. Here is an excerpt:
As land for new housing becomes scarce in urban and suburban areas, developers push nearer to existing industrial, mining, rail, and other non-residential uses, resulting in major battles over the development approvals. Housing proposals that do get approved frequently result in future conflicts between the new residents and the existing users, followed by political battles and litigation. The challenge for all parties is to find strategies that allow more housing while protecting the existing users. The collaborative use of simple easements can allow new housing development to be approved, existing uses to be protected, and written rules of future engagement to be established.