In commercial real estate, there is an old adage: "Time kills deals." But in 2026, it isn't just financing interest, cap rate compression, or market shifts that threaten project timelines—it is the permit office. In high-growth markets like the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) region, municipal building departments are often overwhelmed. A surge in federal infrastructure projects, combined with steady private development and the adaptive reuse wave, has created a backlog where pl