Spark

Spark generates a permit matrix that lays out allowed uses, approval steps, setbacks, and known opposition for a given site. Each row cites the document behind it, so your team can check the reasoning instead of trusting a summary. The company says matrices for solar, storage, and data center projects arrive within about seven days.

Early-stage work is mostly elimination. Spark screens hundreds of parcels against zoning, solar ordinances, setbacks, and moratorium status, and the company reports per-site evaluation dropping from four to ten hours down to roughly twenty minutes. That speed matters most when you're ranking a pipeline rather than studying one site.

Local opposition usually shows up online months before a hearing. Spark tracks county-level news, public meetings, and social groups tied to solar, storage, and data center projects, then summarizes what residents and organized groups are saying. It's a signal, not a verdict, but it tells you where to expect a fight.

Ordinances change after you file. Spark sends regular diffs on active counties, covering new moratoria, amended zoning text, and meeting agendas. For a developer with projects already in permitting, this is the feature that prevents a nasty surprise at the last public hearing.

Upload land leases, easements, or a full data room and Spark extracts terms and produces portfolio-level summaries. The company quotes typical document review at about two minutes instead of fifteen. Handoffs get easier too, since a new project manager can read a structured summary rather than a folder of PDFs.

Before a conditional-use hearing, you need to know who decides. Spark lists county commissioners, planning board members, and zoning officials, along with their past votes on comparable projects and public statements. That turns a guessing game about local politics into a list you can actually prepare against.