A boutique advisory practice

Permitting and entitlements for regulated industries.

Led by Raaj Amthabhai. One advisor, principal-led engagements.

Costera Group advises operators, investors, and developers on the licenses, permits, and entitlements that determine whether a regulated business gets built — cannabis, alcoholic beverage, fuel and convenience retail.

Begin an EngagementView Practice Areas
Active Jurisdictions
New JerseyCaliforniaTexasMulti-state
The record
5,000+
Licenses & permits secured and managed
Across a 500+ site multi-state retail portfolio
42 of 45
Discretionary approvals won
CUPs, variances, and site plans — a 93% approval rate
80
Jurisdictions permitted in
Municipal and county authorities across all industries
$16.5M → $300K
Recorded liens negotiated down
Aggregate across all lien matters — a 98% reduction
12 states
Alcohol beverage licensing
CA, NV, NJ, TX, IL, WI, NY, IN, MS, AZ, CO, FL
30+
Regulated retail buildouts advised
Three delivered end-to-end at roughly one-third of market-typical cost

Figures reflect the principal’s full record across direct engagements and portfolio program management, 2018–present.

On the practice
I

Senior advisory, not a vendor.

Engagements are led by the principal. There is no junior bench, no template factory, and no offshore back office. Every deliverable is shaped by someone who has personally drafted the license, sat in the planning hearing, or negotiated the lien.

II

Cross-industry depth, by design.

Cannabis, alcoholic beverage, and fuel/convenience retail are governed by different agencies but share the same regulatory architecture: discretionary permits, suitability review, public hearings, conditional approvals, post-license compliance. The compounding expertise across categories is the practice.

III

Selectivity over scale.

A small number of engagements at any one time. Direct access to the principal. The work is deliberately limited to matters where the advisory relationship will produce a materially better outcome than a larger firm could.

Research product · Quarterly · 564 municipalities

The New Jersey Municipal Cannabis Opportunity Tracker.

A quarterly-updated dataset of every New Jersey municipality’s cannabis retail posture — opt-in, opt-out, license caps, amendment activity. The data operators rely on word-of-mouth for, in one place. Delivered by email at no charge.

View Sample & Subscribe →
Engagements

Selective representation in regulated industry permitting and entitlements.

New engagements are accepted on a case-by-case basis. Initial conversations are confidential and without obligation.

Begin an Engagement →info@costeragroup.com