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Karin Brandt
The entitlements process isn’t what it used to be. Websites like Facebook and Nextdoor have changed the game, helping information about new proposed developments spread quickly. Too often, developers are unable to correct misinformation before it takes hold.
Vocal opposition, organized online, can derail the entitlements process for a new development. These delays aren’t just annoying – they’re also costly. A national survey of real estate developers found that a single month of delays during entitlement costs close to $100,000.
Luckily, there are online outreach tools that developers can use to control the conversation, avoid delays and de-risk the entitlement process.
By sharing project information online and giving community members opportunities to share their feedback starting at the beginning of the process, developers can ensure that the dialogue stays fact-based. Innovative tools, like signs that collect comments from passersby via text message, make it easy to connect with silent supporters of new projects.
Proactive online engagement means that developers can connect with the silent supporters of new development in a neighborhood – not just the vocal opposition. These are just a few of the upcoming projects from forward-thinking developers in the Greater Boston area.
Boston Properties reached out to the daytime workforce population in Cambridge’s Kendall Square to promote phase II of its Kendall Square development plan with text-message signs.
Boston Properties’ Kendall Square Development, Phase 2: Phase 2 of the Kendall Square development plan includes the approval and construction of a new office building at 325 Main St., construction of a residential tower on the south end of the Kendall Center Blue Garage and improvements to Broadway Park and the Sixth Street Connector.
Kendall Square is an evolving neighborhood with tens of thousands of commuters passing through each day. To ensure that this project received on-time approvals, Boston Properties needed to activate not just the people who live adjacent to the square, but those who spend their working days there. So they implemented text message signs that asked community members questions like, “What retail or stores do you want to see here?” and “Which community benefits would you prioritize first?” Responses were aggregated on a custom-built public outreach site.
Boston Properties collected over 400 comments in just four months and was able to demonstrate consistent support from a broad set of community members. The project received unanimous approval from the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority right on schedule at the end of December 2018.
Mary Ellen McCormack Redevelopment, WinnCompanies: WinnCompanies is in the process of redeveloping the Mary Ellen McCormack property, New England’s first public housing development. Located between the Andrew and JFK stops on the MBTA Red Line, Mary Ellen McCormack is currently home to 1,016 subsidized apartments badly in need of repair.
Winn will be redeveloping the 27-acre property into a mixed-use, mixed-income development that will include new units for all current residents, plus an additional 2,000 new units. Using a public outreach site, the company is connecting with current residents who will be impacted by the redevelopment process to keep them informed and provide opportunities for feedback. It is also using the site to reach other members of the community, helping them understand which community benefits and services to prioritize. Winn has already collected nearly 500 comments in English, Spanish and Mandarin.
KIMCO Realty is proposing up to 270 apartments in a new development over the Whole Foods Market store at 15 Washington St. in Brighton.
15 Washington St., KIMCO Realty: KIMCO Realty is proposing a new development that will build housing over the existing Whole Foods grocery store at 15 Washington St. in Brighton. The proposal includes an expanded Whole Foods, up to 270 residential apartment units and up to 323 structured parking spaces to support the residential and commercial uses. The project will also include up to 35 units of affordable housing.
KIMCO is in the early stages of engaging with the community about the proposed development. It is focused on using online outreach as a way to inform community members about the benefits that the proposed plan will deliver and collecting letters of support from advocates of additional housing in a neighborhood that’s in need of more units.
Karin Brandt is founder and CEO of coUrbanize.
