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Project
Develop a series of communication tools to engage the community.
Situation
Fort Totten was a forgotten corner of Northeast Washington, next to the Fort Totten
Metro station. It was home to an older, stable, African-American community, which
had seen no new development in decades. Lowe Enterprises and its partners
proposed a $300 million complex of 900 condominiums and apartments, a grocery
store, restaurant and other desirable tenants.
Strategy
- Identified key community members, determined their interests
- Identified strategies to communicate with the community
- Created a website and logo to elicit community input
- Conducted a community survey to determine retail expectations
- Identified key media representatives, established regular contact
- Developed news opportunities to promote owners’ initiatives and changes
- Maintained contact with key residents, politicians, et al
- Hosted open houses to solicit public opinion
Results
Maier & Warner helped generate positive attention from The Washington Post,
which always helps set the public discourse. To engage the community, we
created a survey to poll residents regarding desired dining and shopping choices.
A charrette process was supported by strong communications and collateral
materials. In order to encourage active community involvement in the process,
we refrained from publishing any project designs. The integrated communications
effort helped The Dakotas progress successfully – no small accomplishment in the
normally contentious development atmosphere.
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