With more than 45 years of experience in real estate communications, Taylor Johnson is well-versed in the challenges faced by developers throughout each stage of a project: from concept to completion. This is why developers tap TJ early in the life cycle of a project as they prepare to share their initial proposals with a wide range of community stakeholders, including local residents, neighborhood groups and elected officials, in an effort to garner the support they need to move forward.

TJ has partnered with a number of developers to help them navigate the critical community approval process for high-profile residential and mixed-use projects in various Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs. That work has included coordinating outreach efforts with community organizations; preparing proposal overviews that clearly explain the project’s design and public benefits; crafting messaging that emphasizes the desire to collaborate with local stakeholders throughout the review process; creating and reviewing presentations for community meetings; preparing executives for interviews through formal media training; and building comprehensive media plans to disseminate accurate and timely information to a broad range of print, online, TV and radio outlets.

Through these successful campaigns, we know projects are more likely to be embraced by the community and, ultimately, approved by elected officials when they’re launched with thoughtfully considered messages and a carefully crafted media plan. We also know that this work must begin long before the first meeting, as online platforms provide a forum for preliminary discussions that can shape public sentiment.