Challenge
Lennar Corporation, sister company to LNR Property Corp. and the third largest home builder in the country, had no New England presence when they were named, in partnership with LNR Property Corp., as the developer of the largest parcel of developable land in eastern Massachusetts, the South Weymouth Naval Air Station. Lennar arrived on the scene after five continuous years of controversy regarding the future of the base. Area residents had vehemently opposed previous proposals including one to build an airport and another to create the largest retail shopping mall in the state. All of these proposals were defeated.

During negotiations with the Navy and the cleanup of the base throughout 2003 and early 2004, Lennar was barred from public comment by the Navy. Through no fault of the company, this created a climate of secrecy and distrust surrounding the project. During this time, Lennar received extremely bad publicity and was branded by the media as unresponsive, out-of-touch and secretive about their plans for the site. Lennar enlisted the help of O’Neill and Associates just five days prior to the release of the first draft of the Master Plan – a comprehensive base redevelopment strategy that outlined a 14 year development process, including nearly 3,000 units of housing and over 2 million square feet of retail and commercial space.

Solution
O’Neill and Associates had less than a week to develop and execute a media plan that would address all the concerns of the community and address the attitude among members of the media that Lennar, having failed to follow-up on promised meetings, was unresponsive and secretive.

During the five days prior to the release of the Master Plan, O’Neill and Associates provided reporters and editorial boards from the Boston Globe, Patriot Ledger and Brockton Enterprise with unlimited access to the project, including project information, the base itself and key principals. O’Neill and Associates gave tours of the base to key media representatives, including the development editor and a reporter from the Boston Globe, facilitated editorial board meetings with Lennar executives and published op-ed pieces that provided a thorough explanation of the project.

Additionally, O’Neill and Associates created a schedule of public meetings to educate members of the community about the project and get their feedback. As another communication tool, O’Neill and Associates instituted a quarterly newsletter and a telephone information line to keep neighbors updated on the progress of the development.

Results
In a matter of days, O’Neill and Associates won initial acceptance from the media and the public for the largest single development in the state of Massachusetts, consisting of nearly 3,000 units of housing and over 2 million square feet of retail and commercial space. In less than two weeks, O’Neil and Associates had facilitated editorials praising Lennar and the company’s efforts to be open and accessible. The master development plan won editorial praise throughout the region and local and regional media outlets effectively conveyed to the public the details and implications of the plan accurately and in depth.

O’Neill and Associates continued media outreach and community relations efforts during the intervening months, garnering large media placements and continual editorial support of the Master Plan as it progressed through the process of local approvals. The Patriot Ledger, in an article detailing Lennar’s community outreach efforts, described the previously unknown company as having its “ear to the ground” in New England and having “adopted a Boston accent.”

As a result, there is now unanimous approval of the plan and wide local acceptance. Following approval by the South Shore Tri-Town Development Corporation, the master redevelopment plan and new zoning bylaws were approved by voters in the participating communities of Rockland and Abington and the Weymouth Town Council – all by large margins.

O’Neill and Associates was awarded the prestigious Bellringer Award by the New England Publicity Club for its work on this project.

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