ALLIANCE Member Case Histories
Challenging the Status Quo in Land Use
Member: Susan Baltake
Client: Laguna West (Sacramento, California)
Challenge: From 1990-1996 -- in the midst of the biggest real estate recession since 1929 -- marketed new home community which promulgated "smart growth" concepts in land development and site planning, architecture, and community. The primary target audiences -- homebuilders and homebuyers -- had never before been presented with this alternative vision to typical suburban sprawl. Builders were opposed to the rules under which they could build, and were not initially inclined to buy land from the development team.
Strategy: Used media relations to successfully obtain positive coverage in Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, New York Times, ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, House Beautiful, Consumer Reports, and more than 50 national and regional media outlets. Conducted surveys of potential residents and used results to generate more media interest and home sales in sluggish business climate.
Results: Editorial support was key component in convincing public officials to approve concepts, in encouraging builders to purchase land, and in dramatically spurring home sales. Was the only new home community to move ahead during the recession, selling more homes proportionally in each price range than the competition. Won more than a dozen major national land planning, development and transit awards. Land planning and home design ideas originally dismissed became the hottest concepts implemented nationwide over the next five years.