Land Use Consulting

We can help you become part of the community, because we already are.

New York State and City are our home, and we want to see what's best for them. In today's environment of increasingly well-organized and politically-savvy communities, successful land use and development projects often require the creation of thoughtful, comprehensive public affairs campaigns.

Open lines of communication with local officials, neighborhood groups, and media, are a must. It's more important than ever that anyone wishing to develop land knows precisely what is happening at the local level.

From DUMBO to Flushing, and 40th Street to East New York, YNY has used our relationships, along with the community organizing and public relation skills to improve our city and its communities.

"Securing approvals for IKEA’s historic, first-ever New York City store on the Red Hook waterfront was no small task, but YNY provided incredibly valuable insight and helped navigate the process with neighborhood groups, the Community Board and the elected officials. We absolutely couldn't have done it without their help and guidance."

— Mike Baker | IKEA Brooklyn

Our land-use consulting strategies:

  • Listening to the Community
You can’t expect to earn community support unless you truly listen to local voices and identify innovative and thoughtful ways to respond to neighborhood concerns.
  • Social Media & Digital Advocacy
Our experts don’t only go after obvious audiences for your campaign, we know the political landscape to deliver the most effective following.
  • Letter Writing, Petitions, & Canvassing
Nothing speaks louder than the masses. Our engagement of the communities we’re in means we see who needs to say what for the best results.
  • Public & Media Events
Whether it’s a rally, press conference, or other event, we make it happen from planning to execution. Our audacious approach always draws a crowd.
  • Targeted Advertising & Mail Campaigns
We help you identify exactly who you need to be communicating with, about what, and when, to make the biggest impact for your cause.

Case Study

When IKEA identified a former shipyard on the waterfront in Red Hook, Brooklyn as the potential site for their first New York City store, one of their first tasks was to retain YNY to develop a comprehensive strategy for securing land use approvals. The overall “campaign for IKEA,” as it became, was multi-faceted, but built around a central guiding principal: That the Red Hook community would ultimately support the IKEA proposal if IKEA clearly demonstrated that it would support, benefit and earn the respect of the community.

This core value guided all of the project’s governmental relations, community organizing and media activities, and led to nearly unanimous support at every level of the City’s Universal Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). It also reinforced the value of earning the support of the neighborhood, rather than simply trying to buy support with check presentations and photo ops.

YNY designed and implemented a comprehensive, coordinated campaign that featured a wide range of strategies and tactics, including:

  • Detailed public opinion polling to guide message development
  • On-the-ground community organizing
  • Direct mail and advertising
  • Grass roots campaign efforts, including postcard and letter writing campaigns
  • Pro-active public relations activities, including media events and press conferences

Results

Once the project received its approvals, YNY oversaw the implementation of many of the project’s community benefits, including the creation of a state-of-the-art, $500,000 job training initiative and a local hiring “head start” program that were centerpieces of this community-friendly development project.