PREP Property Group: Hanover Crossing

PREP Property Group is a fully integrated real estate company based in Cincinnati with a focus on redevelopment and value add projects including power centers, enclosed malls and mixed-use properties. PREP bought the Hanover Mall in 2016 and vowed to invest $225 million to transform it from a failing indoor mall into a mixed-use, open-air lifestyle center including retail and 297 apartments.

Hanover residents strongly supported the retail portion of this project but turned out in droves at public meetings to oppose the housing component. BG was hired to perform community outreach and public relations strategies that would mitigate negative impact, drive home the importance and prevalence of mixed-use projects both locally and nationally, hold community information meetings, and create and foster a groundswell of support for Hanover Crossing that would give town officials the political cover necessary to approve the project.

The BG creative team developed and launched a website to showcase project details, the benefits of the project to the community, upcoming public events ands news. The website not only created a visual brand for the project, but also served as a communications medium for the campaign.

BG turned the tide of public opinion by securing dozens of high-profile, positive media hits in outlets like The Boston Globe, Boston Business Journal, New England Cable News, and Bloomberg Radio. BG team members embedded themselves in the community and in local Facebook groups to secure supporters and garner support for the project, including speakers at public hearings, supportive letters to the editor, and a public forum that attracted 350 people. With overwhelming public support, the Hanover Planning Board approved all comprehensive permits for the project in December 2019 and construction will begin in early 2020.