Government and Community Affairs
We win government and political support for controversial land use projects
We have a 24-year track record of successfully winning community support and government approvals, by developing sophisticated strategic plans and turning them into action.
GCA Strategies is America’s top public affairs firm when it comes to overcoming NIMBY opposition to and mobilizing community support for real estate proposals. We’ve written the book on land use public relations – books like “Winning Community Support for Land Use Projects” and “Making Community Meetings Work.” We provide our clients with overall entitlement strategies, community relations plans, government agency advocacy plans, public opinion polling, and hostile audience and communication training.
Our Services
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Community Relations
Whether you need to avoid NIMBY opposition to a controversial real estate project or build citizen support for it, GCA can help shift opinion and mobilize the action you need.
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Public Opinion Research
With millions of dollars at stake, you don’t want to guess which messages or concessions will reduce NIMBY opposition or increase public acceptance for a project. GCA Strategies takes the guesswork out of winning political and community support with state-of-the-art public opinion and market research.
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Decision-Maker Advocacy
Lobbying involves a lot more than simply playing golf with the mayor or taking the planning director to lunch. GCA uses sophisticated advocacy tools to help make City Hall work for real estate and business clients.
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Communications Training
GCA’s communications training can expand your team’s communication and advocacy skills. Training participants walk away with a full array of persuasion and hostile audience management tools.Description goes here
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Campaign Management
The voting booth is often the ultimate battleground for citizens trying to stop real estate projects, which is why clients turn to GCA Strategies to manage both defensive and offensive political campaigns.
Meet the Team
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Milo Trauss
MANAGING PARTNER
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Frank Noto
PRINCIPAL
Success Stories
Transit Oriented Development with 400 New Homes: “The Best TOD Project in the Country"
Small Cell Antennas in Northern California: Generating Support in a Diverse Community
Empire Pass at Deer Valley Ski Resort: Grassroots Support Heads Off A Referendum
San Francisco Columbarium: Expanding a Landmark in an Affluent Neighborhood
Santa Inez Apartments: Low-Income Housing, High-Income Opponents
Gaining Support for 12,000 New Supportive Housing Units in New York City
Books & Articles
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Government & Community Affairs in a New Era
GCA Strategies has been in the business of government and community affairs for more than 30 years. We’ve been on the forefront of battling NIMBYs for housing approvals in urban areas before opponents were called NIMBYs. We recognize what is smart land use…
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Overcoming NIMBY Opposition
Most major development projects proposed for urban environments are likely to be challenged by NIMBYs. Whether the project is a power plant, a sewer treatment facility, or public housing, opponents are likely to raise the rallying cry of “Not in My Back Yard.”…
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Dealing With Hostile Questions
Communication between public officials and citizens often occurs in the form of question-and-answer sessions during community meetings. Ideally, this interaction allows neighbors to learn more about proposed actions that affect them and for an official to learn more about residents’ concerns. Too often, …
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Land Use Approvals in the Time of Ebola: Community Engagement Lessons from the Epidemic
Panic can spread at lightning speed. Rumors go out, sometimes aided and abetted by facts, sometimes not. People become emotionally attached to their views under pressure, and do illogical things. While this perfectly describes some NIMBY battles, the spread of irrational rumors is…
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When Neighbors Are Allies: Tips for Winning Neighborhood Support
Project applicants in land use controversies often instinctively view neighbors as NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) adherents. But that’s not a given, because neighbors sometimes become strong supporters of real estate projects. There are two keys to motivating neighbors to stand up…
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NIMBY Opposition Can Stall Your Project
The room is packed with shouting, sign-waving opponents. The public record is crammed with postcards, petitions, and protests against your development project. Public officials seem reluctant to establish eye contact with you, and your staff continues to insist that you “do something” about…