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D4 DEVELOPMENT LP
Positioning David to Beat Goliath
D4 Development LP (D4) comprises development partners Kamran Zahedi of Urbanica and Panos Demeter of Mercantile Bank. D4 sought to convert the Area D4 police station in Boston 's tony South End, a Georgian Revival building originally built in 1932.
Despite collaborating with world-renowned designer Philippe Starck and his company Yoo, D4 was competing against seven better-known development teams to develop this property. Plus, with this historic property in an upscale neighborhood, Starck's edgy work had the potential to irritate traditionalist Bostonians. Boston reporters virtually never write about an individual bidder in an active contest before the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), and the clock was ticking: D4 hired SM& with only 19 days until the BRA session - its only opportunity to be publicly heard.
SM& prepared D4 for the hearing and pitched D4's sophisticated ideas to The Boston Globe's real estate editor, who had also once covered the fashion beat and hence would appreciate the Starck angle. When reaching out to South End residents, community groups and neighborhood reporters, SM& advocated D4's commitment to the neighborhood and respect for the building's historical significance.
Ten days before the BRA hearing, SM& secured D4 a positive full-color feature on the front page of the Boston Globe's business section, featuring illustrations of the team's design work and quotations only from D4 sources, while Back Bay and South End community newspapers covered their story as well. SM& distributed the Globe story to key stakeholders before the meeting, and in the end, BRA gave D4 Development LP final designation. Development began in 2005, and the 26 YooD4 condos went on the market in 2006.
