Community Relations & Public Affairs

165 million square feet. Permitted.

Q: What does the new Massachusetts siting framework require for community engagement?

As of July 1, 2026, large clean energy facilities including battery storage projects of 100 MWh or more must complete pre-filing consultation and community engagement before filing with the Energy Facilities Siting Board. The engagement has to be real, documented, and early.

Projects don't die in the permitting office. They die in the community.

They die when residents hear about a project from a headline instead of from you. They die when the first public meeting turns into a shouting match because nobody built trust before the site plan showed up. They die when a loud minority organizes online and your team is still polishing the technical FAQ.

I've spent 25 years making sure that doesn't happen.

The work

Suffolk Downs, Revere One of the largest redevelopment projects in New England, navigated across two communities with deep roots and strong opinions.
MarketStreet Lynnfield Open-air retail development in a residential suburb.
Herb Chambers Audi and Porsche Dealership development and siting.
133 Salem Street, Revere Urban infill in a dense gateway city neighborhood.
South Shore cannabis dispensary Host community agreement and abutter engagement for the most contested use category in the state.
Active battery energy storage engagement Community relations for a BESS project facing exactly the scrutiny every energy project in Massachusetts now faces.

Before founding PR Bunker, I ran a large Boston-based agency as its president, a firm known for winning town meeting votes and securing properties through community engagement. Today I'm also president of the Revere Chamber of Commerce, which means I sit on the community's side of the table too. I know what residents and local officials actually want to hear, because I represent them.

Why this matters right now

Massachusetts communities are pushing back harder than they have in a generation. Battery storage projects draw packed hearings. Data centers are getting banned town by town. And as of July 1, 2026, the state's consolidated siting framework makes pre-filing community engagement mandatory for large clean energy projects.

Community relations is no longer a nice-to-have. It's a permitting requirement.

What an engagement looks like

Community landscape assessment: who the stakeholders are, where opposition will come from, what the real concerns are
Plain-language project materials residents actually understand
Public meeting strategy and preparation, including being in the room
Local media relations and narrative management
Municipal and stakeholder relationship building
Crisis response when things get loud

Frequently asked questions

What does the new Massachusetts siting framework require for community engagement?

As of July 1, 2026, large clean energy facilities, including battery storage projects of 100 MWh or more, must complete pre-filing consultation and community engagement before filing with the Energy Facilities Siting Board. The engagement has to be real, documented, and early.

How do you handle organized opposition to a project?

By getting there first. Most opposition hardens because residents feel blindsided. We map stakeholders before the first hearing, meet concerns directly and in plain language, and make sure the community hears from the project team before they hear about it from a headline. When opposition is already organized, the work shifts to honest engagement, correcting misinformation, and giving persuadable residents a reason to trust the process.

Do you work on projects outside of energy?

Yes. The playbook is the same whether it's retail, mixed-use, cannabis, dealerships, or battery storage: trust is the lever. The 165 million square feet behind this practice spans all of them.

What makes PR Bunker different from a public affairs firm or lobbyist?

Lobbyists work the statehouse. Lawyers work the regulations. This practice works the community: the residents, the local media, the planning board room. When you hire PR Bunker, you get me in every room. No junior handoffs.

Different rooms, same job: reputation decides the outcome.

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