Applicant Outreach Toolkit

Outreach tools and resources for landowners/applicants.

About the toolkit


Community outreach is about reaching out and connecting with people to discuss change – such as proposals for a new land use or development project – before it happens. Discussing change isn’t always easy, so the Applicant Outreach Toolkit was created to support applicants proposing rezoning or development.

Experience has shown that the earlier in the process you consider and exercise your outreach options, the more likely it will be to contribute to successful outcomes. Outreach can help reduce conflict and eliminate surprises as potential risks or concerns can be identified sooner. For background, visit Community Outreach on Planning & Development​

What's your outreach role as an applicant?

As an applicant, your role connected to outreach on applications is as the LEAD. As the lead, you determine if/when community outreach will take place connected to your project and, if so, decide about what, with who, where, how, etc. This page provides you with a step-by-step process to consider as you contemplate your outreach options. For more details about all of the roles and responsibilities connected to planning, please visit Outreach Roles and Responsibilities.

Applicant-led outreach considerations

When community outreach is being considered, there are a few key things to think through and kept in mind. Detailed information associated to key considerations and associated key steps can be found below. Alternatively, a high-level overview of key steps and considerations can be found in the Community Outreach 101 and Checklist.

For more detail and associated tools and resources check out each of the steps below.

Do you need outreach?


There can be many reasons why you may want to involve the community and conduct outreach when contemplating a new development project. When assessing whether you want to conduct outreach, think about the following:

  1. Do you need to involve the community in your project?
    • Is the community impacted by the outcomes of your project?
    • Is your development proposal a significant change for the community?
    • Is there an expectation for outreach with the community on your project (by the community or the Ward Councillor?)
    • Is there a need to build relationships with the community and your neighbours as your project advances?
    • Are you proposing a change to the community’s local area plan?
  2. Are there any known community issues about your development proposal or past development projects of a similar nature?
    • What is the political sensitivity of this project?
    • How inclined are community members to accept this project based on past area experience?
    • Do you anticipate there will be a level of disagreement between interested parties?
  3. Are there decisions that will be open for input from interested parties?
    • Is input needed from the community to ensure decisions made reflect the community's needs?
  4. Is there a need to inform the community of the details of your project?
    • Are there unique or complex factors about your development proposal that should be shared with the community?
    • Is the community familiar with this type of development?

Your answers to the above will help you better assess your outreach approach. When it comes to outreach led by Applicants there are no mandated requirements, but The City encourages applicants to be a good neighbor and inform the community of your project but is ultimately up to you on whether you want to conduct outreach with the community and what that will look like. The City’s general recommended minimum approach is for applicants to complete our Outreach Assessment tool which helps applicants assess and consider the potential impact of their proposal within the context of the community they are working in and provides guidance on high-level outreach considerations. In addition to completing the Outreach Assessment tool, The City recommends connecting with the surrounding neighbours, community association or relevant member-based organizations and area Councillor early in the process to discuss their development ideas.

If you decide to pursue an outreach process proceed to step two: Developing your outreach strategy. Also depending on where you are in your project stage, The City is available to provide you specific advice on outreach and this can be through the pre-application process or by contacting your file manager.

If you decide outreach is not appropriate for your project, please prepare a rationale for why you chose not to pursue outreach and complete the Outreach Summary to submit to The City along with your application.

Developing an outreach strategy


A community outreach strategy should outline a well-defined approach to how the community and interested parties will be involved. As the proponent for your development project, The City encourages you to determine the level of outreach you will undertake and the specific approach – including the format and tactics that work best for your project, your interested parties and your outreach objectives. As a best practice, we suggest that you consider the local context of the community you are working in and choose the outreach tactics that most appropriate for the community and your project. This means that when responding to the needs and context of a particular community that outreach strategies can take shape in many different ways. However, they should at least consider the following steps, when determining your outreach program.

What are the objectives of your outreach process?

This step involves thinking about the objectives of your process and what you hope to achieve. We also suggest that you keep the Guiding Principles for Conducting Outreach​ in mind as you develop your objectives and build out your strategy. You outreach objectives could relate to a range of potential outcomes including, but not limited to:

 
  • Increase the community capacity to understand the development proposal and your project details.
  • Build stronger relationships with the community and interested parties.
  • Understand community perspectives and make decisions about your development project that are informed by and consider community needs.
  • Reduce conflicts and eliminate surprises by identifying potential risks or concerns earlier.
It is ultimately up to you to determine the objectives you hope to achieve through your outreach process, but having an understanding and commitment to these will help ensure you are creating an outreach approach that leads to success for your project.

Who needs to be involved in your outreach process?

Understanding your interested parties, their interests and level of influence is an important step in planning your outreach process. Consider mapping which interested parties are affected by your project and who should be involved. Not all interested parties will share the same concerns or priorities, so it is important to identify your interested parties and analyze their influence and impact–this will help prioritize who you reach out to and when.

The City has created a guide to help you start thinking about interested parties and gather a better understanding of their interests.

Resource: Interested Parties Mapping - Impact and Influence

What is the local context of the community you are working in?

An important step when planning your outreach efforts is to familiarize yourself with the local context and previous outreach outcomes from similar projects in the area.

Local context considers how the community likes to be engaged and what considerations should be made when selecting tactics – the local community association can be a good resource for this information. Local context factors can also include: the level of familiarity the community has with this type of development, the level redevelopment currently occurring in the community, the community’s previous experience and the relevancy of a local area planning policy process. These factors will influence the level of detail and project information you may have to share.

The City is in the process of creating local context profiles that provide high-level guidance on how the community likes to participate in outreach. The profiles will be uploaded as each community association provides this information. Initially these profiles will outline outreach considerations, but as the community completes their local area planning process, they will evolve to include information about current issues and community benefit desires.

What level of outreach is appropriate?

Think about the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation when outlining your outreach process. You should determine whether you are looking to Inform, Consult, Involve, and Collaborate or Empower your participants. Note that the spectrum is not fluid or staged process. Where you fall on the spectrum can differ for each group of interested parties and it can vary for different phases of your project.

Resource: IAP2 Spectrum for Public Participation

What outreach tactics are you going to select?

Meaningful outreach is not as simple as a checklist or a one size fits all approach. Outreach can take shape in many ways. Tactics to implement your outreach process can include but are not limited to: meetings, phone calls, open houses, information sessions, workshops, town halls, pop-ups, design charettes, websites, social media, emails, advertisements, surveys, postcards, flyers and much more!

This guide provides an overview of some of the high-level questions to keep in mind when thinking about what tactics you want to select and an overview of the tools you could consider for your process.

Resource: Outreach Tactics & Techniques Overview

If you are considering hosting in-person sessions as part of your outreach we have put together this resource to provide you with tips and considerations for those sessions.

The chart below has some suggestions if you are considering moving your in-person outreach activities to an online or physically distanced approach.

A mix of tools and approaches may be needed to achieve the outcomes you would get from a typical in-person approach. The tools you select should be simple, accessible and as barrier-free as possible to ensure equitable outreach.

In-person approach Online or social distanced equivalent
Meeting/Presentation
Inform

Video conferencing, telephone conferencing, pre-recorded video, question & answers (email or online)

Information Session
Inform

Web page, social media content, mailed project information package, pre-recorded video, live streaming, on-site signage/materials.

Open House
Consult

Web page, online comment forms & survey, pre-recorded video, video conferencing, telephone conferencing, live streaming, telephone hotline, question & answers (email or online).

Workshop
Collaborate

Video conferencing in combination with: online comment forms, online brainstorming.

Pop-up
Inform or consult

On-site information and/or feedback collection (i.e. sounding board).

Site visits
Inform or consult

Large format onsite signage, live streaming, video conferencing.

Resource: In-person Session Tips

What is open for input?

As the proponent of your project it is up to you to determine what decisions will be open for input from interested parties and what questions you would like to ask the public to inform decisions.

This guide provides you with some considerations to keep in mind as you design your questions and collect input.

Resource: Tips for Collecting Input and Asking Survey Questions

What inclusive outreach considerations need to be made?

When undertaking outreach, you should consider the needs of interested parties and how their needs can be accommodated in your process. Communities are comprised of a broad diversity of people with different needs. While the aim is to be inclusive at all times, it may mean you need to consider tailoring your outreach process and activities to enable some interested parties to fully participate on an equal basis with others.

The City has created a number of inclusive engagement resources for you to refer to and consider as you are creating your outreach strategy.

Resource: Inclusive Outreach Guide

Resource: Accessible Event Checklist

Telling your story


When preparing your outreach strategy, consider what information you need to share to help inform and educate interested parties as they participate in your process?

The City has created a number of City information resources and handouts that you are welcome to use through your outreach program. These resources can contribute to better storytelling about planning and development in Calgary and can be helpful in setting the stage for the redevelopment conversation by sharing The City’s planning goals and policy objectives.

As you endeavour to create content for your outreach program, ensure that you provide clear, plain language and complete information. We suggest that you avoid using too much technical jargon. Our Plain Language Guide Language Library can help inform what you share.

Lastly, as you are considering what content to share we suggest you keep the following in mind. While the success of your project from a sales and branding perspective is ultimately important to you, we encourage that you approach your outreach efforts from a more objective lens and ensure you are sharing unbiased fact-based information about your project with the public. This is essential from a trust-building standpoint and can contribute to the success of your project in the long-term.

Raising Awareness


Now that you have outlined the majority of your outreach strategy, you need to consider how you are going to raise awareness and get people involved! The success of your outreach program is dependent upon people being aware of its existence and there are a variety of communication channels for you to consider using, some of which have already been outlined in step two.

The City has created a set of standard templates that we encourage you to use when promoting your outreach opportunities. These postcard and poster templates are optional but they aim to create a level of consistency with the public and through constant use will build awareness for applicant-led outreach.

Connect with interested parties


By this point, you have successfully developed your outreach strategy and have made people aware of your project and outreach opportunities. It’s now time to connect with interested parties.

When connecting with interested parties sometimes difficult conversations can occur. This guide provides you with some tips to keep in mind when dealing with emotion and outrage and how to diffuse tense situations.

Reporting back


One of the most important steps of any good outreach program is closing the loop and reporting back on the input received. You can do this by creating a report that you share with participants. This report should provide an overview of your outreach process, a summary of comments received and a response to how you have considered the comments and ideas raised.

By closing the loop and reporting back to interested parties, you are ensuring that all known issues have been considered and addressed and are not hashed out on the floor of council or committee.

This City has created a resource to provide you with guidance on how to report and respond to input.

When submitting your completed application to The City, please include a summary of your outreach program by completing the Applicant Outreach Summary (below). This summary can be updated during teh application review process if additinal outreach is completed.

APPLICANTS: We want to hear from you!

We want to hear your thoughts on the Applicant Outreach Toolkit. Please check out the toolkit if you haven’t already and then share your thoughts via the Applicant Outreach Toolkit Feedback Survey.


This information has no legal status and cannot be used as an official interpretation of the various bylaws, codes and regulations currently in effect. The City of Calgary accepts no responsibility to persons relying solely on this information. Web pages are updated periodically. ​