Communications and Engagement for Real Estate Developers
Pre-application engagement, rezoning support and community relations for residential, commercial, mixed-use and master-planned development in Alberta and British Columbia.
Engagement from site to occupancy
reVerb plans communications around each stage of the municipal process and the point where each audience comes in.
Site and concept
Stakeholder mapping, an issue scan and early conversations with neighbours and community leagues.
Pre-application
Information sessions and working groups while the design can still respond to what we hear.
Application and circulation
What-we-heard reporting for administration and plain-language materials for the public.
Public hearing
Presentation materials, speaking notes, question preparation and delegation support.
Construction and occupancy
Neighbour notices, inquiry management and community relations through to opening.
Approvals rest on trust
Housing, jobs and neighbourhood renewal all bring change to the people who live nearby. Neighbours who hear about a project for the first time at a public hearing have had no chance to shape it.
reVerb starts the conversation before the application is filed. We meet with neighbours, community leagues and local businesses, bring what we hear back to your design team and keep a documented record for administration and council.
We help developers build community relationships before applications are filed and carry them through construction.
Where developers bring reVerb in
These are the points in a development where we most often support project teams.
Neighbourhood concerns
Traffic, parking, density and the look of a street are real concerns for the people who live there. We give neighbours accurate information and a real way to be heard.
Approval requirements
Area plans, rezoning, development permits and public hearings each set their own engagement expectations. We plan to each one and keep the record administration asks for.
Municipal relationships
Administration makes recommendations and council decides. Many on our team have worked in government, and we help developers work with each at the right point in the process.
Many interests, one project
Investors, lenders, the municipality, neighbours, future residents and contractors each need different information. We keep the project's messages consistent across all of them.
Construction next door
Once approved, a project can spend months or years under construction beside its neighbours. We run community relations so the goodwill from approvals lasts through the build.
Project reputation
How a project is received during approvals and construction follows it into sales and leasing, and into the next site.
How reVerb supports developers
Engagement and communications from the first neighbour conversation to occupancy.
Pre-application engagement
Early conversations that surface concerns while the design can still respond.
- Stakeholder mapping
- Pre-application consultation
- Neighbour and community league meetings
- Citizen working groups
- Indigenous engagement
Rezoning and public hearing support
Communications for each step of the municipal approval process.
- Community information sessions
- Digital engagement
- What-we-heard reporting
- Public hearing preparation
- Council delegation support
Municipal and public affairs
Working with administration and elected officials at the right point in the process.
- Municipal stakeholder engagement
- Elected official briefings
- Planning department coordination
- Public affairs strategy
Project narrative and positioning
A clear account of what the project is, what it contributes and how it fits the neighbourhood.
- Project messaging
- Fact sheets, FAQs and web content
- Media relations
- Groundbreaking and opening events
- Reputation management
Community relations through construction
Relationships built during approvals, carried through the build to occupancy.
- Neighbour construction notices
- Construction impact communications
- Inquiry and complaint response
- Community benefit agreements
Fractional communications support
Communications capacity alongside your team for developers with several projects in progress, or when a position is vacant, a staff member is on leave or a project needs dedicated capacity.
- Monthly agreement
- Blended hourly rate up to set monthly hours
- Hours reviewed each month
- Consistent support across projects
- Your voice and your review process
"reVerb has really supported the public comms side by setting a high standard for public communication and engagement. It shows how much the team genuinely cares about the community and making sure people feel informed and involved. That kind of commitment goes a long way on a project like this."
Real estate development experience
We plan communications around municipal processes, approval timelines and the economics of a development.
Development types
- Residential, from infill to high-rise
- Commercial, retail and office
- Mixed-use and master-planned communities
- Industrial and logistics
- Data centres
Development processes
- Area structure plans and area redevelopment plans
- Rezoning and public hearings
- Development permits
- Community consultation requirements
- Development economics and feasibility
Our approach
- Engagement that starts before the application
- Messages grounded in what the project contributes
- Issues management that protects timelines
- A documented record for administration and council
Reading for development teams
Working with reVerb as a developer
When should a developer start community engagement?
Before the application is filed, ideally at site selection or concept design. Starting early gives the design team time to respond to what neighbours raise and gives administration a record of the conversation.
Can reVerb help us prepare for a public hearing?
Yes. We prepare presentation materials, speaking notes and likely questions, support delegations to council and summarize what the community told us so council has a clear record. See our what-we-heard reports.
Can reVerb support communications across several projects at once?
Yes. reVerb provides fractional communications support on a monthly agreement for developers with several projects in the pipeline, and when a position is vacant, a staff member is on leave or a project needs dedicated capacity.
Does reVerb stay involved once construction starts?
Yes. We run community relations through construction, including neighbour notices, inquiry management and complaint response, and carry the relationships built during approvals through to occupancy.
Where does reVerb work?
reVerb is based in Edmonton and works across Alberta, including southern Alberta, and in British Columbia.
Build communities. Build support.
Tell us where your project sits in the approval process and who it affects. Every engagement starts with a discovery call so the plan fits your site, your schedule and your municipality.
Some of our CLIENTS
