Future Land UseFeedback

Effective marketing of the project to obtain support from critical stakeholders is important to the project’s success. The stakeholders can present a focused program to market the advantages of the project. Marketing tools can include public advertising and individual meetings with stakeholder groups both to garner their input and support for a planned project.

Marketing packages should contain information to outline the advantages of the revitalization effort for key stakeholder groups. For example, information attractive to a financial institution is likely different than information attractive to a municipal governing body (for example, Mayor’s office). Additionally, information of social importance to the community will be different as well. A banker or loan-expert needs brief information on the total features of the project; however, their interest is in the details of the financial statement and the market analysis. A neighbour or activist in a public interest group may be more interested in the environmental and social features of the project. Some basic information that may be considered is acreage, description of existing infrastructure, community vision for the site, financial incentives, etc.

The process involved in developing a sense of community enthusiasm and stakeholder support for the revitalization of a potentially contaminated site is critical to project success. This aspect of project development can often be difficult and frustrating because it requires marketing the project to a sometimes numerous and diverse group of stakeholders. The stakeholders should be careful not to overlook the interests of the audience and focus on the essence of the project. However, it can be difficult to attract investors by discussing environmental contamination, just as it may be difficult to promote community interest by demonstrating a ten-year business and revenue plan. The stakeholders need to consider the audience they are appealing to and the interest of the group or individual. For example, when explaining the cleanup process to a community interest group, the presentation can be focused on the current health risks and how cleaning this site will benefit local residents, raise the quality of life, or create an economic benefit.

Altering discussions and presentations to appeal to different key audiences will increase investor support, improve community relations, erase social stigma, and make the planning and revitalization process easier. Prior to any presentation of the project vision, define your target audience, and recognize that this target audience will change and evolve as the revitalization enters new phases.

An example outline for a revitalization plan to present key information about a revitalization project is provided in the Revitalization Plan Outline.