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HomeMy WebLinkAboutagenda.council.worksession.20100920MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Ben Gagnon, Special Projects Planner, City Jessica Garrow, Long Range Planner, City Chris Bendon, City Community Development DATE OF MEMO: September 17, 2010 MEETING DATE: September 20, 2010 RE: Public Feedback and Adoption Process of AACP REQUEST OF COUNCIL: Staff is requesting that City Council provide direction for a staff - directed public feedback and adoption process for the 2010 AACP. BACKGROUND: The City and County Planning and Zoning Commissions have been meeting jointly for the past 20 months to review and draft the 2010 Aspen Area Community Plan. These members have spent upwards of 140 hours in meetings on the document, and countless hours outside of meetings reviewing materials. The result is a draft plan that is thorough, detailed, and action oriented. The group has consistently reviewed public feedback received during the small group meetings, the survey of late 2008 and the "clicker meetings" of 2009. Now that the document is in a preliminary draft format, both staff and the P &Zs believe it is important to get additional public feedback to ensure the plan is reflective of community will. While this second round of public feedback was not originally in the budget, staff and the consultants have agreed to shift resources to allow for a public process. SUMMARY: City staff met with the P &Z chairs to review the public process and agreed to the schedule as outlined below. The process is modeled after the 2008 — 2009 public process that won three awards [The American Planning Association, for Outstanding Planning Initiative for a Small Town or Rural Area; the City - County Communications & Marketing Association, for Citizen Participation & Community Visioning; and the Colorado Chapter of the American Planning Association for, Outstanding Community Engagement]. The City Council may have an opportunity to condense the budget review schedule, potentially leaving time in mid -late October to review the AACP with the P &Zs. The schedule below is written to reflect this possibility. If a work session is available, staff recommends it be used to allow P &Z to present the plan to Council and the BOCC and answer any questions they may have. In recent years the process for getting public feedback in the city has been based on an open and inclusive process that provides the public multiple "entry points" to give comments and feedback. Most of these processes have includes small and large group meetings that work hand -in -hand. This provides the public an opportunity to weigh in on the draft plan before public hearings. Staff has found that by removing the looming pressure of an immediate decision, the public engages in more relaxed debate, in Pagel of 3 contrast to holding public hearings when the decision is going to be made, which tends to create a more polarized and divisive atmosphere. P hl-- Process Ste s Date Preliminary Draft Released. Press Release and Press Conference announqp1an release of the plan. P &Z reps to attend. Staff to email past public proce Sept. 30 participants notifying them that the draft plan is available and about the public process. Staff to re- invigorate blog and facebook page to get the word out about t Week of October 4 release and upcoming public feedback sessions. Small Group Meetings. Staff and consultants run these meetings, with P &Z Oct. 12 -22 members attending to hear the comments raised by the public and answer any specific questions. Meet with P &Z to prep for Grassroots Program and review comments heard in the October small group meetings GrassRootsTV Program w/P &Zs taking questions from the press and public. Week of October 25 Moderated by city staff P &Zs meet with CouncilBOCC to discuss major themes in the plan, the feedback received to date, and what items to focus on in the large group sessions. This Late October work session would be taped so it can air on GrassRootsTV. (If a work session is available) P &Z review and discuss October feedback and prep for Large Group Meetings at November 2 and 9 Wheeler. Large Group Meetings at Wheeler. Includes informational boards, break -out discussion groups, specific time for public to ask questions and make comments Nov. 15,16,17 to P &Z. This could also include clicker questions. Survey released to allow those not able to attend a session to comment on the plan. Work session with City Council and BOCC to review feedback from the large Nov. 30 group meetings. P &Z reps to attend. P &Z work session to review feedback, and discuss changes that need to occur Dec. 2 based on public feedback and Council/BOCC feedback. P &Z provides update to Council and BOCC. Council/BOCC provide feedback as Dec.7 necessary. P &Z Public Hearings for adoption of AACP. (County P &Z adopts, City P &Z Dec. 14/16/21 recommends adoption to Council) January 4, 18, 25, BOCC ratification and Council adoption. P &Z reps to attend. Feb 1 A more detailed version of the proposed process is attached as Exhibit A. Raising the Profile of the new AACP After almost two years out of the public eye, staff believes there should be plenty of opportunities for the public to ask questions, comment and even criticize the P &Z's plan. Staff believes broad public feedback will help improve the clarity of the plan and ensure it is reflective of community consensus. Page 2 of 3 In the past, small group meetings have been helpful in identifying main policy areas that need greater public feedback. The themes that emerge from these meetings become the subject of "Large Group Meetings," where feedback on public policy is gained.through the use of instant keypad voting or other methods. The key to success at the Large Group Meetings is that the people who attend the Small Group Meetings help generate interest among friends and family to attend the bigger meetings. This has proven to attract hundreds of people in the past, and while staff has never claimed that clicker sessions are statistically accurate they do provide broader public feedback than the traditional public hearing process. Approximately 90% of participants at the City's past clicker meetings indicate that they feel it is a good way to gain public feedback. In addition, Design Workshop, the consultants on the AACP .public process, have found this form of public feedback to be effective in their planning efforts across the country. A Working Alternative to `Clickers' The joint P &Zs have objected to the clicker sessions, citing concerns that the plan is too complex to be judged by a series of relatively simple "clicker" questions. To a certain degree, staff acknowledges this potential pitfall — and City staff recognizes that the most effective clicker sessions have been those that rely on values -based, gut -level responses rather than the need to review extensive amounts of material before answering. As a result, staff made an alternative suggestion — to use the Wheeler Opera House for several public sessions in mid - November that would build on the feedback from the small group meetings. These sessions would include display boards to help educate the public, the feedback that has already been gathered, break -out discussion groups, and a specific time for the public to make formal comments to the P &Zs. Staff believes there is value in using the clickers as part of the Large Group Meetings. Staff has reserved the Wheeler on November 15, 16, and 17 for these meetings. This is the earliest available time the Wheeler is available. Staff also recommends using feedback from the small group meetings to create an on -line survey for those who are out of town or unable to attend a large group meeting in person. BUDGET IMPLICATIONS: The original budget and project timeline assumed that the AACP would be adopted in 2009. The budget included monies to be used for document layout and consultant help in community outreach once the plan was adopted. With the agreement of the consultant, these monies have been re- allocated to allow for an additional public process. No new money is needed for the public process outlined in Exhibit B. There is currently approximately $10,000 remaining in the AACP budget. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the public process as outlined in Exhibit B. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS: Attachments: Exhibit A: Detailed proposed process Page 3 of 3 Exhibit A Proposed Public Process and Adoption for the Aspen Area Community Plan September 2010 • September 9 — P &Z complete review of the document. This includes an introduction, and identifying any inconsistencies or omissions in the plan. Staff to provide draft chapters to resource experts to help refine the document (help define technical terms, identify responsible parties for action items, etc) and to get feedback on what topics they suggest be included in small group meetings. • September 9, 14, 16 — P &Z editing group complete edits of the document • September 30 — Preliminary Draft released. This includes pictures, definitions, and call - out boxes. Hold a press conference, and issue a press release. Staff recommends that the press release be from staff and the P &Zs, and that P &Z representatives participate in the Press Conference. Use email list of past process participants (includes approximately 700 emails) to notify them of the document release and upcoming Small Group Meetings. Send information to resource experts / user groups for each topic. Begin outreach to other groups, such as the chamber, rotary, etc. October 2010 • Week of October 4 — Advertise for Small Group Meeting. Pursue "free media" like stories on NPR, in the newspapers, radio interviews, and utilize the City and County's regular "What's Happening at City Hall" ad. • October 11 — Columbus Day • October 12 — 22 — Small Group Meetings. These are currently scheduled for the lunch hour as "brown bags" (bring your own lunch). Participants would be able to ask questions about the document and provide feedback. Staff recommends P &Z members attend to listen and be available to answer questions, but not to explicitly "lobby for" the plan. Staff and Consultants would facilitate the discussions • Mid - October — Meet with the P &Zs to prepare for the Grassroots Program and to review the feedback received thus far at the small group meetings. These meeting would not be times to edit the document or discuss adoption. Week of October 25 — Spotlight on the AACP. This would be modeled after the P &Z grassroots tapings conducted earlier this year, except that the program would air live so Page 1 of 3 Exhibit A that members of the public and press can email questions. Staff recommends that 2 -3 representatives from each P &Z participate, and that it be moderated by Sally Spaulding. Mid - Late October — If there is an opportunity to get on a Council and BOCC work session, meet to review feedback from the Small Group Meetings and discuss specific items Council, BOCC, and P &Zs are interested in getting additional public feedback on at the Large Group Meetings and through the Survey. November 2010 November 2 and 9 — P &Z prep for large group meetings. Review the feedback received in the Small Group Meetings and the grassroots program, and develop a strategy and/talking points for any specific issues that were raised in the public feedback to date and that may come up at the Large Group Meetings. • November 15, 16, 17 — Large Group Meetings at the Wheeler. Staff recommends an Open House style where boards be placed around the Wheeler lobby to provide some back ground information, and break -out groups are held with P &Z members available to answer questions. A larger moderated discussion in the theater could take place after the break -out group discussions. This could include clicker questions, but staff does not recommend clickers be the only method of public engagement at these meetings. Staff also recommends a survey be released to allow those not able to attend a meeting to participate and provide feedback on the plan. • P &Z break for Thanksgiving Week • November 30 — P &Z meet with Council and BOCC to review the public feedback and discuss potential changes to the plan. December 2010 December 2 — P &Zs begin their review /adoption process. Review the feedback from the public process and make changes as necessary. This meeting is intended for discussion and would not be a formally noticed public hearing for adoption. • December 7 — P &Z update to the BOCC and City Council. This is a regularly scheduled joint BOCC — Council meeting and provides the P &Z an opportunity to present the plan and hear feedback from the BOCC and Council. • December 14, 16, 21 — P &Z recommend City Council adopt the plan. These meetings would be a noticed public hearing that can be continued as needed. The feedback from the public and elected officials would be incorporated into the plan. Page 2 of 3 Exhibit A • P &Z complete by Christmas January 2011 • January 4, 18, 25 — BOCC ratification and Council adoption. Staff recommends that P &Z representatives attend these meetings to answer any questions. This would be a noticed public hearing that can be continued as needed. February 2011 • February 1 — BOCC and Council adoption if necessary. Page 3 of 3