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RIALTO SPECIFIC PLAN UPDATE
PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN (PIP)
Introduction
Effective coordination and stakeholder involvement are critical to overall project success. This Public Involvement Plan (PIP) provides guidance for implementing community outreach and engagement for the Rialto Specific Plan update. The PIP will be used as a blueprint for defining methods and tools to educate and engage all community stakeholders (as identified in the Stakeholder Identification section below) in the project. The following PIP framework has been designed to ensure that stakeholders are provided several opportunities to provide input for the Specific Plan update.
The PIP goals and objectives are to:
• Understand stakeholders’ key issues and concerns;
• Engage stakeholders to gather input for the Specific Plan update early and often;
• Apply flexibility in the Specific Plan update to address stakeholders’ concerns whenever possible;
• Identify and address any issues before they escalate to potential obstacles to the completion of the Specific Plan update;
• Promote positive stakeholder perceptions of the Specific Plan update; and • Establish expectations for communicating how input has been used following the planning process and publication of the Specific Plan.
Community Involvement and Engagement
Early and sustained stakeholder engagement and involvement will be effectively facilitated to serve an appropriate role in project decision making. The goal of the PIP is to actively seek the participation of communities, agencies, individual interest groups and the general public throughout the project development process. The PIP provides the framework for achieving consensus and communicating the decision- making process between local community members, public agencies and governmental officials to garner input for the Specific Plan update.
As outlined in the PIP below, the WSP team will:
Foothill Central Specific Plan - Public Involvement Plan | Page 2 • Identify stakeholders;
• Coordinate and facilitate community engagement for six pop-ups; • Coordinate and facilitate public workshops (one virtual, one in-person); • Create presentation materials for two study sessions; • Coordinate and facilitate the Housing Summit; and
• Facilitate follow-up contact with stakeholders following plan publication Stakeholder Identification
A stakeholder is anyone who could be affected by the Specific Plan update and has an interest in its outcome. This includes property owners, tribal governments and members, nearby business owners, state and local officials, and special interest groups. Specific stakeholders for this project may include, but not be limited to, the following:
• Property owners and residents;
• Business owners;
• Institutions (places of worship, schools, etc.);
• Advocates for community and historic interests;
• Special interest groups;
• Elected/community officials;
• Government and transportation agencies;
• Chambers of Commerce;
• Neighborhood associations and groups;
• Environmental coalitions;
• Parent-teacher associations;
• Utilities; and
• Others outside the project area with an interest in the project.
We will conduct early coordination and engagement with local stakeholders as a means of introduction and establishing two-way lines of communication.
Stakeholder identification will be done through a combination of research and input from city staff and local community leaders. We anticipate that new stakeholders will be added to the initial stakeholder list throughout the project. All stakeholders
Foothill Central Specific Plan - Public Involvement Plan | Page 3 expressing interest in the project will be added to the project communication distribution list and will be invited to participate in the process through various public outreach opportunities. These opportunities may include, but are not limited to, pop-ups, public meetings (both online and in-person with COVID-19 protocols in place), surveys, one-pagers, the project website, the Housing Summit and study sessions. The project distribution list will be updated and maintained through the duration of the project contract and will be provided to the City of Rialto and Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) teams.
Public Involvement Strategies
The WSP team will utilize a variety of online platforms for internal and external coordination efforts. Measurable results from recent efforts show an increase in participation numbers in recent virtual engagement efforts. This is, in part, due to the push to utilize accessible, online platforms enhanced with live polling, breakout rooms and other customizable solutions that allow participants to engage when it is convenient for them. Our team will deliver a results-driven strategy for stakeholder engagement and communication which may include, but is not limited to, the following:
• Public Workshops: Two public workshops will be held with translated materials available, along with interpretation services. One workshop will be held in person and one workshop will be held virtually. The in-person workshop will utilize staffed pop-up boards as an interactive tool for gathering community input, as well as a Place It! activity.
o Place It!: Place It! events invite participants to engage in visioning and problem solving by guiding stakeholders in creating 3D models with everyday objects (e.g., bottle caps, LEGOs, pipe cleaners). This interactive activity cultivates an understanding of how physical environments can be transformed and engages stakeholders in storytelling through an urban planning lens.
Any in-person engagement will be done only as allowed by local and state public health officials and in accordance with official guidelines. The virtual workshop will be a user-friendly online meeting that allows for breakout rooms (as appropriate) and interactive polling. The online meeting will be held with support of virtual engagement platforms such as:
o Real-time Presentation Polling: Poll Everywhere is recommended to enhance stakeholder engagement. The real-time survey platform allows for questions to be projected on a screen or shown on a video
Foothill Central Specific Plan - Public Involvement Plan | Page 4 display. Participants respond to the questions through text messaging or the internet on smart phones, tablets, laptops or other devices connected to the internet. The results appear in real-time on the screen as word clouds, multiple choice answers, rankings, comments or in a variety of other formats. Responses can be monitored prior to being posted on screen. Results are recorded and made available through visual, detailed reports. Survey questions can be created and deployed quickly.
o Google Jamboard: This collaborative digital whiteboard allows people to provide input before and/or after live events and can be conveniently downloaded as a PDF for additional use and record keeping.
• Pop-Ups: Up to six pop-up events will be organized and facilitated by WSP staff within the City of Rialto. These pop-ups will serve to connect with community members where they are and when they are available. These pop-ups will be held at strategic locations and times that will leverage existing gatherings of stakeholders to engage on the Specific Plan update (e.g., after 5 p.m. at local grocery stores, at local farmers’ markets, during peak travel hours at the Rialto Metro Station). Additionally, the WSP team will incorporate existing City of Rialto community events to engage community members (e.g., Spring Eggstravaganza, April 16th, 2022/National Night Out, August 6th, 2022). Pop-ups will be facilitated in two main phases that will be scheduled to align with opportunities within the Specific Plan update process to gather meaningful input from stakeholders. • MetroQuest Survey: As a supplement to direct and personal community outreach, WSP will use the online engagement platform MetroQuest to educate stakeholders and gather public input. MetroQuest utilizes game-like activities to engage users. Respondents could be asked to pinpoint locations and comment on a virtual map; to move items into priority order; distribute virtual coins to indicate priorities; rate various scenarios; react to visual representations showing features such as lighting, bus shelters, landscaping, bike lanes, crosswalks or decorative elements; answer traditional survey questions; submit comments; or participate in a variety of other public input activities. The surveys can be conducted in English, Spanish and one additional language. Demographic information such as zip code, age, income and ethnicity can be gathered to ensure a diverse group of stakeholders is engaged. Promotion of the MetroQuest site will be key to receiving the most complete surveys possible. The site will be made available to the public
Foothill Central Specific Plan - Public Involvement Plan | Page 5 through the plan website, partner websites, social media, mass distribution emails, pop-ups, public meetings and other methods as determined with the City of Rialto and SCAG staff. Relevant exercises include:
▪ Mapping and crowdsourcing;
▪ Priority ranking;
▪ Tradeoff considerations; and
▪ Visioning
The WSP team will utilize the tools and strategies listed above to engage local stakeholders on identified goals and foster collaboration.
Study Sessions
The WSP team will prepare presentation materials and documentation for up to two study sessions: one for a City deliberative body and one for City Department staff.
We acknowledge study session content will be different for the Planning Commission or City Council versus Planning Department staff and will tailor content appropriately. Ensuring staff are fully comfortable and knowledgeable of any code changes that informs how they guide, review, and facilitate short and long-term growth in the Rialto community is important. The WSP team will coordinate with staff on when study session dates should occur, work with staff to identify how far in advance materials are due and ensure that all information we present to deliberative bodies has been approved by staff, and that those deliberative bodies have a platform where they are able to ask questions, relay concerns, feel informed, and offer recommendations/support for adoption.
Housing Information Campaign and Summit
A housing summit, accompanied by a social media campaign to raise awareness and attract participants, will be conducted. We recognize that the complexities of housing development within the Inland Empire are unique compared to other parts of the region and will work with City staff to identify overall desired outcomes, appropriate attendees, level of participation by different stakeholders, and resulting content. Knowing that jurisdiction staff across the region are stretched for time and availability, we propose a virtual summit with materials and structure that can be easily recorded and redistributed online.
Our team will coordinate and deliver one housing summit/workshop detailed agenda and supporting presentation materials with corresponding notes following the summit/workshop. A proposed structure for the housing summit/workshop can be found in the Appendix as Item A.
Foothill Central Specific Plan - Public Involvement Plan | Page 6 Project Branding and Collateral
• Our team will produce a Style Guide that dictates the brand’s primary, secondary and accent colors. In addition, the guide lays out the font choice for all printed and web-based collateral.
• The Rialto Specific Plan logo will be a visual compliment to the City seal and previous planning efforts, and customized to emphasize the diversity of housing and multi-use development. Project branding will be used in all outreach materials including, but not limited to, surveys, public meetings, pop-ups and one-pagers.
• Project handouts and other pertinent meeting materials will be prepared for distribution at stakeholder meetings and may also be provided on the project website as appropriate. The WSP team will develop text for the project website, as well as text for monthly email blasts.
Updates and Briefings
Briefings will be conducted with City of Rialto staff and SCAG representatives regarding project updates and progress. These meetings may be held just prior to the public meetings/hearing at major milestones in the project. Appropriate project summary materials will be prepared for distribution at these meetings.
Once the Rialto Specific Plan update is finalized, the WSP team will use the stakeholder database developed throughout the project to distribute the final report and any other relevant information related to the City’s Specific Plan update.
Public Response and Communication
Throughout the Specific Plan update process, both direct and indirect public comment is anticipated. Direct public comment may come as email (by a direct link from the website or through the project-established email account), standard mail, phone calls and comment forms/surveys issued at meetings and briefings. Indirect public comment will come through the media, non-agency sponsored meetings and third-party websites. It is important to address both direct and indirect public comment to ensure the public that its concerns and opinions are being recognized, and to respond to potentially problematic issues such as misinformation.
Mail and email responses offer the opportunity to develop a personalized response, yet timeliness is important. The desired timeframe to develop, edit, approve and mail (or email) a response is four days from the date it is received.
A centralized comment response management system will be implemented through an Excel spreadsheet. The goal of this system is to provide a centralized, secure
Foothill Central Specific Plan - Public Involvement Plan | Page 7 and electronically accessible repository for comments. It will be capable of categorizing the comment types and issues, tracking the status of comment responses and maintaining a comment record for the environmental documentation. The system will also collect and maintain stakeholder contact information for mailing list automation. This system will be shared with the City of Rialto and SCAG teams through our shared drive.
Phone calls and standard mail will be answered by the WSP team unless the City of Rialto or SCAG teams request to complete the responses. Monitoring third-party meetings, activities, websites, and media reports related to the project will continue throughout the project contract.
Public Review During the Environmental Review Process
The WSP team will present information, provide presentation materials, and answer CEQA-related questions associated with the project as necessary to support the City prior to and during the public hearing. A team member will be present at one public hearing meeting; the WSP team will prepare PowerPoint slides for presentation materials for the public hearing. If requested by the City, the WSP team, with support from City staff, will respond to comments about the environmental document.
Implementation
Stakeholder and public involvement in the planning process begins at the project kickoff and is planned to continue throughout the City of Rialto Specific Plan update.
This PIP includes strategies that can be used throughout all phases but will be further refined after discussions with the City of Rialto and SCAG staff.
Implementation of this plan requires the commitment and efforts of all parties involved. As an implementation guide, this plan will link specific strategies to the study schedule and identify the audience that each strategy is intended to reach.
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Appendix:
Item A: Proposed Housing Summit
Structure