PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS PLAN - Prepared by: Highland Planning - GBNRTC

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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS PLAN - Prepared by: Highland Planning - GBNRTC
PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT AND
COMMUNICATIONS
PLAN
Prepared for:
GBNRTC

In partnership with:
Stantec                                   Prepared by:
                       May 5, 2021   Highland Planning
Table of Contents

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3                     10 16 18 24
Engagement Overview   Public Engagement   Public Engagement   Communications Plan   Contact Us
                      Activities          Timeline

                                                                                                 |   2
Engagement   Decision Statement and
             Scope of Engagement

             Study Area
                                      KeyTakeaways from Pre-
                                      Engagement Interviews

Overview     Stakeholders

             Pre-Engagement
             Interviews
Decision Statement   Working with our neighbors to envision our shared future, by
                     Spring 2022 GBNRTC will adopt a plan that shapes the future of
and Scope of         mobility in Region Central, strengthens our communities, and
Engagement           creates a safer and more equitable and prosperous city and
                     region.
                     GBNRTC is seeking input on the local and regional context for
                     planning in the Region Central area including:
                     •   Needs and goals of area neighborhoods
                     •   Issues and opportunities related to economic and community
                         development, housing, equity, environmental quality, and
                         education in the area
                     •   Ideas for restoration and renewal of waterways and the Olmsted
                         Park system legacy
                     •   Plans for growth and development of area educational and
                         cultural institutions
                     GBNRTC will use this input to develop a comprehensive vision for
                     Region Central and identify mobility improvements related to
                     roadways (speed and traffic calming, design, safety, integration with
                     surrounding areas), bike and pedestrian facilities, transit, and smart
                     technology.

                                                                                     |   4
Study Area   Region Central is the area centrally located within the Buffalo-
             Niagara Region, comprising Delaware Park, Buffalo State
             College, Forest Lawn Cemetery, and numerous cultural
             institutions. Buffalo neighborhoods in this area include Black
             Rock, Delavan Grider, Elmwood Bidwell, Fillmore-Leroy,
             Grant-Amherst, Hamlin Park, Masten Park, Parkside, and
             Upper West Side.

                                                                         |      5
•
Stakeholders   Highland Planning has
               developed a database of          •
                                                    Government agencies
                                                    Cultural institutions
               organizations and contacts       •   Advocacy groups
               that includes key stakeholders   •   Neighborhoods
               from across the Region           •   Civic organizations
               Central area and beyond.
                                                •   Developers
               Major categories of
                                                •   Residential complexes
               stakeholders include:
                                                •   Educational institutions
                                                •   Faith-based institutions
                                                •   Medical institutions

                                                                            |   6
Pre-Engagement   Highland Planning conducted pre-engagement interviews with
                 the following key stakeholders:
Interviews       •   Laura Barnum, Buffalo State College
                 •   Bradley Bethel, Restore Our Community Coalition
                 •   Dan Castle, Erie County
                 •   Brian Dold, Buffalo Olmsted Park Conservancy
                 •   Norah Fletchall, Buffalo Zoo
                 •   Charley Fisher, Trinidad Neighborhood Association

                                                                         |    7
Focus conversation on higher-level       A positive outcome will couple
Key Takeaways from   issues and common ground. Past
                     efforts have gotten stuck in the
                                                              short-term actions with a long-
                                                              term vision. While the purpose of
Pre-Engagement       weeds or started from each
                     stakeholders’ preferred outcome
                                                              the project is to build a long-term
                                                              vision, including action items that can

Interviews
                     instead of building a common vision      be accomplished more quickly will
                     from the ground up.                      help sustain momentum and give
                                                              participants assurance that their input
                     Try novel and innovative                 is being heard.
                     engagement techniques to get the
                     community excited about the              Capitalize on overlap with other
                     planning process. Go beyond formal       projects in the area. The Buffalo Zoo
                     public hearings and restrictive          and Olmsted Parks Conservancy are
                     comment periods to engage the            developing Master Plans and Buffalo
                     public where they are and listen         State College is working on a vision
                     deeply.                                  for a redeveloped Dart Street parcel.
                                                              Synergies between these projects and
                     Build education into the                 others can help create a shared vision
                     engagement process but do not            for the region.
                     show up with a solution already in
                     mind. Any shared vision for Region       Members of the community
                     Central will involve trade-offs and      outside of Region Central should
                     having stakeholders step outside of      be included in the process. Most
                     their own perspective. The               visitors to Region Central’s cultural
                     engagement process should be             institutions come from outside the
                     informative without pushing one          immediate area. Given the economic
                     solution or vision onto participants.    benefits these visitors bring, any plan
                                                              should account for ensuring their
                     Include voices who haven’t been          return to Region Central.
                     heard before. Equity is essential to a
                     successful engagement process. Not
                     all communities are equally equipped
                     to organize and respond to projects,
                     so the outreach process should be as
                     inclusive as possible.                                                    |    8
Public Engagement                                 Risk Factor
                                                                              Mitigation
                                                                              Strategies
Risk Assessment
                                             Perception of Inequity   •   Prioritize outreach to typically
Public outrage can hinder the forward                                     underrepresented
movement of any project. Assessing                                        communities.
the risk of public opposition and                                     •   Supplement online materials
outrage and developing strategies to                                      and outreach with in-person
mitigate that risk is critical to avoiding                                engagement.
                                                                      •   Vet the process with a core
• Harm to a project's schedule, budget                                    group of stakeholders.
  or overall viability
                                             Planning Fatigue         •   Define the decision and the
• Harm to the relationship between                                        opportunity for influence.
  the decision-maker and stakeholders                                 •   Emphasize the project’s
                                                                          uniquely comprehensive and
• Harm to the decision-maker's
                                                                          visionary nature.
  reputation                                                          •   Make engagement enjoyable.
Given the long planning history of the                                •   Prepare clear messaging
Scajaquada Corridor and its                  Emergence of a Crisis
                                                                          points.
surrounding neighborhoods, it is our                                  •   Identify a crisis
assessment that some risk of public                                       communications point person.
opposition and/or outrage in response
to the Region Central project does           Unclear Project Goals    •   Have a clear decision
exist.                                                                    statement.
                                                                      •   Define a clear scope of
Read the full risk assessment here.                                       engagement.

                                                                                                        |    9
Public       Public Engagement
             Strategy

             Build the Vision, April –
                                         Final Mobility Plan,
                                         February 2022

Engagement
             June 2021

             Refine the Vision, July –
             October 2021

Activities   Draft Mobility Plan, Nov
             2021 –January 2022
Public Engagement
Strategy

                    Within and around Region Central,        Our public involvement strategy
                    hundreds of stakeholders will            focuses engagement resources on
                    undoubtedly wish to be involved in       ensuring a comprehensive, inclusive,
                    the planning process. We recognize       and equitable opportunity for
                    that not all of these organizations      stakeholders to participate in the
                    and groups have the same roles,          planning process. Events and
                    responsibilities, and capacity to        meetings in areas of the region that
                    participate.                             have traditionally had less access to
                                                             planning processes are prioritized,
                    We have designed our approach to         while multiple opportunities remain
                    accommodate these differences,           for everyone to be involved in
                    considering the information needs,       regionwide meetings, online forums,
                    resource availability, level of          and small groups.
                    influence, and stake in the project of
                    various groups.
                                                                                            |   11
Engagement                 Build the Vision
Activities                 April – June 2021
             Deep-Dive Interviews (April)             Interactive Website (May)

             The project team will conduct up to      The project website will feature an
             40 phone interviews with key             “idea wall” to get input on elements
             stakeholders to identify elements of a   of the vision.
             shared vision (e.g., concepts, goals,
             opportunities, constraints)

             Public Meeting (June)                    Stakeholder Advisory Group
                                                      (May – June)
             The project team will hold a public
             meeting to get input on elements of
                                                      The project team will invite key
             the vision.
                                                      stakeholders to a series of
                                                      meetings:
                                                      1. Orientation meeting (virtual)
                                                      2. Test elements of vision statement
                                                         (virtual meeting)
                                                      3. Draft vision (in-person meeting)
                                                      4. SAG subgroup: Design survey
                                                         and outreach events (virtual
                                                         meeting)
                                                                                         |   12
Engagement               Refine the Vision
Activities               July – October 2021
             Interactive Website (Ongoing)           Survey (July – August)

             The project website will feature        We will conduct an online survey to
             interactive elements including a        get public feedback on the shared
             survey, prioritization exercises,       vision developed by the SAG and the
             comment fields, and/or a virtual        project team.
             event.

             Outreach Events (July –                 Stakeholder Advisory Group
             August)                                 (September)

             We will conduct in-person outreach      The SAG will meet to finalize the
             events and workshops in various         vision and give input on options for
             neighborhoods within the study area     future mobility.
             to educate the public about the
             project and get feedback on the
             shared vision.

             Public Webinar (October)

             The project team will hold a webinar
             to review the shared vision with the
             public and get input on possible ways
             forward.                                                               |   13
Engagement                Draft Mobility Plan
Activities                November 2021 – January 2022
             Interactive Website (Ongoing)          Stakeholder Focus Groups
                                                    (November)
             The project website will continue to
             provide project updates and accept
                                                    The project team will conduct up to 4
             comments on the process.
                                                    focus groups to inform specific
                                                    recommendations for the mobility
                                                    plan.

             Stakeholder Advisory Group             Webinar (January)
             (November – December)
                                                    The project team will hold a public
                                                    meeting (virtual) to vet draft
             The SAG will hold two meetings:
                                                    recommendations.
             1. Give input on options for draft
                mobility plan (November)
             2. Review draft mobility plan
                (December)

                                                                                   |   14
Engagement                Final Mobility Plan
Activities                February 2022

             Stakeholder Advisory Group           Public Meeting (February)
             (January)
                                                  The project team will hold a public
                                                  meeting to present the final plan to
             The SAG will meet to hear and give
                                                  the public.
             feedback on final plan
             recommendations.

                                                                               |   15
Public
Engagement
Timeline
Public Engagement
Timeline

                    |   17
Communications   Communications Goal

                 Audience and Messaging

Plan
                 Strategies andTactics
Communications   A strong communications plan can help ensure the
                 effectiveness of public engagement efforts by building
Goal             awareness of the planning process and its goals and
                 encouraging participation in outreach activities. It can also
                 serve to build relationships with stakeholders who share the
                 goal of spreading the word about the planning process and
                 opportunities for public input. The communications plan
                 outlined here stresses a proactive approach to engaging the
                 public by continually sharing information about the planning
                 process to the media, the public, and partner organizations.

                 Communications Goal

                 Support an inclusive, effective engagement process by
                 generating awareness of and participation in the Region
                 Central planning process

                                                                           |     19
Audience and
Messaging
 Promise                 Safe, healthy, equitable, and accessible mobility options for Region Central that respect the corridor’s
                                                               natural features and history

 Target Audience                  Residents and users of Region Central neighborhoods, parks, roadways, institutions

 Decision Statement    Working with our neighbors to envision our shared future, by Spring 2022 GBNRTC will adopt a plan that
                       shapes the future of mobility in Region Central, strengthens our communities, respects our natural and
                       historic legacy, and creates a safer, more equitable, more environmentally responsible, and more
                       prosperous city and region.
 Tone of Voice                                               Trustworthy, Positive, Non-Jargony

 Elevator Speech       The Region Central planning effort takes a comprehensive look at the area’s economic, housing, mobility,
                       and social needs in order to envision a future transportation system that allows people to move around
                       the area safely, efficiently, economically, and equitably.
 Messaging Pillars                   Inclusive                        Comprehensive                           Visionary
 Headline Benefits     Creating a better future for all      Eliminating patchwork planning     Prioritizing people over cars
                       who live, work, play, and travel in
                       Region Central
 Supporting Examples   • Boundaries of study area and • Looks at the region as a                • Begins with crafting a shared
                           engagement extend beyond              whole, not just the highway         vision
                           Rt 198 corridor                   • Takes into account existing      • Options and
                       • Enhanced engagement                     plans from around the study         recommendations support
                           activities specifically for           area                                the vision
                           underrepresented                  • Includes analysis of housing,    • Intentionally future-oriented,
                           neighborhoods                         land use, economic                  considering regional needs
                       • Intentionally diverse                   development, and mobility           over the next 50-100 years
                           stakeholder advisory group            needs and opportunities

                                                                                                                                    |   20
Communications          Our overall approach to
                        communications for Region
                                                          An interactive web presence
                                                          managed by GBNRTC will
Strategy and Tactics:   Central is to be proactive in
                                                          allow interested stakeholders
                                                          to access relevant project
Overview                explaining the project and the
                        outreach process, encouraging
                                                          news, sign up for project
                                                          alerts, and offer comments.
                        public input, and establishing    Print materials will support
                        an open and inclusive             outreach events described in
                                                          the public engagement section
                        environment for discussion.
                                                          of this plan.
                        Our strategies include ongoing
                        communication with media
                        outlets across the region as
                        well as direct outreach to
                        organizations, citizens,
                        elected officials, and affected
                        agencies. We also plan to work
                        with partner organizations
                        with extensive mailing lists to
                        broaden the reach of our
                        communications.

                                                                                  |   21
Strategies and
Tactics

     Media Relations                        Direct Outreach                          Website and Social Media
     • Highland Planning will produce       • To support direct outreach to          GBNRTC, with support from Highland
       and distribute press releases as       stakeholders, our initial focus will   Planning, will develop and host a
       needed at key milestone of the         be on building a mailing list of       website that supports interactive
       project                                interested organizations and           public engagement. This may include
                                              individuals                            posting relevant documents and
     • At key milestones in the project,                                             meeting recordings, announcing
                                            • To ensure frequent interaction and
       GBNRTC (along with partner                                                    meetings, allowing mailing list sign-
                                              timely project updates, we will
       organizations as appropriate) will                                            ups and comments, and interactive
                                              create and send a monthly
       visit with media outlets and                                                  exercises. GBNRTC will also post
                                              eNewsletter to elected officials,
       reporters in forums such as                                                   project updates to its own social
                                              partner agencies, and the public
       • Radio show appearances                                                      media platforms.
       • Project area tours/drive-          • GBNRTC will maintain ongoing
         throughs                             communications via conference
       • Editorial Board meetings             call with high-influence officials
       • TV morning shows
                                              and agencies
       • Op eds                                                                                                     |   22
Strategies and
Tactics (cont’d)

                   Outreach Through Partners                 Print Materials
                   As we produce materials related to        Print materials can support public
                   the project, we will contact              engagement efforts, particularly pop-
                   stakeholder organizations who could       up events. We will design materials
                   help us spread information to their       for production by GBNRTC as
                   own mailing lists. Types of               needed. These may include:
                   information to be shared include:
                                                             • Flyers
                   •   Social media posts                    • Postcards
                   •   Newsletter items                      • Signage for pop-ups
                   •   Meeting/event announcements
                   •   Website buttons

                   We will also explore the possibility of
                   variable message signs on local roads
                   and public service announcements in
                   the transit system.
                                                                                          |   23
Contact Us
Project Team

               The Region Central public engagement and communications team includes:

               Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council:
               Hal Morse, hmorse@gbnrtc.org
               Amy Weymouth, aweymouth@gbnrtc.org
               JohnMichael Mulderig, jmulderig@gbnrtc.org

               Highland Planning:
               Nancy Raca, Project Manager, nancy@highland-planning.com

               Stantec:
               Jeff Sauser, Project Manager, jeff.sauser@stantec.com

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