PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT: PLAN, ADAPT & OVERCOME

Presented by:
Nancy J. Williams, Project Manager
Veronica O. Davis, PE

March 26, 2011

Agenda

  Introduction
  Alexandria Waterfront Plan Overview

  Public Involvement Process

  The Challenge
  The Plan

  The Adaptation

  Lessons Learned
  Discussion
Alexandria Waterfront Plan

  Daingerfield Island to Jones Point

  Unique role throughout history
Alexandria Waterfront Plan

  Builds on past planning efforts

  Community revitalized by the arts
The Challenge: Balancing Interests

  Multiple stakeholders along Waterfront

  City

  Residents

  Business

  Nonprofits

  National Park Service

  Regulatory and Legal Tools
  Land use agreements
  Zoning/historic district/height districts
Opportunity: Connectivity

  Connecting a Revitalized Waterfront to

surroundings in a harmonious way:
  Good Neighbor to Old Town, North Old Town, City at
large, Region
  Avoiding Impacts: Scale/Traffic/Parking/Noise/River

  Sensitivity to Area’s Past: History/Architecture

  Sustainable Future: Economical and Environmental

  Maximizing Public Benefit: Amenity for all

The Challenge: Citywide Amenity

  Waterfront as a Citywide amenity

  Accessibility to the waterfront: visual and physical
  Activities for all age groups

  Ability to traverse the waterfront along the water’s

edge
  Programming and activation of parks

  Water-based activities

  Art and History unifying features

Public Involvement: The Plan

6 Community Meetings
  Kick-off Meeting

  Lessons Learned from around the world

  Community visioning

  Community Open House

  Concept Plan

  Design Schematic

Public Review Period

Public Involvement: The Adaptation

  6 Community Meetings
  2 Walking Tours

  1 Boat Tour

  Trip to NYC

  4 “theme” nights

  Public Comment period

WHAT WE DID
Community “Open Mike” Forum

Meeting #1 of 6
 Kick-off event

 Groups/organization were given 2 minutes

  Visionfor Waterfront
  Guiding principles for the Plan
Community “Open Mike” Forum

  Purpose: give the community an opportunity to talk

first

  Lessons Learned
  Opportunity to listen
  Shape guiding principles

  Acknowledge concerns and brainstorm solutions

Community Forum – Expert Panel

Meeting #2 of 6
 Expert Panel

 Waterfronts from around

the world
 Best practices

 Lessons learned
Community Forum

  Lessons Learned
  Communityenjoyed seeing what has been done
  Show examples of comparable communities
  Historical Context
  Size
  Scale

  Show elements of extreme examples

Boat Tour

  View of Waterfront from the water

  Discussed history, zoning & development sites
Walking Tour #1

  Representatives from all City Agencies

  Walked from Robinson Terminal to Terminal

  Challenges and opportunities

Walking Tour #2

  Waterfront Committee Annual Walking Tour

  40 citizens walked from Robinson Terminal to

Terminal
  Historic places & buildings
Tours

  Lessons Learned
  Helps people understand issues when they can see it
  Explore community from different perspectives

  Allows community to provide feedback

Community Visioning Workshop

Meeting #3 of 6
Over 100 people attended
 Day long visioning exercise

  Red/Green Dot
  Drawing on maps
Community Visioning

  Lessons Learned
  Skilledfacilitators are important
  Manage the discussion without guiding it

  Make sure everyone at tables participates

  Allow community to draw on maps and measure their

preferences
  Document feedback through plenary session and

website
Field Trip to NYC
Field Trip to NYC

  5 out of 7 Planning Commissioners

  Board of Architectural Review

  Parks & Recreation Commission

  Arts Commission

  Waterfront Committee
Field Trip to NYC

  Lessons Learned
  Experience is more powerful than photos
  Important that leadership from stakeholder groups
attend
  Have local representative guide tour
  Questions
  Lessons learned
Community Open House

Meeting #4 of 6
 Presented maps & concepts based on all outreach

events
 Over 100 people in attendance
Open House – Activity Map
Theme Nights

  Purpose: to gather input from community experts

and lay persons on important components
  History, Arts, and Marina Night

  Outreachto specific interest groups

  Workshop format
Theme Night: History

  Outreach to all commissions with history in mission

  Purpose: Focus on how to reflect history in the plan

  Historical maps of the waterfront

  Identified
places and historic buildings
  Community used post-it notes

  Waterfront history
white paper followed
Theme Night: Marina

  Outreach to commercial and private boating

communities and local Waterfront Committee
  Purpose:

  Understand
operational needs and financial
requirements of a viable marina and local vision
  Use of meeting to share consultant data
  Use of meeting to get practical information from
boaters, other users: water taxis, passengers of
local cruises, and Waterfront Committee
Theme Night: Arts

  Outreach to arts community

  Purpose:

  Integrate art into Waterfront Plan

  Determine how to incorporate art and to marry it with
history and other cultural resources
  Art Walk white paper followed
Community Meeting: Concept Plan

Meeting #5 of 6
 Concept Plan - Vision Illustrated

 Goals/Ideas

 Conceptual Drawing w/Activity Nodes

  Piers and Marina at Food of King

  Public Plaza at Foot of King

  Expansion of Parks

  Improvement of Parks

  Identification of Development Sites/Uses

Concept Plan Design
Community Meeting: Plan Design

Meeting #6 of 6
Plan Design
 Use of scaled model

 Use of schematic design for core area

 Use of illustrative perspectives

 Provided time for group feedback sessions &

plenary session
Plan Design
Community Meetings: 5 and 6

Lessons Learned last two meetings

 Use of media for outreach and information

 Use of other technology for outreach

 Effective use of visual tools

 Tie products to previous agreed upon visioning

goals and objectives – reinforce often

 Keep lines of communication open
General Lessons Confirmed

  Tours were excellent tool; All tours before

community visioning
  Ongoing citywide outreach – clear message

  Communicate often with neighboring stakeholders

  Efficient use of technology for outreach

  Effective use of visual tools – model; illustratives

  Keep community leaders involved and informed

  Provide ongoing mechanism for feedback

  Demonstrate that community has been heard

Additional Outreach

  Staff attendance at commission, board & civic

association meetings
  One-on-One and small group meetings by request

  Meeting with individual property owners

  Social and traditional media

Public Review Period

  Plan is released
  First Public Hearing – Alexandria Planning

Commission
  April
5, 2011
  May 3, 2011

  City Council to follow

www.alexandriava.gov/Waterfront
 Nancy J. Williams, Project Manager
nancy.williams@alexandriava.gov

Veronica O. Davis, PE
vdavis@nspiregreen.com

QUESTIONS