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Home My WebLink About12-04-23 Public Comment - A. Sweeney - Attn_ Community Development Board about UDC public engagementFrom:Alison Sweeney To:Agenda Subject:[EXTERNAL]Attn: Community Development Board about UDC public engagement Date:Sunday, December 3, 2023 7:40:18 PM Attachments:What is a Charrette.pdf Public Engagement Proposal.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hello Board Members, I see that staff is presenting some preliminary findings at tonight's meeting (12/4) fromthe City's UDC engagement survey. Polling residents in this manner may be easy, but it leaves a lot of people out. I've sent the survey out to the email list for my neighborhood, but that only reaches 80 out of over 500households within my proposed neighborhood boundary. When making changes to someone's physical property, a direct mailing is necessary. Your Advisory Board has borne the brunt of community alarm and unrest when changes of this magnitude are made without appropriate public buy-in. Myself and other residents have put together an engagement strategy over several weeks. Ifyou are to avoid public outcry, and still want to pursue drastic changes to the UDC, I believe it is in your best interest to push the Commissioners and City Manager for this type ofengagement. A typical Charrette involves over 50 hours of public participation! WE CAN DO HARD THINGS I'm attaching our engagement plan, along with an explanation of what a Charrette is. I've given these documents to Terry Cunningham and Joey Morrison and had conversations with bothabout hosting this type of engagement. Thank you, Alison B. Sweeney Bernadette's Handmade JewelryBozeman MT 406-404-5740alison-bernadettes.com Public Engagement Proposal Preparation Phase Being People Ready A Charrette engagement event is only successful if it is well attended. It will only be well attended if a broad section of the population are aware of it, and if they believe their participation will affect the outcome. If people don’t believe they can change the draft, they won’t participate. The city’s past engagement strategies, for whatever reason, have not reached many residents. Therefore, the shock at the proposed draft code offered in August created a lot of alarm and resentment. The residents are now engaged. We should use this fact to rebuild trust. When the new Mayor and Commissioner are sworn in they need to go on a bit of an image repair mission. Reach out to the public through the Chronicle, TV news (am & pm), radio stations, Bozeman Magazine, and whatever additional online platforms seem appropriate. The following issues need to be communicated to residents. Why do we need to change our zoning and building regulations? How is the NEW engagement going to be different? The draft is just a draft, changes WILL be made, from public input. Explain the Charrette style of engagement Tell residents they will be getting a letter in the mail along with a survey asking them which parts of the draft code are most concerning. This survey should be created in conjunction with residents and an independent statistician. Engagement will be structured around the most concerning topics. The directly mailed letter should go to all residents of the city of Bozeman. The front of the envelope should say in red the following: ATTENTION! Zoning and building regulations are changing! The text of the directly mailed letter should be clean and simple describing exactly what is being worked on, how it will affect all residents, a clear schedule of the Charrette activities, and a survey to ask which areas of the current draft are most concerning. Encourage residents to go to the website to view the draft and map, but do not include fluff or marketing for the end product. Provide a prepaid return envelope for the survey. Some example topics of concern that could be included in the survey are these: State Laws Open Space/Trees Height and Mass increases Parking Changes Zone Edge Transitions NCOD boundary and protections Residential Zone Changes Form based code vs. Euclidian zoning Commercial Zone Changes Ask residents to select or circle all that are concerning. I also think it would be valuable to offer several zone edge transition walking tours where a knowledgeable individual could take residents on a tour to view actual zone edges, what is currently being done, and why it’s not adequate. Being Data Ready This will be the most labor-intensive part of preparation. Materials must be prepared so that each table at the Zoning/Development workshop will be honest and informative, but crucially designed to gather feedback from residents. Resident feedback is the product of the workshop. No product, no success. People must attend and they must participate. The fact that 12 intercept events were conducted and only 158 individuals managed to submit written feedback is an absolutely abysmal level of input. Each time those kids went out to set up their little table, they only had 13 people submit written feedback. Maybe less since some brochures may have been submitted online. Every table must be geared towards gathering written comment from residents. Displays must be made that communicate in an honest way the implication of the changes to the built environment. For example, architectural elevations must be made for each residential and commercial zone. A massing must be made to show the maximum allowed building height and mass plugged into an actual streetscape of Bozeman as viewed from the ground, with a human figure for reference. Zone edge transitions must be shown compared to actual streetscapes and existing residences in Bozeman. Compiling the visual aids and the feedback forms will be crucial to the success of the event. They need to be created in order to gather input in a way that is easy for staff to process into clear directives later. This is not fluffy vision idea stuff, this is nuts and bolts specific modifications or concerns residents have with the draft. Being Place Ready Finding a venue that can host the Charrette for the entire event, and meet the demands of the different types of activities needed, will be a significant challenge. There needs to be an event space large enough to accommodate the attendance at the workshop. There need to be smaller meeting rooms in which to hold the smaller true stakeholder meetings. There needs to be video recording technology. The same location must be available for the entire event to make it easy for the public to participate. If different events are scheduled in different places, all over the city, at different times, some residents will slip through the cracks and it will be much harder for staff, commissioners, and board members. Not everyone is on site all the time, but the Charrette can be designed so that staff, commissioners, and board members rotate in and out to collect public input, participate in interviews, process input, give presentations etc. Public Engagement Proposal Zoning/Development Charrette structure Day 1 and 2: Public Zoning/Development Workshop • Held in a large venue able to accommodate attendance. • Set up tables with each one acting as a different area for education and discussion of a specific topic within the UDC draft proposal. Topics will be chosen based on People Ready Outreach conducted ahead of time. • Staff each table with at least 2 knowledgable members of City Staff, CDB and City Commissioners. These individuals are there to educate and interpret the draft, but also to listen and encourage written feedback from public attendees. • Each table must include one or more written feedback opportunities for Bozeman residents to fill out and submit to a secure box, like a ballot box. • Open for long hours on a weekend to allow for visits by the public around work, and other time commitments. • Since the workshop will be open for long hours have 2 shifts of staff/CDB/Commissioners. • Daycare will be provided. • Public will be encouraged to attend the open house presentations on evenings 3 and 4, in order to see the Workshop Findings Report in which all attendees feedback will be compiled. Day 3: True Stakeholder Meetings A series of balanced, structured interviews, made up of members of City Staff, City Commissioners, and CDB members (2 individuals) paired with citizen experts in different fields(2-3 individuals). These 50 minute interviews are designed to address specific details of what a responsible code looks like in specialty areas. Experts in these areas give the interviewers specific input on their areas of expertise. For example urban forest ecosystem advocates can advise on specific requirements for open space and the protection of trees. Architects specializing in sustainable infill design can advise on building regulations that protect solar access for passive and active solar energy generation. Drafting by committee is extremely difficult, so groups should be limited to 5 people. These might include the following: 1. Neighborhood Association members (homeowners from Bozeman’s core) 2. Affordable housing advocates 3. Transportation experts 4. Urban forest/ecosystem advocates 5. Historic district homeowners or HPAB members 6. Architects specializing in sustainable infill design Work Session to Process Public Input Happening concurrently, a group of city engagement staff, Bozeman resident volunteers, and Charrette proctor team members will process written public responses to table topics covered in the workshop and draft a report and presentation distilling the results. This report will be called Workshop Findings and will be organized around each of the table topics. This process should be open to the public for observation only. The resident volunteers are members of the public involved in collating responses from the workshop to make sure that staff is not skewing feedback to fit their vision of the UDC. This is necessary oversight to restore trust in the process. This is the same reason the work session is open to the public for observation. Transparency & Accountability! Evening Open House Presentation The Charrette proctor, member of staff, and the citizen volunteer who produced the Workshop Findings Report will give a presentation to the Community Development Staff, Community Development Board, City Commissioners, and the public at large. Public comment and questioning allowed after the presentation. Open to the public, recorded and posted to the website for later viewing. Day 4: Process Public Input Morning discussion amongst Community Development staff, City Commissioners, and CDB members processing the Workshop Findings Report and notes from the true stakeholder interviews they conducted the previous day. Discuss and agree on changes that need to be made to the draft UDC based on public input gathered in the interviews and presented in the Workshop Findings Report. This discussion meeting will be open to the public with public comment and question afterwards. Recorded and posted to the project website for later viewing. Afternoon session where staff creates a document outlining the agreed changes that will be directed to Code Studio for a revised UDC draft. This Document will be titled New Directives. Evening Open House Presentation • A few members from the CD staff, City Commission, and CDB present the New Directives to the public. Presentation will conclude with Next Steps in the process. The outreach is not complete when the Charrette is concluded. Further feedback will occur when a new draft is produced for public review and similar workshops will be conducted to present the new draft to the public. Recorded and posted to website for later viewing. Day 5: New Directives “Code Connect” type meeting where City Staff, Commissioners, and CDB members meet with Code Studio to present New Directives for changes that need to be made to the draft based on public input. Open to the public and Recorded and posted to project website for later viewing. Code Studio will then need time to create an updated draft and deliver it to the City. We repeat the Charrette Process at least once more with the new draft. If major community pushback is still occuring, the Charrette process may need to be repeated more than once. Public Engagement Proposal Example Table Topics These are just a few examples of table topics that could be set up at the Public Zoning/Development Charrette. Actual topics should include those that receive the highest level of concern from the direct mailed letter and survey well before the Charrette occurs. The set up of these table stations should be designed to educate the resident attendants about what current code is, what changes the proposed draft allows for, and what impact state law has on our ability to regulate our own code. The GOAL of these table stations, and the workshop in general, is to gather public feedback! State Laws • This table would include information on: 1. HB 259 no Inclusionary zoning 2. Bill 323 requiring duplexes be allowed in R-1 3. SB 382 Land Use Planning Act 4. Other relevant state laws limiting our ability to tax second homes or institute a local option sales tax. • For SB 382 provide a survey for residents to fill out and submit. Survey should clearly outline the options given to municipalities from which they must select 5. Ask the resident to circle or fill in the blank to indicate which 5 options they would choose. • Have a questionnaire available to judge appetite for local option sales tax. 1. Is this something the city should lobby state govt. for the right to implement? 2. What would residents like to see the sales tax look like? For example, no tax on groceries, gas, clothing up to $200 etc. Residential Zone Changes • Clearly present changes in allowed height and mass in existing vs. proposed draft in ALL residential zones. Survey to gauge acceptance or how people would like draft code allowances revised. • Honest images with elevations, from ground level, showing allowed mass and scale of proposed construction in the context of existing neighborhoods with a human form to demonstrate scale. • Present information on FAR regulations. How they work. How they can be structured to limit mass, and add density not McMansions. How they can prevent existing buildings from being torn down. Survey gauging how participants feel about FAR being tied to # of units. • Clearly present changes to allowed density in existing vs. proposed draft for ALL residential zones. • Map! Commercial Zone Changes • Height and mass. Honest images. In context. Survey to gauge acceptance. Zone Edge Transitions • Present current ZET’s and proposed draft ZET’s, but also other options. • Use honest images that show real examples of what structures are possible in high intensity zones and real examples of what currently exists in lower intensity zones. • Present possible design requirements that could be implemented to protect privacy. Evergreen landscape barrier, window placement/design, balcony railing design requirements etc. • Solicit feedback on whether a street or alleyway constitutes enough of a transition, or whether residents would still like to see transition measures taken even when zones meet in alleyways or streets. • Real photographs of existing zone edge transition vs. no transition. • Map! Parking • Where is parking decreased or eliminated and by how much. Survey designed to gauge acceptance. NCOD • Explain current vs. proposed NCOD protections and design review procedures and collect input. • Visual aid showing an amazing historic home next to a “tear down” quality historic home and ask folks how to regulate these different types of buildings in the same zone. • Address 2015 removal of “block character”. Survey to gauge if public want provisions added back. Sustainability • Solar discussion: active generation, passive design, gardens for food security and pollinator habitat. • Survey to gauge whether people want solar protections codified. • Tree protections: what would folks like to see in an urban tree protection ordinance • Does updated code mandate or encourage drought resistant native landscapes. What would people like to see in the code to address landscape water use. Every single table station should have a survey designed to gauge peoples’ reaction to current draft code. This should be submitted to a ballot type box to be processed on day 3 by the team of engagement staff and resident oversight. Every survey should have a section for resident participants to write other comments and concerns in a free text option. This feedback is the targeted product of the Public Zoning/Development Workshop. 1 of 3 WHAT IS A CHARRETTE? A French word, "Charrette" means "cart" and is often used to describe the final, intense work effort expended by art and architecture students to meet a project deadline. This use of the term is said to originate from the École des Beaux Arts in Paris during the 19th century, where proctors circulated a cart, or “Charrette”, to collect final drawings while students frantically put finishing touches on their work. Today a “Charrette” combines creative, intense working sessions with public workshops and open houses. A Charrette is a collaborative planning process that harnesses the talents and energies of all interested parties to create and support a master plan that represents transformative community change. A CHARRETTE IS: At least three to four consecutive days. An open process that includes all interested parties (stakeholders). A collaborative process involving all disciplines in a series of short feedback loops. A process that produces a feasible plan. A generalist, holistic approach. A CHARRETTE IS NOT: A one-day workshop. A multi-day marathon meeting involving everyone all the time. A plan authored by a select few that will affect many. A “visioning session” that stops short of implementation. WHO USES CHARRETTES? Planners and Designers Architects and Landscape Architects Public Officials and Organizations Planning and Community Development Directors Public and Private Developers and Land Owners Non-Governmental Organizations 2 of 3 Charrette Types: Charrettes can be used virtually any time a product needs to be created or designed, the Charrette model results in feasible plans for: Regional Planning Comprehensive Planning Rewriting Development Codes New Community Master Planning Specific Planning Affordable Housing Developments Buildings Benefits of a Charrette: High quality architectural and planning projects with demonstrable public benefit may lose support without a collaborative approach. A public planning Charrette has emerged as an alternative to the “plan and present” convention. Charrettes provide a framework for creating a shared vision with community involvement, directed by consultants representing all key disciplines. Benefits of using a Charrette process: Trust – Charrettes promote trust between citizens and officials through meaningful involvement and education. Vision – Charrettes foster a shared vision. Feasibility – Charrettes increase the possibility of completing a process by obtaining support from citizens, professionals, and staff. Good Planning – Charrettes create a better plan through diverse input and public involvement. Economy – Charrettes avoid costly rework and utilizes productive work sessions. Additional benefits: It’s fun and attracts the interest of a broad range of people. The charrette itself is a marketing event for the project. The multi-day and night studio provides many opportunities for people to participate. 3 of 3 What actually happens? A Charrette cannot be a stand-alone process. It is one phase of the planning or design process. Design, input and feedback cycles occur throughout a Charrette. The workflow of the Charrette involves a series of collaborative design and public input cycles for multiple, consecutive days. Everyone – from city planner to local business and property owners – become aware of the complexities of development and design issues, and everyone works together to arrive at the best possible solution. A central element of the Charrette is the “design team,” a multidisciplinary group of professionals that provide the necessary expertise to create a feasible plan that considers all relevant input. This design team is the constant of the Charrette, working day and night on site in the Charrette studio to develop a holistic, feasible plan. This doesn't mean that the entire community must take a week off from work to hold a Charrette. The Charrette stakeholders, anyone who is impacted by the project or has interest, are involved at a minimum in scheduled meetings, including at least two public meetings. Stakeholders are also welcome to visit the Charrette studio throughout the Charrette during open hours. In this way, it does not consume large blocks of time for residents or officials. Once the design team completes its set-up procedures, including a team kick-off meeting and site tour, a public hands-on workshop is conducted for the purposes of creating a clear understanding on the part of all participants about the purpose and process of the Charrette and to solicit the public’s vision. The next day the design team creates a series of alternative plans based on all information gathered to date, including the public vision, and then solicits input at another public meeting. This input is used to refine the alternatives and create more detailed plans that are again reviewed and critiqued by the public during an open house. The design team further refines and narrows the feedback into a final plan and set of implementation documents to be presented for public confirmation on the final night of the Charrette. It is important to note that the project is not complete when the Charrette is. Document refinement and further feedback occur through stakeholder discussions and follow-up meetings after the Charrette. This allows everyone to check in on the refined Charrette plan and to allow for multiple feedback loops. Source: National Charrette Institute (NCI)