Sleepy Hollow Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan Meeting-In-A-Box
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Sleepy Hollow Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan Meeting-In-A-Box Meeting-In-A-Box Host Packet Thank you for offering to host a meeting for the Sleepy Hollow Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan! Your meeting will help to supplement other forms of public outreach held throughout the process, including public workshops, public surveys, and focus group meetings. The Meeting-in-a-Box tool gives those who may not be able to participate in other meetings a chance to provide input in a group setting that will guide the planning process. The results of your meeting will shape the vision and policies of the Sleepy Hollow’s Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan. We encourage you to stay involved after your meeting. You can sign up for meeting updates at www. sleepyhollowconnected.com to receive updates about the process and review draft sections of the plan. Contents Host Packet 1 Overview of the Process 2 Instructions for Meeting Hosts 3 Feedback Form 7 Return Instructions 8 Participant Packet 9 Transportation / Connectivity 9 Housing and Neighborhoods 11 Environment and Sustainability 13 Municipal Services and Community Organizations 15 Parks, Open Space, and the Waterfront 17 Downtown and the Economy 19 1 Sleepy Hollow Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan Meeting-In-A-Box Overview of the Process The Village of Sleepy Hollow is updating its Comprehensive Plan and Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (Waterfront Plan) to create two unified planning documents. The Village has recognized that these two plans are interrelated— updating them concurrently will help the Village respond to shifting socioeconomic and environmental considerations, set policies for future land and water uses, and establish a framework for governmental decision-making. It has been nearly 40 years since the Village last adopted a Comprehensive Plan and the current Waterfront Plan dates to 1997, when conditions on Sleepy Hollow’s waterfront and in the Village overall were vastly different than they are today. The updated Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan will reflect these changes and set a course for future development, redevelopment, and preservation that ensure protection of both environmental and neighborhood assets. The two plans will be linked, in that the Waterfront Plan will inform one chapter of the Comprehensive Plan, but will also be included in its entirety as an appendix and will also serve as a standalone document. Process of completing the Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan The process, which is expected to take about 12 months, began with a kick-off meeting in April 2018; a series of community engagement events will follow through fall 2018, with compliance with the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) occurring during the winter of 2018/2019. See www.sleepyhollowconnected.com for additional details. Contents of the Meeting-in-a-Box packet Host Packet The Host Packet is a collection of materials to help prepare the host to facilitate the meeting. This includes directions on how to facilitate the meeting and directions for returning the toolkit. Participant Packet A packet of materials which provides questions for discussion on series of action areas that the Village is seeking feedback on for the Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan. Each participant should have a packet of worksheets to record their feedback. Feedback Form The feedback form is a brief survey for participants to provide comments on the effectiveness of the Meeting-in-a-Box tool, suggestions for how it could be improved, and ideas for additional public outreach strategies. Topic Areas: 1. Transportation/Connectivity 2. Housing and Neighborhoods 3. Environment and Sustainability 4. Municipal Services and Community Organizations 5. Parks and Open Space, and the Waterfront 6. Downtown and the Economy 2 Sleepy Hollow Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan Meeting-In-A-Box Instructions for Meeting Hosts Purpose of the meeting 1. Introduce the community to Sleepy Hollow’s Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan process. 2. Solicit community input on issues and opportunities facing the Village. 3. Identify ideas for the future organized by six different action areas. Time Needed 1.5 to 2 hours for the meeting, plus time to plan and prepare. Materials Needed 1. One copy of the Host Packet 2. Copies of Participant Packet for each participant 3. Copies of Feedback Form 4. Pens/pencils and paper if you want to take notes. 5. Return instructions. 6. Camera for taking photos. Conducting your meeting Invite your friends, neighbors, colleagues, or others to your meeting Identify and invite participants to your meeting. Around 8 – 12 is a good amount to have a good small group discussion, but you may want to invite a few more, assuming not all will be able to attend. It’s OK if you have fewer and you can invite more if you are comfortable facilitating a larger group. Send your meeting invitation via email, mail, or call participants on the phone to welcome them to your meeting. Be sure to give enough time for people to schedule and try to find a time of day that works for everyone. Be sure to remind your participants one to two days before the scheduled meeting to confirm participation of your group. Prepare and review materials Print one Host Packet for yourself and enough Participant Packets for each attendee. Review all of the materials in advance to make sure you are familiar with the questions and prepared to lead a discussion. Facilitate a meeting Lead the discussion by making sure the meeting follows the agenda, stays on topic, and addresses all of the discussion questions. There is a lot of material to cover and your participants will have a lot to say—try to encourage everyone to be concise and move on after making their point heard. As the meeting host, you are also a participant, so be sure to share your opinion while also making sure that everyone else has an opportunity to speak. Try to keep the meeting relaxed and enjoyable for everyone. If possible, ask a participant to take some candid photos. These meetings are designed to encourage active group conversations. If you are hosting a large meeting with more than 12 people, we suggest that you break into small groups and make sure each group has a note-taker and facilitator. 3 Sleepy Hollow Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan Meeting-In-A-Box Before beginning the discussion, review the following discussion guidelines. Also, ask participants if they have any other guidelines they would like to add: 1. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to speak. 2. Focus on the topic of your group’s discussion. 3. Listen, be honest, but avoid criticizing others. 4. Keep an open mind and try to understand other viewpoints. 5. Be concise and express your ideas without making speeches. 6. Try not to interrupt others. 7. Avoid making things personal during the discussion. Meeting Agenda: 1. Welcome and Introductions (15 minutes) - Thank everyone for taking the time to participate take a few minutes for introductions. - Ask participants to briefly share why they wanted to get involved in your meeting. - Review the discussion guidelines. - Answer any questions. 2. Group Discussion: (60 – 90 minutes) - The small group discussion about action areas should take up the bulk of the time of the meeting. - The discussion about each action area should be broken up into two segments: 1. General group discussion about key issues and opportunities. 2. Summary discussion to reach consensus about the top two to four priorities for the plans to address. - Each action area has a series of questions to guide the general group discussion. Feel free to follow these questions or discuss other issues related to each specific action area that we may have missed. - Participants should take notes on their handouts to record their individual priorities. The host or a designated note taker should keep a combined record to record the consensus that the group reaches about top priorities. - There are a total of six action areas in the packet, each with its own series of questions and a map. The group can choose to discuss each of the action areas, or focus on just some of them, if all agree to spend more time on certain areas. If you choose to discuss all six action areas, you should take between 10 to 15 minutes on each one. 3. Meeting Wrap-up and Evaluation - Thank your participants for taking part in your meeting. - Encourage everyone to fill out the evaluation form. - Remind the group to stay up to date on the process by visiting www.sleepyhollowconnected.com. Collect and return materials ▪ Collect the participant packets and make sure all are identified with the host name and the meeting date. ▪ Follow the instructions on how to return the materials to the Village of Sleepy Hollow. Be sure to return your materials no later than November 16, 2018 so that your meeting results and feedback can be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan. 4 Sleepy Hollow Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan Meeting-In-A-Box Sample Invitation Use this template as a guide for your meeting invitations. You can include this language in an email, send invitations in the mail, or use this as a guide to invite people over the phone. You’re Invited! What: Sleepy Hollow Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan Meeting-in-a-Box. Where: When: RSVP by: RSVP to: The Sleepy Hollow Comprehensive Plan and Waterfront Plan is a participatory process to create a vision for Sleepy Hollow’s future. We are seeking your ideas about what you love most about Sleepy Hollow, what needs to be improved, and how the Village can work to make the Village an even better place.