Community Engagement Summary FORUM ON THE FUTURE Tuscaloosa, Alabama January 7, 2019 Community Engagement Summary, Forum on the Future This document presents a summary and analysis of the first round of public engagement for Framework including the Forum on the Future and additional outreach and engagement activities prior to and following that event . This community input will be evaluated by the Framework steering committee and used to shape the initial direction for the city's comprehensive plan . CONTENTS 1. HIGHLIGHTS . 1 2 . FORUM ON THE FUTURE . .3 Overview and purpose . 3 Who we heard from . .10 What we learned . .14 3. OTHER ENGAGEMENT . 20 4. APPENDICES . 22 ii FRAMEWORK | Tuscaloosa, Alabama Community Engagement Summary, Forum on the Future 1. HIGHLIGHTS This document summarizes input from approximately 400 people collected between October and December 2018 . Over 350 people provided input at the Forum on the Future on November 27 and online in the three weeks after the event . Prior to the Forum, as part of the community outreach effort, two groups representing the local Latino population and young professionals organization were engaged . Through all of the input, many recurring themes were heard . The diagram below attempts to capture the relative prevalence and interrelatedness of the major themes . The report details more specific recurring topics and the appendix contains a verbatim record of all comments. Four interrelated topics capture the majority of input and reflect the most important areas for Tuscaloosa to emphasize Fostering a distinctive Expanding jobs, Economic Quality built and natural entrepreneurship, Opportunities Place and tourism environment . Includes themes such as: • Management of growth • Transportation options • Strong neighborhoods • Stewardship of Housing that is natural resources affordable and • Investment in meets the lifestyle Housing Diverse infrastructure needs of young Options Amenities adults, families, and seniors . There is a particular Lifestyle amenities for all ages but particularly need to address for youth, families, and housing needs to to attract and retain support economic talent . Most often development . mentioned amenities are investing in parks, recreational facilities and programming, Other supporting themes and arts and cultural • Engaged and collaborative activities . This topic community also includes schools • Strong city identity and public education . • Safe and healthy community FRAMEWORK | Tuscaloosa, Alabama 1 Community Engagement Summary, Forum on the Future "I am extremely proud of "Keep it going! It's important to Tuscaloosa for taking steps provide ongoing opportunities to better our future." for public involvement beyond —participant development of the comp plan." —participant "Working through this data and implementing it is a major hope of mine for the future of Tuscaloosa." —participant 2 FRAMEWORK | Tuscaloosa, Alabama Community Engagement Summary, Forum on the Future 2. FORUM ON THE FUTURE OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE Framework's Forum on The Future was hosted on November 27, 2018 at the Tuscaloosa River Market. The Forum was the first community input event to help set the direction for updates to the City’s comprehensive plan and its zoning and land development regulations . The Forum was widely promoted and open to anyone who cares about the future of Tuscaloosa . Approximately 325 people attended the event, generating thousands of comments and ideas for the future of the City . Participants and others who missed the event were also able to provide feedback after the meeting through the project website . This report summarizes the event’s activities, participants, and what we learned . The Forum on the Future was designed to inform the community about the To review the full comprehensive plan and zoning code update, introduce key conditions and trends, comment database please refer to the and provide an opportunity for individual feedback and discussion about topics appendix. important to participants . The agenda provided a combination of educational and inspirational elements as well as individual and group activities . The comments generated through the event, the project website, and additional outreach activities have been databased, themed, and presented in summary through this report. Results from the first round of public engagement will help inform the direction of the vision and draft recommendations for the comprehensive plan . FORMAT AND AGENDA The event was a 2-hour program that began at 6 p .m . As participants arrived, they were greeted and invited to visit a large map of the city where they could identify the general location they live with a sticker dot . Based on that location, participants were given a small map of that area for them to take to their seat . Participants sat in groups ranging in size from five to ten people at round tables. Each table had either a member of the Framework Steering Committee, city staff, or other volunteer who served as a group leader . Welcome and Introduction Mayor Walter Maddox kicked off the event with brief remarks, thanking everyone for coming and encouraging them to think big and creatively . Jamie Greene, Principal of planning NEXT, provided a background on the Framework process along with an overview of comprehensive planning . Planning NEXT are the managing partners of the consulting team working with the city to complete the plan . During this initial overview, Mr . Greene shared the rationale for this type of planning process and how the community’s input would be integrated . He mentioned the team’s technical research and analysis and then guided the tables through three activities . FRAMEWORK | Tuscaloosa, Alabama 3 Community Engagement Summary, Forum on the Future PUBLICITY AND OUTREACH The Steering Committee’s goal for the Forum on the Future was to ensure that anyone who cares about the future of Tuscaloosa had the choice to participate in the meeting or in follow-up engagement opportunities. To reach this community-wide audience, the group pursued two related sets of activities . The publicity program was driven by a set of key messages that uniquely branded the Forum as an important moment in time . The city and planning team then developed publicity collateral (printed rack cards, posters, etc .) and coordinated communications activities (letters to the editor, etc .) . A parallel outreach campaign involved steering committee members, staff, and others involved in the process to spread the word through their networks . The following *This list may not is a list of publicity and outreach activities undertaken .* include all activities. Billboards: Emails: Digital billboards in 7 locations City of Tuscaloosa Employees Planning Division Staff Newspaper/Written Items: Mayor Joint Letter to Editor sent by Nicole Prewitt and City Council Blake Madison to Tuscaloosa News UA Student Government Association Druid City Living Article Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission Association of Restaurants and Hospitality of Flyers Posted: Alabama YMCA Shelton State University PARA Facilities Stillman College Downtown businesses Tuscaloosa Mom’s Group Nick’s Kids Speaking Engagements: West Alabama Regional Commission (WARC) Planning Commission Meetings (broadcast on City Druid City Pride Channel and Facebook live) Tuscaloosa Alumni Association (UA) Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA) League of Women Voters Junior League of Tuscaloosa Focus on Senior Citizens Real Estate Brokers Luncheon Zoning Board of Adjustment Mayor’s Advisory Council Historic Preservation Commission Tuscaloosa Latino Coalition Planning and Zoning Commission UA Black Faculty Staff Association Tuscaloosa Arts Council UA Council on Community-Based Partnerships Tuscaloosa News Chamber of Commerce Steering Committee Notified: UA Staff Home Builders Association of Tuscaloosa Young Tuscaloosa Forest Lake Homeowners Association Original City Association Forest Lake Neighborhood Association Mystic Krewe of the Druids (Clayton Howell) Tuscaloosa Ministerial Alliance Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society UA Center for Community-Based Partnerships Ian Crawford UA Crossroads Community Engagement Center Jack Kotcher (PineCrest) UA Faculty Senate Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance UA Neighborhood Partnership Committee (AFWA) UA Parent Teacher Leadership Academy Children’s Hands On Museum UA Saving Lives Black Warrior Business Network International Country Club Neighborhood Association (BNI) Chapter Newtown Neighborhood Association Harbor Ridge HOA Stillman College Signal Hill HOA UA English Department North River Yacht Club Membership Chief Tuskaloosa Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution Social Media Posts: Bicentennial Committee (Cathy Randall) Facebook: City of Tuscaloosa Employees Tuscaloosa City Schools Discussion Group Facebook: City of Tuscaloosa – Government Tuscaloosa Neighbors Together Facebook: Tuscaloosa Neighbors Together League of Women Voters of Greater Tuscaloosa Facebook: City of Tuscaloosa District 7 Discussions 4 FRAMEWORK | Tuscaloosa, Alabama Community Engagement Summary, Forum on the Future Activity 1: So you think you know Tuscaloosa? The first activity was a trivia game called “So you think you know Tuscaloosa” in which groups competed to answer seven multiple choice questions about past planning efforts and current demographic, economic, housing, and environmental conditions . Each answer was followed by additional context and related facts . The purpose of the trivia game was