Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning Public Engagement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council pauses update to planning notification and outreach policy for further stakeholder input
Summary
After staff presented proposed changes to the city's planning application notification and outreach policy, the council voted unanimously to continue the item so staff can work with community-based organizations, businesses and commissioners on clearer definitions, metrics and practical implementation.
City staff asked the council on Aug. 12 to adopt an update to the city's public notification, outreach and engagement policy for planning applications. After a lengthy discussion and multiple public commenters urging stronger equity-centered outreach, the council voted unanimously to continue the item so staff can return with revised language incorporating additional stakeholder input.
Community Development Director Afsha Hamid summarized proposed amendments that include an early-notification step (notice within 35 days of application), hybrid community meetings, encouragement of third-party outreach consultants for hard-to-reach populations, and a notification-radius matrix that scales by project type (standard, large, significant). Staff recommended notification radii ranging from 300 feet to a quarter mile depending on project type and said staff capacity and parity with peer cities informed the recommendation.
Planning Commission members had recommended larger radii for some project classes (up to a half-mile for large/significant projects) and asked for a policy check-in after early implementation. Planning Commission Chair Eric said the commission's goal was to reduce the number of residents who later say they were unaware of projects affecting their neighborhoods.
Community groups and residents urged further changes. Representatives from Catalyze SV recommended a pre-qualified bench of community-engagement contractors, translation and interpretive services, childcare and food at some community workshops, and better feedback loops to show how input shaped decisions. Michelle Mashburn of All Things Disability Equity said accessibility provisions must be explicit (ASL, childcare, alternate formats) to avoid excluding residents with disabilities.
Councilmembers expressed support for early notification but wide agreement that staff should return with more precise, implementable metrics, objective definitions of 'significant interest,' and a plan to convene community-based organizations and business stakeholders. Council instructed staff to work with Catalyze SV and other groups and to bring options for automated, GIS-based outreach tools and objective thresholds (for example, a minimum number of residents notified rather than a single radius).
The motion to continue the item carried unanimously; staff will return with a revised draft addressing the council's direction.
