Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Strategic Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
East Palo Alto holds community workshop to shape 4-year strategic priorities
Summary
City leaders and consultants led a March 8 workshop where residents worked in small groups to identify priorities including housing, infrastructure, parks, and emergency preparedness; staff said the results will feed an April 22 council prioritization and a June draft for approval.
East Palo Alto convened a special study session and community workshop on March 8 to collect resident input on the city's strategic priorities for the next two to four years. Mayor Barragan opened the meeting and turned the session over to the city manager and consultants from Ramey and Associates, who explained that strategic priorities should focus the roughly 20% of the city's work that drives long-term change.
"This workshop will be more than a discussion," consultant Matt Ramey told the room. "It's a chance for you to help set the direction of the city for the next 4 years." Tiffany Ng of Ramey and Associates gave participants instructions for a table-based exercise: each small group wrote strengths, issues and priorities on sticky notes and then reported the top themes to the full assembly.
Reportbacks from multiple tables echoed consistent themes: housing affordability and protections against displacement, water and street infrastructure, improved pedestrian and bicycle safety, more retail and small-business support, and enhanced parks and youth programming. One table summarized the priorities as "bike lanes, sidewalks, and street lighting," while others singled out tenant protections and water distribution improvements.
City staff and the consultant team said they will compile the results, publish an opt-in community survey to refine priorities, and return the draft list to the council on April 22 for a prioritization exercise. "We'll put together what we've heard and ask for comment and feedback," the consultant team said, noting a June target to approve a final strategic priorities and work plan.
The workshop was designed as the first of several engagement steps; staff emphasized that some projects are multi-year efforts that require outside funding and coordination. The city encouraged residents who could not attend in person to use the upcoming survey and other outreach channels to ensure broad participation.
