Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan - Existing Conditions | Page 23
2 Community Involvement
An essential part of any comprehensive planning process is community engagement.
Participation by a broad cross section of interests increases the likelihood that the plan’s goals
and objectives will be based in community consensus. Strong consensus increases the likelihood
for successful plan implementation.
From the very early stages of the project, city staff and leadership emphasized the need for a
robust and creative stakeholder engagement program. Working in collaboration with the
project consultant, the staff at Engage Newport and local print and digital media, the city
designed and carried out a program which included multiple events, modes and opportunities
for the public to access, review and comment on project work products. The elements of the
community involvement program are described below in more detail.
Outreach
Throughout the planning process, it was important to consistently disseminate information
about the project to keep all interested parties up to date on the progress of the plan. This was
accomplished through:
A dedicated and “branded” project website
Periodic eBlasts
Local print and digital media outreach
Close collaboration with “Engage Newport,” Newport’s professional public engagement
provider
Project Website (www.newportchartingourcourse.com)
The project website was created at the
project’s initiation as an interactive tool
for sharing information about the
progress of the comprehensive plan
update. In addition, the website included
a tab for joining the project email list, as
well as a tab for sending comments to
the project leadership. This tool was
constantly available for those who were
not able to make it to the workshops or
who did not wish to speak publically at
the workshops. Through this tool,
residents were able to send in as many
comments as they wished. The site also
included information about the project
scope, work program, schedule and the
committee members and city staff
responsible for the plan’s development.
Draft Existing Conditions (March 2016)
Page 2-1