TAMPA BAY REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY

REGIONAL PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN (RP3) ADVISORY GROUP

REGIONAL PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROJECTS

December 2017

RP3 ADVISORY GROUP INVOLVEMENT

One of the most significant recommendationsin the Regional Public Participation Plan is for the RP3 Advisory Group is to be a regular, ongoing team to continually conduct regional public involvement events. In other words, the RP3 Advisory Group is the regional public participation process. Only through frequent meetings and communication, coordination and consolidation of outreach efforts/activities can the process be accomplished effectively.

SIGNIFICANT REGIONAL PROJECTS

Regional Long Range Transportation Plan (RLRTP) – develop a RP3 Work Plan for conducting public involvement activities in support of the RLRTP, including a detailed project approach and schedule for key activities.

Regional Transit Development Plan–the RTDP will be developed by TBARTA based upon a 2017 legislative mandate. TBARTA is also required to submit an approach to conducting the regional plan along with associated costs. If funding is provided by the Legislature, the project will be conducted starting in Spring 2018 and concluding in Fall 2019,

Regional Coordination Structure Research – currently being conducted by TBARTA and the TBARTA MPOs Chairs Coordinating Committee (CCC),the project is researching;what successful regional coordination means for Tampa Bay, identifying barriers to its execution, and developing implementable scenarios based on an examination of nation-wide best practices for regional transportation planning. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.

Regional Awareness–under the direction of the RP3 Advisory Group, this task would be a general, ongoing program to examine ways to increase awareness and understanding of the regional transportation planning process as defined by the MPOs and FDOT.

Expanding the RP3 Advisory Group–examine the current composition of the Advisory Group and consider expansion to include: other community engagement practitioners, communications professionals, civic leadership, county/city representatives, social equity representatives, homeowner’s representatives and/or others from the public.

Dashboard–RP3 Advisory Group to determine if a “dashboard,”, similar to that used by other MPOs, would be a good approach - in conjunction with the regional measures of effectiveness - toperiodically assessthe regional public involvement process.

REGIONAL LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN - RP3 WORK PLAN AND PROJECT APPROACH

As contained in the RP3 Action Plan, the Advisory Group would be actively involved with conducting a region-wide public involvement and community engagement program to support development of a 2045 Regional Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). Activities include:

Objectives:

  • Use the RP3 process as the primary public involvement process during development of the Regional LRTP.
  • Focus the RP3 process on activities that support active community engagement.

Supporting Strategies

  • Develop a detailed methodology for engaging the public throughout the study area during development of the RLRTP.
  • Outline key activities to be followed during development, review and adoption of the Regional LRTP.
  • Encourage informal dialog as an overall regional strategy rather than holding meetings or workshops. The applicable process and related activities will be determined by the RP3 Advisory Group.
  • Develop an approach to cooperatively seek funding for regional planning activities, public outreach, and plan implementation.
  • Identify market/demographic characteristics throughout the region and target public involvement activities within those areas; public events are intended to directly engage different demographic groups. Use these technical tools to increase outreach to diverse populations to supplement marketing activities.

Recommended Methods for Public Engagement

  • Whenever possible, break away from formal meeting formats when planning events or developing the message, as determined by the RP3 Advisory Group. Look at non-traditional ways to engage the public.
  • Develop innovative activities to directly reach out to all age groupssuch as “reaching out” and “going out” activities(examples cited by other MPOs include “pop-up open houses,” “dinner parties,” etc.).
  • Consider the following during RLRTP development:

Assumptions and relevance regarding the plan can quickly change and must be confronted during the development process.

Community engagement during the RLRTP process must be a continual effort.

Ensure that questions of fairness and equity are directly confronted.

  • Provide residentsand stakeholders with clear, timely, and accurate information relating to development of the Regional LRTP as it progresses.
  • Identify stakeholder groups and directly reach out to them - not just by sending meeting notices or brochures.
  • Consider taking leaders to other communities, within and outside of the region, to increase their understanding of issues facing the area.
  • Consider holding peer exchanges for:

Staff

Public

Elected Officials

Interest Groups

Business Groups

  • Hold sub-regional meetings tailored around community characteristics and preferences.
  • Use different and flexible approaches to engage and draw out input from diverse demographic groups.
  • Identify areas of competition and develop strategies to overcome/eliminate them.

Related Activities

Define the scope and area embraced by the RLRTP –several geographic and political boundaries are used within Tampa Bay when referring to the “region.” Obviously, there must be a firm agreement as to the exact study area prior to initiating the RLRTP:

  • The last full RLRTP was developed in 2009 for the six-MPO area embraced by the CCC, and was incorporated into the individual LRTPs for each MPO.
  • During the last major Plan update cycle ending in 2014, the TBARTA Master Plan, also covering the CCC/TBARTA area, was used as a regional long range plan, although the Master Plan did not (nor was it intended to) strictly adhere to the requirements of a LRTP as per federal guidelines.
  • The three-county TMA has agreed to developing a RLTP for that area (Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties) and attaching the regional element to the MPO LRTPs.
  • Now that TBARTA will be developing a Regional TDP rather than a Master Plan, there will not be a full RLRTP for the larger West Central Florida area unless one is developed for the area covered by the CCC.

Schedule - with the assistance of the area’s MPOs, lay out the schedule of LRTP development and adoption in sufficient detail to pinpoint key activities/actions. Regional public involvement activities should be designed to lead up to these events through prior engagement, as well as gathering public comment during meetings, workshops, etc., along withtimely follow-up with clear communication of public comments to boards, committees and other decision-makers.

Define the Audience

  • Engage all relevant constituencies – people who have a stake in the process and who may be impacted by the outcome.
  • Integrate stakeholder engagement with all proposed planning and implementation activities to ensure that stakeholders have meaningful opportunities to influence the outcomes of these activities.
  • Conduct effective and meaningful engagement with communities typically underrepresented in the planning processes:

Low-income populations

Limited English proficiency

Minorities

  • Apply techniques suited to reaching large audiences, while not sacrificing contact and input from component groups with a wide range of different perspectives (see ARC).

DEVELOPMENT OF LRTPs – FEDERAL GUIDANCE ON STAKEHOLDER COORDINATION AND INPUT

Specific Public Involvement Strategies

MPOs mustdevelop a written plan that documents and explicitly describes the stakeholder involvement in the planning process and public/stakeholder input along with timing of and timeframe for:

  • procedures
  • strategies
  • outcomes

MPOs must ensure the public involvement plan (PPP) is:

  • clear
  • transparent
  • accurately describes stakeholder involvement

Have non-transportation professional(s) review the document and provide their understanding of when and how long the public comment periods occur for the various planning products.

Public Involvement/Tribal/Resource Agency Consultation

Consultation on the MPO’s LRTP with:

  • Indian Tribal governments
  • Federal land management agencies

Document interactions with these stakeholders and outline the consulting with other governments and agencies, including:

  • roles
  • responsibilities
  • key decision points

Consult during LRTP development with agencies responsible for:

  • land use management
  • natural resources
  • environmental protection
  • conservation
  • historic preservation

Document the consultation process in the PPP, including:

  • comparisons of state conservation plans/maps
  • inventories of natural or historical resources with transportation plans

Measures of Effectiveness

Strategies for reaching out and incorporating public comment into their products and processes – MPOs must:

  • systematically confirm or validate that the strategies are working.
  • periodically review the effectiveness of the procedures and strategies in the PPP

The PPP must evaluate the MPO’s outreach and PPP strategies and contain:

  • specific measures
  • timing
  • process

After LRTP development:

  • Evaluate outreach process
  • Incorporate and document needed changes

C:\Users\pasco\OneDrive\Documents\My Files\RP3 Project\RP3_Regional Work Plan and RLRTP.docx