- The jurisdiction must make a diligent effort to include all economic segments of the community (including residents and/or their representatives) in the development and update of the housing element.
- The housing element should clearly describe efforts to engage the community throughout the housing element process (e.g., types of outreach, meetings.) and clearly describe the implementation of the housing-element process.
- The housing element should describe who was invited to participate, which groups actually participated, general comments received, and how comments were incorporated into the housing element.
- The housing element should describe any ongoing efforts to engage the public and stakeholders in the implementation of the housing element.
- Describe the dates that the housing element and subsequent revisions were made available for public comment and how those comments were incorporated.
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City of Richmond
To announce workshops on the update of its general plan, the City of Richmond mailed more than 32,000 newsletters to households and placed ads and announcements in local newspapers, on the radio, and on its website. In addition, the city created a mobile planning department, known as the “Plan Van.” The Plan Van made stops in the community at neighborhood events and throughout the city to provide residents with information, encouraging them to share their ideas for the city and learn more about the general plan update.
Photo credit: City of Richmond Planning Department
Who Should Participate?
- Involve low- and moderate-income residents to discuss housing problems faced and resources needed.
- Seek housing needs and conditions information from a wide variety of housing consumers and service providers, such as tenants in units at risk of conversion to market-rate, health- and human-service providers, homeless-shelter and mental-health service providers, places of worship, seniors, farmworkers, and non- and for-profit affordable housing developers.
- Engage advocates or groups with housing interests early in the process, so they can share their ideas on how to meet need the housing needs of those they represent. These groups are often ones who provide written comments during the housing-element review process. Including them early in the housing-element development process will help to resolve issues or concerns during the development of the element.
- Invite other stakeholder groups into the housing-element development and implementation processes. These might include local or regional business groups such as the local chamber of commerce, which is concerned about the availability of housing for employees and how housing availability affects regional economic growth. Other stakeholders could include grassroots, community-based organizations, neighborhood associations, homeowner/resident organizations, and civic groups, such as the League of Women Voters, and rotary clubs.
- By including development and finance professionals in the housing-element process, the constraints to housing development (land availability, regulatory environment, and financing concerns, etc.) can be identified based on real-world experience. Appropriate responses and strategies can then be collaboratively developed.
- Local governments should promote involvement of all appropriate local departments to ensure interdepartmental issues are addressed in a comprehensive and efficient manner. For example, the public works department may be able to provide information about infrastructure issues, and the codes department may have information about the condition of the housing stock.
Approaches to Public Participation
- Identify key individuals who can represent their constituent communities during all stages of the housing-element process.
- Be proactive in reaching out to the community. Visit neighborhoods and participate in local events. Establish an ongoing housing-element update and implementation committee using an appointed, ad-hoc, or volunteer citizen-advisory committee to oversee the update and implementation of the housing element.
- Use direct mail, radio ads, and local print or electronic media (such as neighborhood newsletters) to communicate opportunities to engage in the housing-element process.
- Always consider the composition of your target audience and use communication tools that are language-appropriate, culturally sensitive, and grade-level readability.
- Create a website to provide a user-friendly, interactive platform during the housing-element process. Include a link to an online survey that collects responses in a spreadsheet for easy analysis. Include a housing-element public participation blog, which can record more comments than a simple survey and reveal a greater sense of community members’ impressions and concerns about housing needs and plans for development. (The draft element should also be posted on the city’s website.)
- Once initial community input has been received, provide draft copies of the housing elements to all stakeholders.
- Use creative methods to communicate the importance of all stages of the housing-element process.
- Use attractive direct-mail brochures and surveys to capture information.
- Consider mobile resources. See the City of Richmond’s “Plan Van” (in box above) and include interactive presentations.
- Consider having barbeques or set up information displays at community events to enhance interaction with the public. It is important to show up at community functions both to make connections at the neighborhood level, but also to create opportunities to engage people in their own communities.
- Conduct guided tours of both market-rate and affordable developments to show visual comparisons and generate housing ideas. In addition, tours of sites being considered for housing development can give citizens a chance to provide input on site selection.
- Conduct training and education workshops where you can identify individuals who may be interested in taking a community leadership role in the housing-element process.
- Create computer simulations of housing development proposals showing all housing types and locations.
- Encourage ongoing participation by conducting annual public meetings to discuss housing needs and priorities, development successes, and the need for additional resources. Continuing involvement emphasizes the importance of the public’s role in effective implementation.