Coalition building and community outreach are extremely important factors. Each influences the decision-making process of government officials. How can you broaden coalitions and increase community engagement? Explore several creative tactics and strategies that helped revitalize entire neighborhoods through educating and engaging a broad spectrum of community stakeholders. Hear three approaches that led to long-lasting coalitions and a more in-depth level of community engagement -- programs that went beyond the usual strategies of sponsoring neighborhood events to solicit feedback. Learn about citizen advocacy classes, regional-scale collaborations, neighborhood initiatives and more. Moderator: William Schroeer, Executive Director, East Metro Strong, Northfield, Minnesota Julie Gustafson, Community Relations Program Manager, Portland Streetcar, Inc., Portland, Oregon Art Guzzetti, Vice President, Policy, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC Veronica Hahni, Executive Director, Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, Los Angeles, California Megan Channell, AICP, Principal Planner, San Mateo County Transit District, San Carlos, California

1. RAIL~VOLUTION
ADVOCACY AND COALITION BUILDING:
FIGHTING TRANSIT OPPOSITION
GRAND BOULEVARD
INITIATIVE
October 28, 2015

2. 2
OVERVIEW
Why
the
Grand
Boulevard
Ini3a3ve?
History
of
Stakeholder
Engagement
Con3nued
Coali3on
Building
and
Outreach

3. 3
Why
the
Grand
Boulevard
Ini3a3ve?
History
of
Stakeholder
Engagement
Con3nued
Coali3on
Building
and
Outreach

4. EL CAMINO REAL CORRIDOR
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• State Route 82
• Heart of Silicon Valley
• San Francisco to San
Jose - 43 miles
• Downtown connection
• 55+ participatory
stakeholders
El
Camino
Real
Corridor

5. COMMUNITY VALUES &
STAKEHOLDER INTERESTS
5

6. CHALLENGE:
EXISTING CONDITIONS
We can do better.
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7. CHALLENGE:
POPULATION AND JOBS
Illustration of Corridor commute distances
• Corridor Population:
714k
• 40% population growth
by 2040
• Not enough homes for
number of jobs
• 28% of Corridor
workers travel 25+
miles from home
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8. WHY THE GRAND
BOULEVARD INITIATIVE?
People friendly places.
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9. OPPORTUNITY:
TRANSPORTATION
• Leverage transportation infrastructure and
service to create sustainable communities
• Buses and train stations within walking distance
Caltrain
–
10
sta-ons
within
¼
mile
BART
–
5
sta-ons
within
¼
mile
Backbone
of
VTA
and
SamTrans
bus
service
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10. OPPORTUNITY: PRIORITY
DEVELOPMENT AREAS
• 18 Priority Development Areas
• Housing and jobs
• Transit and pedestrian-friendly environments
San Mateo County Santa Clara County
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11. GRAND BOULEVARD VISION
Walkable
Mixed-­‐use
Enhanced
Transit
Service
Complete
Streets
Land
Use
Intensifica3on
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12. 12
Why
the
Grand
Boulevard
Ini3a3ve?
History
of
Stakeholder
Engagement
2006
-­‐
Ongoing
Con3nued
Coali3on
Building
and
Outreach

13. COLLABORATIVE
APPROACH
• Unique approach to inter-jurisdictional collaboration
• Regional opportunity for TOD along bi-county, multi-
city State highway
• Cooperation, not compulsion
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14. • “Big Tent” Approach
• Task Force
• Vision Statement
• 10 Guiding Principles
• Working Committee
• Community Leaders Roundtable
• Determine where collaboration
makes sense
HOW
GBI
WORKS
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15. ACTIVE STAKEHOLDERS
ADVOCATES
&
COMMUNITY
MEMBERS
ELECTED
&
APPOINTED
OFFICIALS
RESPONSIBLE
AGENCIES
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55 active
stakeholders
groups…
… and
growing!

16. VARIED PERSPECTIVES
ON TOD
ADVOCATES
&
COMMUNITY
MEMBERS
ELECTED
&
APPOINTED
OFFICIALS
RESPONSIBLE
AGENCIES
• City Councils
• Boards of
Supervisors
• Boards of
Directors
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17. VARIED PERSPECTIVES
ON TOD
ADVOCATES
&
COMMUNITY
MEMBERS
ELECTED
&
APPOINTED
OFFICIALS
RESPONSIBLE
AGENCIES
• 19 Cities
• 2 Counties
• 2 Transit
Agencies
• 2 CMAs
• Association of
Governments
• MPO
• California DOT
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18. VARIED PERSPECTIVES
ON TOD
ADVOCATES
&
COMMUNITY
MEMBERS
ELECTED
&
APPOINTED
OFFICIALS
RESPONSIBLE
AGENCIES
• Economic
Development
• Transportation
• Public Health
• Housing
• Environmental
• Business &
Employers
• Developers
• Residents
• Property Owners
• Policy
• Labor
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19. CONSENSUS BUILDING
CHALLENGES
• Consistent messaging
across competing
missions
• No such thing as
“general public”
• Incremental approach vs.
immediate gratification
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20. BIG TENT: KEY TO SUCCESS
• Regional collaboration with local autonomy
• Guiding Principles founded by and adopted in
local plans
• Action by consensus
• Civic engagement with agency expertise
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21. 21
Why
the
Grand
Boulevard
Ini3a3ve?
History
of
Stakeholder
Engagement
Con3nued
Coali3on
Building
and
Outreach

22. FOCUS ON GRASS ROOTS
SUPPORT
People
Community
Region
Success!
Region
Issues
People
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23. MESSAGE PLATFORM
What
do
we
care
about?
What
stands
in
the
way?
What
should
we
do?
How
will
the
world
be
different?
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Goal: Empower civic discourse with residents and
business community on GBI Vision and how
communities can grow sustainably.

24. CUSTOMIZED COLLATERAL
Customizable to fit
outreach needs
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25. STAKEHOLDER
ENGAGEMENT: EVENTS
• GBI Meetings
• Farmer’s Markets
• Breakfast Forums
• Bus Tours
• Walking Tours
• Historic Reenactments
• Local Group Meetings
• Door-to-door
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Yes, and evening meetings too...

26. STAKEHOLDER
ENGAGEMENT: MEDIA
• Program Website
• Introductory Video
• Become a Friend
§ E-newsletters
• Social Media
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27. WHAT’S NEXT?
• Celebrate successes and the people behind them
• Build Task Force/Working Committee member
teams to engage local communities
• Leverage partnerships to secure local funding to
realize the GBI Vision: people friendly places
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28. THANK YOU
Megan Channell, LEED-AP, AICP
Principal Planner | GBI Project Manager
San Mateo County Transit District
channellm@samtrans.com
(650) 622-7815
www.grandboulevard.net
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