PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
People tend to be more engaged in community initiatives when they are provided meaningful ways to be involved and feel that their contributions are valued. During the updating of the Hillsborough Greenways and Trails Master Plan, community stakeholders had multiple opportunities to partic- ipate in the planning and decision - making pro- cesses, both in person and online. This section de- scribes these engagement activities. Hillsborough Greenways Committee Meetings The plan update was discussed at each Hills- borough Greenways Committee (HGC) meeting starting in May 2022. The HGC meetings were open to the public and time for public comments was allocated on the agenda. Notification of the date, time, location, and virtual option for the HGC meetings was posted on the County website, along with the meeting agenda. A brief summary of the HGC discussions about the plan update is provided in the following: HGC Meeting—May 9, 2022. The meeting was the kickoff of the plan update. The planning team in- troduced themselves and provided a presentation on the scope of work and schedule for the update. The HGC asked questions and offered guidance on data collection, plan review, and public involvement. HGC Meeting—June 1, 2022 . The findings of an extensive review of relevant plans and reports, ex- isting conditions maps, and planned engagement activities were presented to the HGC for their re- view and input. HGC Meeting—August 29, 2022. Internal and external engagement efforts conducted over the summer were discussed along with desired changes to the objectives of the 1995 master plan. A preliminary draft of the Greenways Vision Map was discussed. The map would be presented for public review and feedback at the Community Vision Work- shops in the fall. HGC Meeting—October 3, 2022. The draft perfor- mance measures for determining project feasibility were discussed in the context of the draft plan ob- jectives and public input (including HGC, agency, and public input). The HGC considered the draft Greenways Vision Map and its alignment with the community ’ s vision, and discussed using designat- ed natural corridors to resolve connectivity gaps. Up- coming activities were announced, including the fall workshops and visual preference survey, and refinements to the draft documents discussed dur-
ing this meeting. HGC Meeting—December 7, 2022. After an overview of the public input received from the summer and fall engagement activities, including the visual pref- erence survey results, the County team shared a pre- liminary greenways vision map and project perfor- mance measures. The HGC was informed of up- coming tasks for the plan update, including a pilot testing of the performance measures, draft project prioritization results, and project costing and fund- ing sources. HGC Meeting—March 8, 2023. The County team presented draft components of the updated plan, including the Greenways Vision Map; a list of po- tentially impactful, priority projects based on per- formance measures; and cost estimates for ten greenway projects representing a variety of types and locations. The HGC previewed in - progress design guidelines and were informed that imple- mentation plans for four projects were also in pro- gress. HGC Meeting—June 12, 2023. HGC discussed the Committee itself and moving the Master Plan for- ward. HGC Meeting—December 6, 2023. HGC acted on the draft Master Plan and recommended that the Board of County Commissioners approve the plan.
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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY GREENWAYS AND TRAILS MASTER PLAN
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