FIRST COAST COMMUTER RAIL TOD STUDY | COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
FIRST COAST COMMUTER RAIL TOD STUDY | COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
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ONLINE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY GROUP At select phases of the TOD Study, representatives from various planning organizations, transportation industry, and government agencies, including public and private sector decision-makers, were invited to participate as part of a Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG). This technical working group provided valuable insight into industry requirements and community infrastructure needs.
An online public engagement platform, Publicinput. com, was used to gather and document public feedback on the project. An online public opinion survey, implemented through Publicinput.com, was developed to seek responses to questions related to decision-making factors to better inform the project team regarding station area development. The live interactive survey included opportunities for the public to provide comments regarding land use preferences around proposed stations, mobility options, and modal connectivity. Specific feedback obtained through the survey is summarized in subsequent sections of this chapter. Figure 2-3 depicts the public participation tracked through the online platform, from project launch in September 2021 through September 2023. Of those who responded to the survey during this time period:
» 56% Commute to work at least three days per week » 21% Work from home at least three days per week » 20% Retired/Not Employed at the time » 3% Others Additional highlights of specific public feedback obtained during the community workshops are included in Sections 2.2 and 2.3.
» St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office » Florida East Coast Railroad (FEC) » Northeast Florida Builders Association
One-on-one interviews were conducted throughout the TOD Study to gather feedback from SAG members and additional local and county government planners and agency personnel. An ongoing dialogue with stakeholders was essential to monitor familiarity with the project, further examine community priorities, and other general improvements to be considered as the proposed station areas are reviewed. Example interview questions included: » How familiar are you with the project? » What questions/concerns do you have regarding development around the proposed stations? » What features or services are needed to make these stations successful? » How likely are you to use this service? A virtual meeting specifically for SAG members was held on June 29, 2022. This meeting was attended by 14 people. A presentation provided an update on project activities and the virtual platform provided a forum to gather important input from SAG members regarding the station area development concepts and future TOD opportunities. The overall TOD Study timeline, including the community outreach, is shown in Figure 2-4.
Introductory one-on-one interviews were conducted with SAG members prior to the launch of the community- wide workshops to obtain critical input regarding development challenges and opportunities surrounding the proposed transit station areas. Organizations represented on the SAG included:
» City of Jacksonville » City of St. Augustine » St. Johns County » Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) » North Florida TPO » Smart North Florida » JaxPort » Duval County Public Schools » St. Johns County Schools » Jax Chamber » JAXUSA Partnership » Jacksonville Housing Authority » Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
Tracked PublicInput Survey Participation
VIEWS 1,673
PARTICIPANTS 434
RESPONSES 228
COMMENTS 1,355
SUBSCRIBERS 1,401
Engagement statistics as recorded on the Publicinput.com platform from the Workshop 1 & 2 digital survey.
Figure 2-3: PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PARTICIPATION (AS OF SEPTEMBER 2023)
COMMUNICATION TOOLS AND MEDIA Email and online notification have been the primary tools for communication with agencies, community leaders, stakeholders, and the public. A stakeholder list comprised of more than 1,000 names and organizations, assembled through prior similar studies and JTA
Two sets of community workshops were conducted for the TOD Study. In order to encourage community participation, prior to each workshop, the JTA and project team members reached out to various groups and organizations through email, telephone calls, and social media posts. Additionally, news media coverage on local TV networks provided widespread notification of the TOD Study and upcoming community meetings.
COMPLETION OF STUDY
events, was used to distribute information regarding the community workshops and online survey opportunities. JTA’s communications team also used social media platforms, such as LinkedIn and Twitter, to publicly notify community meetings.
SAG MEETING
Figure 2-4: IMAGE OF PROJECT TIMELINE
FCCR TOD
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