Public Involvement
Effective planning cannot occur in a vacuum, nor can solutions be imposed on a community. Sycamore Consulting’s strength is in designing and carrying out comprehensive public involvement plans with the goal of engaging all stakeholders in collaborative and open communication.
Our goal for any project is to build consensus by getting input from various constituencies. We do this by providing detailed information about the project and soliciting comments at many different milestones and using various methods throughout the course of the project. We work hard to ensure that all affected parties have an opportunity for input. We then incorporate comments from different constituencies and share that information with our clients to ensure a collaborative, successful project that is mutually beneficial.
Sycamore Consulting is skilled in the most effective, state-of-the-art techniques to guide and involve special interest groups, hard-to-reach populations and community organizations.
Northwest Corridor Project
Sycamore Consulting led public involvement efforts on the Northwest Corridor (I-75/I-575) Managed Lanes/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project and the associated planning necessary for the development of BRT stations. Project tasks included stakeholder identification and notification, meeting coordination and facilitation, and development of materials for public information open houses, station area planning workshops, and public hearings.
Sycamore also established a Facebook page and a Twitter account to share up-to-the-minute information. We welcomed comments from the public via the Facebook page, where we uploaded photos and links to documents, such as the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS).
I-65/US 31 Mobility Matters Project, Birmingham, AL
SCI is leading public involvement efforts on this Alternatives Analysis process, which is evaluating a number of alternatives to relieve congestion and potential improvements to the busy I-65/US 31 corridor, which includes the University of Alabama Birmingham and medical center. Sycamore staff have conducted intensive stakeholder interviews, coordinated advisory committee and steering committee meetings, and staged large public meetings. Sycamore spearheaded an outreach program that includes taking information about the project to the neighborhoods along the corridor, including surveys and kiosks at the central bus station, local malls and shopping areas, and recreation centers. We also are producing and distributing periodic newsletters and creating and maintaining a website, which includes an online survey.
I-20 West HOV Lanes Project
This project proposes designing HOV lanes along I-20 from Georgia State Route 5 in Douglas County eastward to Hamilton E. Holmes Drive in Fulton County. This section of I-20 includes the interchange with I-285, one of major importance to Georgia’s interstation system that is a key junction for interregional freight movement throughout the southeast. A key focus of the public involvement plan drafted by Sycamore was effective outreach to an historic African American community in the City of Atlanta. When the community requested a Saturday site visit to explore, house by house, the impacts of widening the highway, Sycamore spearheaded the effort and notified all affected residents using targeted advertising, such as posting signs throughout the community. Sycamore also employed standard techniques to ensure the broadest exposure about the project, including small and large public meetings, kiosk displays, stakeholder identification and database development, and a community impact assessment report.
Birmingham Regional Intermodal Facility, McCalla, AL
Sycamore Consulting helped to form and is leading McCallaCan, an independent group supporting Norfolk Southern Railroad’s proposed Birmingham Regional Intermodal Facility (BRIMF) in McCalla, a community just outside Birmingham, Alabama. The goal of McCallaCan is to provide information to residents about the project and to collect constructive suggestions to ensure the BRIMF promotes economic development, preserves the quality of life for McCalla residents, and supports environmental responsibility. The McCallaCan group meets regularly to learn about the BRIMF from NS officials and to share their concerns with officials.
To this end, Sycamore has identified community members to serve as stakeholders and has created a logo and a website, www.mccallacan.com, that is constantly updated to guarantee that the community has up-to-date information as the project unfolds.
HOV to HOT Conversion Project
Georgia has been offered the exciting opportunity to receive USDOT funds to convert existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes on I-85 between I-285 and Old Peachtree Road in Gwinnett County. The goal is to improve mobility and ensure reliable trip times. The project also includes a significant transit improvement with the purchase of 36 GRTA Express coach buses and development of two park-n-ride lots. Sycamore Consulting is developing and implementing an outreach and education plan to build awareness, knowledge and excitement about the conversion as well as promote the use of ridesharing and transit use. Sycamore organizes and facilitates workshops and discussion groups, conducts one-on-one stakeholder interviews, develops and fosters partnering relationships, and prepares collateral material such as newsletters and fact sheets.
15th Street Bridge HOV Interchange Project
Sycamore Consulting was charged with developing and guiding the public information process throughout the project. The project study area is a vibrant commercial hub reinforced by a supportive residential base. The area has some of the most prestigious corporate addresses in the southeast and is also the heart of Atlanta’s cultural scene. Bringing neighborhood residents and corporate residents together, to consensus, was an important role that Sycamore played throughout the project’s duration. Specific tasks included the development and facilitation of a Citizen’s Advisory Committee to guide the project development process and foster consensus on design options for the bridge. Other tasks included the creation and maintenance of a project website, creation of a database of project stakeholders, development of collateral materials such as newsletters and fact sheets, and organization of public meetings.