Discovery Phase Workshop Results

1. Discovery Phase Workshop Results

2. Table of Contents • RPSD Planning Process • Standing Committee S.W.O.T. Exercise • Discovery Workshop Overview • Discovery Workshop Results • Polling: Shared Values • Listen and Learn: Like and Change Results • Polling: Planning Goals and Objectives • Polling: Demographics

3. RPSD Planning Process

4. Planning Together for our Future Standing committee s.w.o.t. Exercise

5. Standing Committee S.W.O.T. Exercise On September 25, 2012, TNJ held a Standing Committee meeting to kick-off the Discovery Phase of the RPSD planning process. A portion of that meeting was devoted to putting together a S.W.O.T. analysis. The findings from that session are presented on the following slides.

6. Challenges & Threats • Economic Competitiveness • Stagnant/uneven job growth and worker/jobs skills gap • Aging infrastructure • Home rule & conflicting government priorities • Livability & Environment • Chase for “ratables” leads to poor land use decisions • Housing costs are high • Lack of sustainable funding for public infrastructure (transportation, power, water, sewer, parks) maintenance and upgrades and open space/farmland preservation • Society & Community • Disparities in school performance • Public health disparities by race and place • High cost structure is “pricing out” arts & culture

7. Strengths & Opportunities • Economic Competitiveness • Location and infrastructure networks • Institutions of higher education • High quality of life • Changing market preferences • Livability & Environment • Market demand for amenity-rich, transit-oriented, walkable places • Land and buildings available for redevelopment • Existing public transit network and services • Society & Community • Many high performing school districts • Growing understanding of the built environment’s impact on health • Arts & culture increasingly used as an economic development strategy

8. Desired Long-term Outcomes • Economic Competitiveness • Sustained job growth & economic investment • Continued high quality of life • Increased economic resilience • Livability & Environment • Greater share of new development in walkable, transit-served locations • Improved transportation connections (roads, sidewalks and transit) • A network of high-quality natural, agricultural and recreational lands is protected • Communities are more resilient to extreme weather events • Society & Community • Reduced disparity in school performance • Reduced health disparities • Growing/thriving arts community region-wide

9. Planning Together for our Future DISCOVERY WORKSHOP overview

10. Public Outreach Workshops: Overview • 14 workshops • 550 +/- participants • Residents • Business Owners • Local officials • Other stakeholders • Three activities: • Like & Change • Priority Goals & Objectives • Shared values polling

11. Planning Together for our Future DISCOVERY WORKSHOP results

12. Discovery Workshop Polling Results This section combines the results from the Discovery Phase Workshops held between March and May 2013. Audiences were asked to provide their input for questions using an electronic clicker. The first two slides present a summary of shared values, followed by detailed findings.

13. Shared values… • Personal Growth and Well-being • Being healthy and taking care of yourself (45%) • Volunteering and giving back to community (25%) • Family • Having time to spend together (55%) • Making time for recreational and cultural activities together (22%) • Community • Having good neighbors and being a good neighbor (37%) • Feeling a sense of community (28%)

14. Shared values… • Education • Having opportunities to keep learning all through life (46%) • Having quality neighborhood schools (36%) • Nature • Taking good care of our air, water and natural lands (57%) • Having green space nearby (22%) • Safety & Security • Having safe neighborhoods (33%) • Peace of mind about the future (32%) • Having a well-paying job (20%)

15. What aspect of Personal Growth and Well-Being is most important to you?

16. What aspect of Family is most important to you?

17. What aspect of Community is most important to you?

18. What aspect of Education is most important to you?

19. What aspect of Nature is most important to you?

20. What aspect of Safety and Security is most important to you?

21. How should the region spend transportation dollars?

22. What sources of funds should be used to support transportation?

23. Planning Together for our Future Listen & Learn

24. Listen and Learn Results Audiences were asked to have small-group conversations about their communities and submit written responses to six questions: • What do you like about where you live? • What do you want to change about where you live? • What do you like about where you work? • What do you want to change about where you work? • What do you like about how you get around? • What do you want to change about how you get around? Participants were invited to submit open-ended responses. Those results were then simplified into themed categories. The following slides contain a summary of findings by theme, followed by the top fifteen results for each question.

25. What we heard was important: Recurring Themes… Economic Competiveness Like… Change… Reduce taxes Create more jobs and more higher-paying jobs Increase the diversity of job opportunities Attract more businesses in downtown areas • Entrepreneurship and small businesses • Having a diversity of job opportunities • Access to well-paying jobs

26. What we heard was important: Recurring Themes… Livability & Environment Like… Change… Encourage a greater diversity of businesses and services in downtown areas Create more affordable housing options Make it easier and safer to walk and bike places Increase availability of public transit & improve the frequency/quality of services Improve transportation “connections” (roads & transit) and reduce traffic congestion • Community/neighborhood character (Rural places, Small Towns and Cities) • Ability to walk and bike places • Good road/highway access and light traffic • Access to public transit; open space, parks & recreation; and shopping/services nearby • Proximity to New York City (and beaches in Monmouth & Ocean)

27. What we heard was important: Recurring Themes… Society & Community Like… Change… Improve public safety, especially in cities • Low crime and safe neighborhoods

28. What we heard was important: Recurring Themes… What do you LIKE about where you LIVE? “Number” indicates instances of response appearing. Each respondent could make multiple statements.

29. What we heard was important: Recurring Themes… What do you want to CHANGE about where you LIVE? “Number” indicates instances of response appearing. Each respondent could make multiple statements.

30. What we heard was important: Recurring Themes… What do you LIKE about where you WORK? “Number” indicates instances of response appearing. Each respondent could make multiple statements.

31. What we heard was important: Recurring Themes… What do you want to CHANGE about where you WORK? “Number” indicates instances of response appearing. Each respondent could make multiple statements.

32. What we heard was important: Recurring Themes… What do you LIKE about how you GET AROUND? “Number” indicates instances of response appearing. Each respondent could make multiple statements.

33. What we heard was important: Recurring Themes… What do you want to CHANGE about how you GET AROUND? “Number” indicates instances of response appearing. Each respondent could make multiple statements.

34. Planning Together for our Future PLANNING GOALS and objectives

35. Planning Goal and Objectives Results Participants were then asked to rank planning goals, using the electronic clickers. Those results are presented in the following slides.

36. Which planning goals and objectives are most important… Prioritized List of Regional Planning Goals (Weighted Score) • Strengthen the region’s economy (1586) • Improve everyone’s access to opportunity (1296) • Ensure communities are safe, healthy and great places to live (1062) • Enhance efficiency and conserve land (951) • Protect and enhance the environment (908)

37. Prioritized List of Regional Planning Objectives (Weighted Score) • Keep and create well-paying jobs (655) • Ensure infrastructure is in good repair and can support economic development (649) • Connect where people live with where they need to go (591) • Maintain/expand vibrant downtowns and main streets (371) • Create safe, stable neighborhoods w/high quality housing (357) • Maintain and improve the quality of schools (356) • Encourage development of compact neighborhoods with a mix of housing, shopping and services (327) • Preserve open space and natural areas (269)

38. Prioritized List of Regional Planning Objectives (Weighted Score) • Increase investment near existing housing, jobs and infrastructure (253) • Preserve & enhance the character of existing downtowns and neighborhoods (242) • Increase the economy’s ability to adapt to change (187) • Create inclusive, mixed income neighborhoods (185) • Reduce combined transportation and housing costs (164) • Improve access to community resources such as libraries, senior centers, and youth activities (144) • Reduce potential impacts of climate change (138)

39. Prioritized List of Regional Planning Objectives (Weighted Score) • Increase ability to respond to and recover from extreme weather events (127) • Ensure adequate water supply (125) • Improve access to parks and recreational opportunities (112) • Improve public health (108) • Improve access to cultural resources (99) • Increase regional economic self-sufficiency (95) • Direct development away from environmentally sensitive areas (89) • Improve water quality (51) • Preserve wildlife habitat (37)

40. Goal 6: Address regional growth issues in a coordinated way • Ensure a broad cross-section of residents, businesses and local government leaders are engaged in the planning process, including populations traditionally under-represented in regional planning processes (120 votes) • Protect property rights during planning & implementation (71) • Foster collaboration between Federal, State, County and local government to address regional growth issues (70) • Provide a regional framework for making decisions about capital investments, programs, regulations and major development applications (54)

41. Goal 6: Address regional growth issues in a coordinated way • Align existing plans, programs and regulations at all levels of government (31) • Maintain, up-to-date, coordinated local, regional, and State functional plans that reflect Together North Jersey regional planning goals and objectives (27)

42. What we heard was missing… • Support small businesses and entrepreneurship • Support farmland preservation and agricultural businesses in appropriate locations (both rural and urban) • Enhance workforce preparedness and expand training opportunities • Improve and expand existing public transportation options • Encourage transit-oriented development • Make it easier and safer to walk and bike places • Expand access to diverse housing options for all income groups • Reduce taxes and regulations and reform the property tax system • Encourage the use of shared services to improve government efficiency • Also a variety of place-specific strategies and local project ideas

43. Planning Together for our Future DISCOVERY WORKSHOPPOLLING DEMOGRAPHICS WITH regional comparisons

44. Which group best describes your age? Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census

45. What is your household size? Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census

46. How many persons in your household are under the age of 18? Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census

47. How many persons in your household are over the age of 65? Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census

48. How would you describe the community in which you live?

49. How long have you lived in your current neighborhood?

50. Do you rent or own your home? Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census (Occupied Units)