Planning Board Process Discussion - Winter 2015

During the later part of 2014 CDD held a series of focus group discussions with various stakeholders involved in the Planning Board process. The focus group sessions, which followed an evening of public comment held at the Planning Board, enabled people to come together in an informal environment and cooperatively work together to discuss ways to improve the Planning Board process. Recommendations came to focus around five areas:

• Improve web site design
• Improve meeting logistics
• Improve public notification and access to information
• Improve understanding at all phase of the project
• Strengthen CDD role
• Establish an early community engagement process

The recommendations were discussed during City Council roundtable meeting attended by the Planning Board and CDD staff on January 12, 2015.  The following memo discusses the process the process used to collect recommendations and lays out the recommendations themselves in detail:

Report from focus groups regarding ways to improve the Planning Board process

For More Information

For more information contact Stuart Dash, Director of Community Planning, at 617/349-4640, or sdash@cambridgema.gov.