Item B: River Road/Santa Clara Transition Project - Final Report

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List three things that you like about your neighborhood QUESTION #1:. Think about things that you VALUE …. What do you like about how your neighborhood looks or functions? What places are important to you? What activities do you really enjoy? List three things that you would like to CHANGE about your QUESTION #2: neighborhood. What do you wish were different? Think of things that would improve your quality of life. Discuss results of Question #1 and #2 III. Wrap-up 8:30 What is your single, most pressing concern or hope for the future QUESTION #3: of your neighborhood? Information on River Road and Santa Clara: Urban Services Guide booklet The information conveyed at the beginning of the workshop centered on a list of seven “Challenges and Opportunities for River Road and Santa Clara” (see page 8). The facilitator also briefly listed the variety of urban services in the area: fire, library, recreation, parks, planning, police, transportation, stormwater, and water. Many of the questions asked by residents at the beginning of the workshop addressed annexation and development, and as a result, those issues received added emphasis. Recording Outcomes Residents completed a short handout which included the three core questions and an evaluation of the workshop. Answers were compiled in a spreadsheet and analyzed. The workshop results are also posted on the project website. The outcomes of the pilot work- shops varied slightly from the others because the subcommittee was testing final wording of the handout questions. (In the 10/25/06 session, participants did not formally answer the final question: “What is your most pressing concern or hope for the future?” In the 11/21/06 session, the wording of the last question was “Aside from your own answers to the ques- tions, list one idea suggested by others that you think is very important to the future of the neighborhood.”) Creating Balance and Addressing Diversity Do the workshop results represent the variety of social and economic interests in the neighborhoods? While the project did not provide a statistically representative sample of the community, it did represent a fair amount of diversity. Seniors, parents, homeowners, high school students and professionals were well represented in the workshops, as well as a re- spectable balance of City and unincorporated residents. Thirty-three percent of the dwelling units in River Road and Santa Clara are inside the City, and 31% of the workshop partici- pants were City residents. Low-income and minority residents were much more difficult to involve. A workshop for low- income Latino parents was poorly attended, but follow-up conversations with Latino parents offered more insights. The student session included several Latino students and one Afri- can-American. The outreach project would have been more complete by hosting workshops with more low-income parents and disabled residents. River Road/Santa Clara Transition Project—Public Outreach Report 12