Revitalization-Ready Guide: Chapter 2: Community Needs and Concerns

• Key Principles of Community Engagement
• Stakeholders
• Community Needs and Concerns
• Establish Project Goals 

Key Principles of Community Engagement

Successful community engagement often is the result of the local government’s (or other development entity’s) and

developer’s willingness to work with community stakeholders to recognize and integrate specific community objectives into a redevelopment project. These objectives frequently involve issues of health and safety, job creation, affordable housing, and community character and identity. The principles discussed below are a guide for laying the foundation for a collaborative relationship with all stakeholders in a project.

Define the Study Area

The study area defines the community affected by a redevelopment project. It is typically the area immediately surrounding the property (or properties) to be evaluated but may extend to a broader community based on potential impacts of the redevelopment and input received during the engagement process. The study area should be initially defined to guide the initiation of the engagement process and revised based on input during the engagement process. 
Defining the study area requires an understanding of the potential direct or indirect impacts by a redevelopment. The boundaries of the study area can often be determined by physical barriers such as highways, surface water, open spaces); central areas or centers of activities such as institutions, community centers, places of worship; block or neighborhood boundaries; and demographic, economic, and social characteristics. depending upon the nature of affected community or the specific property being evaluated. The study area boundaries should be mapped to provide a visual representation of the area.

Gather information/data about the Study Area

Prior to the first meeting gather information and data about the study area; primarily the area immediately adjacent to the property. This information can provide a basic understanding of the area and provide a basis for initial discussions and decisions. It is important to consider that reality may be different than perception.  Organizing this information in a visual format such presentation on a map of the area will provide perspective on the area. Information that should be considered includes:

• Crime –A review of 911 calls and police and fire Incident reports can provide information on the issues that are important to the neighborhood and what is truly happening in the community. 
• Property condition – A parcel-by-parcel survey of the area can provide a basic understanding of the condition and status of properties in the community. This information can be collected by a walkthrough of the area and from information maintained by local or county property records. Information to consider includes:
  • Occupancy –vacant parcel (no structures), occupied structure, unoccupied structure 
  • Owner – name, contact information
  • Property tax status – current, delinquent and delinquency amount
  • Occupancy status – owner occupied, rental
  • Property condition – maintained, overgrown, trash/junk, abandoned vehicles
  • Structure type - residential, institutional, hospital, school, commercial
  • Structure condition - maintained, fire damage, boarded up and secure, damage to structure
• Street and sidewalk condition

Engage the Community Early and Throughout the Process

Early engagement demonstrates that community input is valued and not just an effort to gain acceptance for the project after key decisions have been made. It also reduces project costs and delays by helping to identify community concerns and issues before the project moves too far forward. Involving community stakeholders throughout the redevelopment process helps build consensus for success project outcomes. (See Section 2.2 for a discussion of stakeholders.)

Envision the Project as a Long-Term Investment in the Area

The local government or other development entity should consider how a specific project might be part of a broader, integrated area-wide strategy for eliminating environmental and economic barriers and supporting a community’s long-term health and vitality. When the redevelopment project is approached as a way to help revitalize a neighborhood rather than simply reuse a particular property, it is more likely to be successful at garnering and retaining community support. An area-wide revitalization strategy signals a commitment to the future welfare of the community. Area-wide planning also provides opportunities for integrating large-scale infrastructure systems (e.g., transportation and utility systems) and creating other synergies and efficiencies. In addition, developers and investors will often be more likely to invest in a particular property if it is part of a larger revitalization effort designed to transform an economically stagnant or deteriorating area. Local governments and developers can further demonstrate their commitment to the local community by providing opportunities for local businesses and residents to obtain work related to the reuse project.  Such local job creation also helps to build community support for the project.

Ensure that Meetings are Accessible and Accommodate a Community’s Needs 

When planning stakeholder meetings, the goal must be to provide equal and fair access to all by eliminating barriers to community participation to ensure meetings are accessible and accommodate the community’s needs. The actual measures taken should be tailored to the individual community’s needs. Consider factors such as appropriate notice, the time of day, the availability of public transportation and childcare, access for the disabled, and the need for translators for non-English speakers. Community-based groups are often closely aligned with certain sectors of the community and can help in mobilizing community members to participate in the stakeholder process. Making extra efforts to reach out to the community and encourage participation sends an important message that is likely to influence public perception even before the first meeting is held. At these meetings present the data you have gathered for discussion.  This helps steer meetings away from individual agendas and opinions and gives attendees factual information about the neighborhood. The data presented reflects the realities of the neighborhood. It also provides an opportunity to discuss what the data means to those who live there.

Engage Stakeholders in the neighborhoods

In addition to meetings, walk the study area and speak/survey individuals who live area. Walk with residents and have them tell you about the neighborhood. This can help you obtain a firsthand account of what individuals in the area see as challenges as well as assets of a neighborhood. It will also help identify natural leaders of the community.

Ensure that a Community Has the Information and Resources to Participate in a Meaningful Way

Consensus building functions best when all the parties involved have a basic grounding in the issues and topics being discussed. Taking the time to provide stakeholders with the information necessary to better understand the key topics and issues will generally lead to more informed and productive discussions.
For stakeholder education efforts to be effective, the information must be from a source that is viewed as trusted and neutral. This information should be appropriate for the intended audience and should be presented in a way that is not condescending to any group of stakeholders. In addition, the information and resources available to stakeholder groups should be commensurate with the complexity of the topics and issues being considered.

Establish a Transparent and Credible Process, and Provide Timely Follow-Up 

While it may not always be possible to arrive at a clear consensus on a given issue or set of issues, it is very important that the processes for soliciting input and making decisions be transparent, credible and understood. The data you have gathered will be helpful in driving decision making and goal setting with those involved.  What are the priorities of this neighborhood based on the data?  This model is data driven and neighborhood led.

When issuing decisions, local governments should be sure to communicate to the community how input was utilized. If community input is not incorporated into the redevelopment plans, the local government should explain why. A local government or developer also should consider informing all stakeholders of important decisions first so that stakeholders do not feel blindsided upon learning of those decisions through the media.

Other efforts to ensure transparency could include providing a note-taker at stakeholder meetings to document what was discussed and to serve as a reference point in future discussions. After the meeting, notes or minutes should be circulated and reviewed for accuracy. Timely and straightforward responses to any questions raised will help clear up potentially minor misunderstandings before they escalate into major conflict.

Establish Realistic Expectations for Project Goals and Community Participation

The project goals — whether they originate from the local government or the community — must be realistic and ultimately achievable. It is important to identify any constraints that might shape the project goals and vision and communicate them as early as possible in the community engagement process. Studies that are typically conducted for this purpose, such as a market study and opportunities and constraints analysis, can inform the final development plan. Among the other constraints that may need to be considered are regulatory requirements and available local government resources. In some cases, the ability to influence the nature and timing of a redevelopment might also be limited if, for example, the property is likely to remain in private hands.

These underlying realities and competing trade-offs will provide the context in which final decisions will be made. They also will help identify opportunities where flexibility to accommodate reasonable community needs and concerns might be possible — and minimize the frustration and distraction of pursuing those that are not. (See Establishing Project Goals.) 

Documentation – Summarize community information (refer to Community and Demographics tabs in the Revitalization Ready Workbook)

References: 
EPA: Community Actions that Drive Brownfields Redevelopment
Groundwork USA: Best Practices for Meaningful Community Engagement

Stakeholders

The successful reuse of a brownfield property requires the involvement and commitment of a diverse group of stakeholders. Various voices that need to be heard include those who:

• are or may be affected by the project,
• need to be aware and kept informed about the evaluation and decision-making process,
• can contribute information, resources or expertise, and
• whose consent or approval is important to the success of the project.

Stakeholders may be involved throughout the project development process or brought in periodically to support certain project aspects. 

Critical Players in Brownfields Redevelopment

Involving stakeholders who can support and drive the reuse planning process and the ultimate redevelopment of the property is critical to the project’s success. The number and background of stakeholders will vary based on the community and the project. However, stakeholders that typically can be critical players in the redevelopment of a brownfield property include:

• Property owners
• Developer/developer team 
• Equity investor (a fund or a wealthy investor)
• Potential buyers
• Public sector stakeholders, including local or regional governments, neighborhood or community groups, nonprofit organizations, foundations
• Private sector stakeholders, including investors, lenders, developers, insurers
• State and federal regulators
• Other parties, including environmental and legal support

Brownfields Advisory Group

At the onset of the reuse evaluation process, consideration should be given to identifying an initial group of key stakeholders that is committed to the development and implementation of a successful reuse strategy.  This stakeholder group may be relied upon to sponsor and move the project forward. The brownfields advisory group is a project management team tasked with facilitating and managing the reuse evaluation process, as well as overseeing the implementation strategy. Typical advisory group tasks include the following:

• Bring diverse groups together looking for potential synergies.
• Communicate and coordinate with stakeholders.
• Provide essential internal and external expertise (technical, legal, financial).
• Facilitate and manage the reuse evaluation process.
• Commit (some but not all) financial and other resources to the process.
• Set key goals and carry out key strategies.
• Generate and maintain synergy to keep the project moving forward.

Common brownfield advisory group candidates include representatives from the local government, community foundations, local and regional economic development agencies, a developer, and neighborhood and community associations.

Documentation: Develop your Brownfield Advisory group roster including contact information (refer to the Stakeholder tab in the Revitalization Ready Workbook)

Stakeholder Committee

When developing reuse strategies for a large property or a large number of properties, many communities find broader representation from a stakeholder committee is needed. 

A stakeholder committee provides the expertise and human resources needed so the brownfields advisory group can conduct the reuse evaluation. The committee consists of stakeholders with a diverse range of knowledge and expertise who are willing to meet on a regular basis throughout the reuse evaluation process and implementation of the reuse strategy. The committee provides advice and expertise to the brownfields advisory group in areas such as economic/financial issues, technical issues, legal and regulatory policies, as well as social and political issues related to the evaluation and implementation of the reuse strategy. Examples of stakeholder committee members include representatives from local and regional government agencies, business associations, community nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and neighborhood associations, as well as local consultants, engineers, real estate professionals, and state and federal regulatory agencies.

Documentation: Develop your stakeholder roster and contact information (refer to the Stakeholder tab in the Revitalization Ready Workbook)

Community Needs and Concerns

Community needs are gaps between the services and resources that currently exist in the community. Identifying community needs and concerns will help your community understand which reuse opportunities will address the gaps. 
Take time to identify the social, health, physical, economic and environmental needs of the affected community and neighborhood. Engage various community organizations such as youth groups, educators, business organizations, churches and nonprofit organizations, as wells as, individual residents and local business owners. These organizations can assist local government officials in gaining perspectives on community health, environmental hazards and the social challenges affecting the residents impacted by the brownfield property and surrounding neighborhoods.  Community needs and concerns may be identified by considering the following: 

Social

• Do individuals in a neighborhood reach out and help one another or are individuals socially isolated?
  • Can they find a ride somewhere if they needed one? 
  • Can they borrow a needed tool?  
  • Who in the neighborhood would they call in case of an emergency?  
• Is the community experiencing blight, crime, vagrancy, reduced social capital or loss of community connectedness due to vacant, abandoned and brownfield properties? 
• Is there a lack of services in the community due to the existence of abandoned and blighted properties? 

Health

• What proportion of the community members are elderly, young, people of color, low-income? 
• What community health information exists (such as a community health improvement plan or other health agency-led assessments)?
• What are the specific public health challenges faced by residents within the reuse area, and what are their underlying causes? For example, is the community suffering from a high incidence of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, asthma or drug addiction? 
• What environmental or health risks are present in the area? 
• Does the community have documented health disparities?
• Is there a lack of health centers or other resources?
• Is the community considered a food desert?

Gather health assessment information from local health departments and if possible, have these broken down by zip codes or census tract areas (the smaller the unit the better). Work with health partners to determine the underlying causes of community conditions.  These could be lack of access to fresh fruit and vegetables, lead infested housing or water, or condition of housing stock. 

Physical

• Does the community have a general concern about physical infrastructure such as roads, condition of the sidewalks, utilities, condition of buildings, dead trees, inadequate night lighting? 
• Is there a lack of open and green space in the community? 
• Is the physical condition of the property or area targeted for redevelopment causing safety concerns (abandoned and derelict structures, open foundations, compromised infrastructure)? 
• Are there lots that are overgrown or not mowed, illegal dumping, tires and trash strewn around?

Economic

• What are the economic stressors the community is facing such as lack of jobs, high unemployment, distressed local government budget that leads to subpar local services, high rates of poverty? 
• Has the lack of development created a reduced tax base? 
• Have decreased private property values led to reduced social services to the surrounding community?
• Have there been a disruption of major economic activities such as closing of businesses due to the pandemic?

Environmental

• Are there concerns regarding air quality, water pollution and presence of hazardous waste sites? 
• Are there biological, physical and chemical effects resulting from site contamination, groundwater impacts, surface runoff migration of contaminants, or wastes dumped on the site?

Collecting or linking baseline health and environmental measures will identify unmet community needs and concerns and inform redevelopment planning options. For example, health monitoring or health impact assessments can show that limited access to health care services or a lack of sidewalks, recreational opportunities or food access can negatively affect the community. In this case, community representatives likely will voice needs for increased health care services, greenspace, parks, trails and fresh grocers during the development of project goals and objectives for site reuse.

References: 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Community Needs Assessment 
EPA:  Plan for Brownfields Redevelopment Success: Community Health Assessment

Establish Project Goals

It is essential that your community dedicate substantial, thoughtful effort to develop clear project goals. These goals will directly affect all aspects of the project strategy. Spending time early on to carefully frame the goals will ensure resources are used effectively and efficiently. 
At a minimum, project goals should consider the following questions:

• What is the community’s desired outcome of the redevelopment?
• How important is the redevelopment to the affected neighborhoods?
• How time-critical is the redevelopment?

As with the project goals, the community vision (refer to the Describe the General Vision for the Property section of this chapter) helps frame the development of the goals and objectives statement.

The first step in the project evaluation process is to clearly articulate both the community and the project developer’s goals and objectives for the project. This is accomplished by completing the following steps:

• Develop property inventory.
• Identify important community considerations.
• Describe the community’s and the developer’s general vision for the property.
• Craft the shared goals and objectives for the project. 

Develop Property Inventory

Start by developing an inventory of the property or properties that are being considered for reuse. In some cases, a property may be a consolidation of multiple parcels with different owners. The purpose of this inventory is to document basic information about the property.

For purposes of the evaluation, a property is defined as one or more contiguous parcels of land. It is important to identify each parcel. Necessary data include property name, address, current owner, tax map parcel number, parcel size, appraised value, current zoning, existing structures on property, brief description of past uses, potential future use, and environmental status and tax delinquency information.

Documentation – Develop your property inventory (refer to the Property Inventory tab in the Revitalization Ready Workbook)

Identify Important Community Considerations

Identify considerations that are important to the successful development and implementation of the reuse strategy: social, public health, physical and economic. Issues important to the project can include:

• Community needs and concerns
• Budget constraints
• Future use constraints
• Impacts the property may have on larger development plans in the area
• Potential “deal-breakers” or issues that would stop the project
• Pre-existing issues that would rule out or impede certain outcomes
• Needs and interests of the community where the project is located  

Describe the General Vision for the Property

The purpose of the vision is to understand potential or preferred redevelopment scenarios for a brownfield site based on stakeholder expectations. Early on in the process, identify and summarize the expectations and reasons for reuse of the property. This general vision will form the basis for the evaluation of potential reuse opportunities during the reuse planning process (see Section 4.3).

Craft the Goals and Objectives Statement

The goals and objectives statement for the property will describe the purpose and anticipated outcomes for the project. The statement should be as specific as possible to help stakeholders understand the project, the reasons for the redevelopment, and the reasons for the local government’s (or other development entity’s) involvement. 

• Review the expectations for redevelopment, including the reasons for the redevelopment, potential benefits, importance and critical timing, and priorities. 
• Develop a few sentences or short paragraphs that describe the goals and objectives for the property and the local government’s participation in the reuse of the property. Base this writeup on what is known about the property, the considerations related to the property, and the expectations for the property. 
• Communicate the goals and objectives to the stakeholder committee, elected officials and the public. Build a consistent message around the project and most importantly, its benefits.  

Review and Adjust Project Goals and Objectives, as needed

The process of redeveloping a brownfield property is an iterative one; therefore, it is important to recognize that the project goals and objectives may change based on facts discovered during the evaluation process. During the reuse evaluation process, the goals and objectives of all stakeholders should be reviewed and revised. Subsequent revisions and the reasons for revisions to the goals and objectives should be documented. This provides an opportunity to communicate changes in goals and set appropriate expectations.  

Documentation – Develop your goals (refer to the Goals tab in the Revitalization Ready Workbook)