Kenosha State of Downtown Report.indd - The Lakota Group

SECTION 5: SETTING A COURSE
PUBLIC INPUT SUMMARY
A critical or fundamental component of a successful Strategic
Planning Phase 1 process is the engagement of stakeholders
through a multi-layered public process to identify and establish
the priorities and character of the community. It is important
that this process achieve both a wide breadth of stakeholders as
well as garner a deep understanding of the community issues and
opportunities. To achieve these goals, the process established
the following three structures for engaging the public:
■ One-on-one and Small Group Interviews: Over 100
Downtown stakeholders were interviewed during 60 to
90 minutes sessions representing a variety of backgrounds
and special interests, such as:
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City Elected Officials
City Staff
City Police & Fire
City Committee & Commission Members
County
Downtown Business Owners
Chamber of Commerce
Kenosha Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Downtown Property Owners
Area Developers
Kenosha Area CEOs & Business Owners
Social Service Representatives
Arts/Cultural Organizations
Harbor Market
Carthage College
City Museums
Business Professionals
Local Residents
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Community Open House: Over 150 community
members participated in an evening Open House format
workshop on February 22nd, 2012. Participants were
asked to provide input at five stations on the following
topics:
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Station 1 – Planning Process & Orientation: Participants
were asked to mark the location of their residence and
employment on a map.
Station 2 – Neighborhood Context: Participants
commented on the different neighborhood characters or
personalities within the Downtown and identified key
sites susceptible to change within the Downtown.
Station 3 – Transportation & Transit: Participants
commented on key routes into the Downtown, critical
gateways and existing transit and transportation
opportunities and constraints.
Station 4 – Retail Market Character: Participants
commented on the Downtown retail shopping
environment, marked the locations that they like to visit
on a map as well as identified areas that were in need of
improvement or new offerings.
Station 5 – Visual Preference Survey: Participants rated a
series of 94 images covering a range of urban design and
character concepts.
■ Online Survey: Over 500 members of the public
participated in a 37 question online survey that asked
for input on Downtown character, retail and service
mix, and transit and transportation.
The results of these three outreach structures allow for what we
call the “triangulation of data” on common themes and ideas.
While the full results of all the surveys and input is detailed in
this report’s appendix, the following summary aggregates these
commonalities or theme discussions. These themes and ideas
will be shared and confirmed with the Steering Committee
before moving into Phase 2 Visioning.
Stakeholder Interviews
Community
Input &
Direcon
Community Open House
Downtown Kenosha’s Community Open House
On-Line Survey
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CITY OF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN
KENOSHA DOWNTOWN STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN: STATE OF THE DOWNTOWN
SETTING A COURSE