New Citizen Engagement Process to Steer City of Gainesville Comprehensive Plan Revision
Press release from City of Gainesville
The City of Gainesville has launched ImagineGNV, a six-month initiative designed to actively engage neighbors in the update of its comprehensive plan. Every ten years, the City embarks on an extensive review and rewrite of the plan, a state-mandated blueprint that guides policy decisions, resources, and investments that impact nearly every aspect of area life.
One of the major goals of the revision is to focus specifically on reducing racial disparity and improving quality of life in Gainesville’s historically marginalized communities. It will be among the first plans in the nation to do so. Through ImagineGNV, a series of activities are planned to increase participation in the update process and gather input from members of the community. These include:
- Community-led discussions: Meetings hosted by neighbors, advocates, and local organizations to collect feedback and share it directly with City staff;
- Listening sessions: Three virtual gatherings where community members will help design the collaboration process, define accountability measures, and share their vision for progress;
- Paid fellowships: Ten community members will learn about the elements of city planning — which policies and procedures can be changed, when, and how — and help define areas of focus for neighbors and City staff to define priorities together.
Anne Wolf, the City of Gainesville’s community engagement program manager, believes ImagineGNV will enable neighbors to help steer Gainesville’s future environmental, financial, social, and economic development in a new direction.
“We need to look at policies that overcome barriers to investment in historic neighborhoods,” Wolf said. “It’s important to recognize that the deep and persistent disparities that exist today are closely linked to decades of housing segregation and economic discrimination that deprived Black neighbors of opportunities to build wealth,” she said.
With input from community members about their values and desires, ImagineGNV will work to identify policies and practices that broaden access to affordable homes, quality education, good paying jobs, and thriving neighborhoods.
“The new comprehensive plan will essentially determine how we reinvest in marginalized communities and how we address the impacts of structural racism,” said Andrew Persons, interim director of the Department of Sustainable Development. “Communities most impacted by these inequities will be brought into the decision-making and planning at the onset.”
Florida Statute 163.3177 dictates the requirements of a city’s comprehensive plan, which in turn guide its policies, programs, and services, such as land use, housing, conservation, and recreational activities. City staff has begun the systematic review of the current plan and is charged with developing a new plan — including elements beyond the state mandate — to ensure public dollars ultimately address historic disadvantages and reverse systemic discrimination.
“By confronting longstanding gaps in services and investment, we are charting a new course toward shared prosperity and prioritizing spending across the City based on need,” Persons added.
You can pretty much count on the city of Gainesville leadership to grab the wheel and continue steering the community over the cliff.
Just saying.
Hello…and one could say that COG and their GRU are out of control. But more likely they are sucking up more control. Next… make Alachua County the COG.
Yes. we need to stop the discrimination and inequities to black & brown neighbors like what GRU is trying to do
with putting that solar array in Archer where the neighbors
don’t want it…What’s Gail & Giggi doing about that? those black & brown people are our neighbors too!..how can Gail & Giggi let GRU do that to them? what a bunch of hypocrites!!! i thought they wanted to do something about
that systemic racism….