For the next several weeks, Canopy will be initiating a Community Outreach Process. Our broad intention is to begin a dialogue with the community of Rosendale to discuss opportunities, surface issues and concerns and allow the public to be a part of the development of the property.
Full Process Overview
1. Stakeholder Identification
To ensure that we’ve identified all stakeholders, especially those who are likely to be most directly affected, we’ve segmented community members into several stakeholder categories. Our goal is to meet with all interested parties in a logical order.
– Neighbors
– Local Businesses
– Non profit organizations
– Concerned Citizens
– Civic organizations (schools, churches, library, etc)
– Media
– Elected officials
– Other
We welcome your input–please email us or leave a comment on this blog if you feel we have missed any key groups or individuals.
2. Small Group Meetings
Specific Objectives
– Provide opportunity for community members and Canopy to meet
– Present our initial ideas for the property
– Gather ideas from community members
– Listen to concerns
– Discuss opportunities
– Answer as many questions as we can
We feel that it is important to limit the size of these initial small group meetings to about 10 people so that we, as a group, are able to engage in a meaningful dialogue.
It is important to note that we will not have answers to all of the questions we will be asked because we have yet to plan the project. We have completed a significant amount of due diligence to date and plan to complete additional studies over the next several months (traffic, economic impacts/benefits analysis). The questions and concerns that are expressed to us in these meetings will help us to plan a better project.
3. “Meet Canopy” meeting
Once we’ve met with all of the key stakeholder groups, we will invite the community of Rosendale to a larger public meeting. During the meeting, we’ll summarize our findings from the Small Group Meetings and share them with the community at large, inviting an open, honest discussion.
A specific date for this meeting has not yet been identified.
4. Design Charrette
A charrette is a collaborative design process. We will invite a multidisciplinary design team, including key stakeholders and community members, to participate in the 3-5 day intensive design workshop (charrette). The objective of the charrette is to produce a master plan that balances economic objectives, environmental concerns and the desires of the community at large.
5. SEQR Initiation
New York's State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) requires all state and local government agencies to consider environmental impacts equally with social and economic factors during discretionary decision-making. http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/357.html
