We regularly work with citizen groups and public bodies (i.e., city councils, planning commissions, neighborhood associations, citizens advisory committees, architectural review boards) and, in doing so, have a solid reputation for facilitating discussion and building consensus on appropriate planning policies. D.B. Hartt advocates four project review structures, used alone or in combination depending on the needs of the project. These four structures are:

• Citizens Advisory Committee
• Joint Reviews with Municipality and Boards
• Focus Groups
• Strategic Steering Committee with Supplemental Task Forces

Citizens Advisory Committee
A Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) is the nucleus of the public participation structure and the primary body charged with the formulation of a comprehensive plan. The CAC is deliberately selected so that its members represent the full range of community perspectives (e.g., retail, industry, schools, developers/builders, open space, environmental, recreation and other interests that the City deems appropriate). Communities where we have successfully facilitated and managed the comprehensive plan development process with a CAC include the following.

Joint Reviews with Municipality and Boards
In updating zoning codes, D.B. Hartt routinely plans and facilitates joint review meetings with various municipality staff and boards such as City Staff, City Council, the Planning Commission, the Board of Appeals and the Architectural Review Board. The purpose of these reviews is for community officials to reach consensus on the philosophy and concepts for developing the detailed regulations. It is most important for this to occur early in the process to avoid developing amendments for provisions that the community has clearly determined it does not need or want. We have used the joint review structure in the following communities.

Focus Groups
Focus groups have been a part of D.B. Hartt community planning efforts for the:

• Parks and Recreation Plan for Wadsworth
• Westlawn Redevelopment Plan in Warren for Sunshine, Inc.
• Tuscarawas County Farmland Preservation Plan

Strategic Steering Committee with
Supplemental Task Forces
Some communities have engaged in more extensive planning efforts that require a broader based citizen participation component. In addition to the traditional land use components, these plans have included supplemental strategic initiatives in the areas of: administrative procedures, capital improvements, budgeting philosophies, economic development, community image, marketing, etc. For these planning efforts, the citizen participation structure has included a steering committee with supplemental “functional” task forces. We have successfully used this approach for the:

• Strategic Plan for Oberlin
• Route 18 Corridor Study for Medina County
• Community Vision for Lakewood

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