McKinley Park Neighborhood Plan

The following strategies offer concrete and sincere ways to better engage and involve the McKinley Park residents in projects and decision-making surrounding the neighborhood plan. Successful implementation of the plan will rely in large part on community engagement to help inform which strategies to prioritize and the best ways to achieve them.

Create a framework for sustained, inclusive community involvement in planning decisions

Throughout the planning process for this plan, CMAP received great community input from a wide range of residents. The strengthening of partnerships with residents and community groups, including local institutions and businesses, should continue and build off the momentum of this planning process. A first step is to develop and maintain a database of community leaders and organizations who were involved in the planning process. The database should include contact information for key individuals within each entity and should be periodically updated in order to maintain its effectiveness for communicating with stakeholders about the neighborhood plan and engaging them in activities. A precise and up-to-date listing of community leaders and local groups will make it easier to recruit partners and volunteers for specific objectives that relate to this neighborhood plan.

Re-engage existing resident groups and facilitate the creation of new community groups

From "Environmental Justice Group Launches as Counterpoint to New Industrial Development," published August 10, 2018, in the McKinley Park News.Residents will always be the backbone of the McKinley Park community. Supporting an engaged, informed, and active resident base will not only improve implementation of the neighborhood plan, but it will also create a network of participants to move future plans and activities forward. An outreach plan should be developed based on the objective of the neighborhood plan and the opportunities to engage various segments of McKinley Park’s diverse population. The planning process should be used to start the conversation with local community groups and use the plan’s implementation strategies to provide these groups with new energy and focus.

While it is important to reconnect with existing community groups, assistance should also be given to the creation and coordination of new community groups. There may be opportunities to create new community groups focused on some of the objectives of the neighborhood plan, particularly as these objectives relate to specific plan recommendations.

Continue to hold educational forums

Although MPDC members will become well-versed in the recommendations of this neighborhood plan, residents, stakeholders, and community partners may not be as familiar with its content. In the months following completion of the plan, it is recommended that educational forums be held throughout the community to introduce the topics, challenges, and implementation activities related to the plan. These educational forums can be held in conjunction with community meetings, events, or other activities that already attract residents and stakeholders. Prior chapters in this plan identify opportunities for potential new MPDC committee groups to help lead implementation of plan strategies.

Dedicate webpages to the neighborhood plan and use social media outreach

A dedicated webpage should allow the public to read the plan in its entirety, keep track of plan progress, and access information on community events related to the plan. This webpage should also house interim plan materials, such as the existing conditions report, in order to view maps, demographic information, and community engagement materials. MPDC should post the neighborhood plan on its website, and provide updates to users through social mpedia and community newsletters.