Appendix G: 2050 LRTP Public Involvement Plan

The following pages contain the public involvement plan that was developed to guide public engagement and outreach efforts specifically for the LRTP.

Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG)
2050 Long-Range Transportation Plan
Public Involvement Plan

Overview

Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) is a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), a federally mandated and federally funded transportation policy-making organization comprised of representatives from local government and government transportation authorities. MPOs were created to ensure regional cooperation in transportation planning, focusing on projects and plans expected to have a regional impact. As the MPO, PPACG provides planning for the Colorado Springs Urbanized Area as defined by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the U.S. Census.

The 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is a multimodal plan that establishes the vision, goals, and objectives for transportation decision-making for the Urbanized Area of the Pikes Peak region. The plan identifies transportation priorities, a project list, and implementation strategies, enabling decision-makers to understand regional social, economic, and environmental impacts.

The LRTP document includes the following components:

• Vision, Goals, and Objectives
• Inventory of Current Conditions and Identification of Needs
• Regional Strategies and Implementation Priorities
• Performance Measures
• Financial Plan – Revenues and Sources
• Project Scoring Criteria
• Transportation Project Lists
• Public Input

Public Involvement Goals and Objectives

PPACG emphasizes community involvement in all its planning and public involvement procedures. Using multiple outreach techniques, PPACG empowers citizens to be involved at every stage of plan development.

This Public Involvement Plan outlines the target audiences, strategies, and tactics to conduct a substantive and well-planned community participation process that encourages proactive and continuous public involvement. Successful implementation of the plan will result in increased community understanding of the PPACG and the LRTP, a view into the community’s transportation priorities, and trust in the planning process. These are the goals of the public involvement process.

The objectives of this public involvement process are to:

• Identify individuals and groups within the area that have an interest in or may be affected by the planning effort.
• Make sure everyone feels involved in the process to the extent that they wish to be involved.
• Build trust and enduring relationships during the process.
• Understand communities’ transportation patterns, concerns, and goals/needs.
• Create opportunities for communities to participate in the process, especially historically underrepresented and disproportionately impacted communities.
• Share complete and timely information in plain language.
• Educate the community about the LRTP planning effort and its implications for communities.
• Establish project communication channels for communities to share information with the project team, and a systematized process to track input.
• Use a variety of tactics to match audiences through digital and print materials.
• Inform and engage elected officials, key region businesses, community groups, and agencies early and often to ensure the process addresses region-wide transportation concerns and aspirations.

Target Audience

Involvement will target specific audiences within PPACG’s geographic boundaries:

• PPACG Board of Directors: PPACG will provide updates to their Board, primarily comprised of elected officials of general-purpose local governments in the Colorado Springs Urbanized Area, and standing committees to ensure there is an opportunity for clarification on project materials or messaging before disseminating information to the broader community.
• PPACG Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC): The TAC is closely involved in every step of the transportation planning process, providing technical expertise and input with monthly and special meetings. The TAC is also responsible for project selection. TAC membership includes planning, engineering, and public works staff of local governments, Mountain Metropolitan Transit (MMT), the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), military bases, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and FHWA.
• PPACG Community Advisory Committee (CAC): The CAC provides the region’s residents with an ongoing voice in PPACG planning activities. The CAC is charged with providing ongoing input into public involvement methods to ensure that the public is heard in preparing transportation plans and programs. Membership includes citizens appointed by PPACG member jurisdictions, representatives of designated community organizations, and six citizens-at-large appointed by the PPACG Board of Directors.
• Disproportionately Impacted Communities and Vulnerable Populations: Demographic data show a diverse population living and working within the region corridor. The project
• team will prioritize engaging Hispanic, Asian, and other disproportionately impacted community members. To ensure equitable access to the materials and feedback mechanisms, outreach materials will be translated into Spanish. Acknowledging that many historically vulnerable populations living or traveling within the region may be difficult to engage, the project team will bring outreach, education, and opportunities to them.
• Local Jurisdictions: All counties, cities, and towns within the MPO’s geographic boundaries are important stakeholders and partners throughout the process. They will be invited to participate on the RTPAC committee and kept informed.
• Residents: The region houses a broad range of people. The project team will engage residents in the region and inform them of the LRTP with specific focus on vulnerable populations, including people of color, low-income households, and people with disabilities. Residents will be encouraged to provide their input through a community survey, a public open house, and comment submissions through the formal review process.
• Community Groups: The project team will engage community groups that represent a variety of individuals and groups who live, work, and play in the region. Community groups are identified due to their mission and/or interest, the timing of their existing events and programs, the populations they serve, potential interest in or level of impact, and connections to different communities throughout the region.
• Schools, Businesses, and Neighborhood Associations: These organizations maintain an interest in the planning process since the plan can benefit and impact their members. These stakeholders could be promotional partners for the outreach team. Organizations’ leadership could assist in sharing materials with their constituents or communities, help spread the word, and provide input on involvement tactics.
• State and Federal Agencies: As a federally mandated MPO, PPACG will ensure that various agencies are consulted throughout the process to ensure the plan meets state and federal regulations.
• Additional Partners: PPACG also will coordinate with other area entities to include Fountain Municipal Transit and other specialized transit providers, Fort Carson, Space Base Delta 1 (which includes Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Station, and Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station), the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), and Colorado Springs Airport.

Strategies & Tactics

The project team will apply a diverse set of digital, print, and in-person strategies and tools to raise awareness about the LRTP and hear people’s vision, concerns, and desired opportunities for transportation in the region. The overarching goal is to ensure that community members know what is going on and have a chance to offer input.

Across all tactics, the project team will foster transparency, share important information in plain language, engage in ways that are appropriate of and honor the person or group being engaged at each stage of the process, and solicit feedback through multiple mediums and modalities and multiple times with the same audience to encourage breadth and depth of outreach. Strategies and tools will be complemented by input from community partners on who else should be engaged and how to reach additional populations. When appropriate, the project team will follow up with audiences to complete the feedback loop between community members and city officials when decisions are made.

This section outlines the ways in which the community will be informed, and input will be received. The team will work with a network of community members through targeted outreach to ensure materials reach a wide audience through trusted community partners. Feedback collected will inform the planning effort and the final LRTP.

The tactics below form the backbone of the process’s public involvement:

• Regional Transportation Plan Advisory Committee (RTPAC): In addition to engagement with PPACG’s ongoing committees, PPACG will convene an additional advisory committee focusing on the 2050 LRTP. The RTPAC will guide the plan development process and provide insight into public participation. Members will include local jurisdictions, CDOT, school districts, chambers of commerce, neighborhood organizations, military installations, transit and transit users, universities, and community organizations.
• Project Materials: PPACG will use digital and print materials throughout the project to inform community members and collect input. PPACG will continue to update its website throughout the planning process with meeting notices, work products, and timelines. The team will use print and digital communications (e-blasts and social media) to communicate project updates and opportunities to collect feedback.
• Fact Sheet: PPACG will develop a fact sheet to summarize the 2050 LRTP planning effort and give detailed information about upcoming public involvement opportunities and events. This fact sheet will be available on the PPACG website and in hard copy to distribute in the community.
• Survey: An important part of the LRTP is a short survey to understand regional transportation preferences (both moving within and to areas outside the region) and desired transportation habits to meet the current and future mobility needs. The survey will provide feedback to PPACG and help shape the future of the Pikes Peak transportation system for years to come. The survey will be live for 45 days and distributed in print and digital format through multiple communication channels with the goal of ensuring all are aware of the opportunity to provide their feedback. The last iteration of the survey received about 700 responses, and the 2050 LRTP survey should equal or surpass that number.
• Open House/Public Meeting: PPACG will hold a public meeting or open house during the draft plan review period to create an open, collaborative environment and meet public involvement objectives. The public will be encouraged to provide comments and questions on the draft plan. When hosting a public meeting, PPACG will consider the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and language accessibility and times or dates that will encourage maximum participation.
• Public Comment Period: A 30-day public comment period will be implemented during the 2050 LRTP, allowing the public to review, provide feedback, and comment on the draft plan. After collecting comments, a summary will be presented to the PPACG Board and relevant committees. Feedback collected during this period will be included as an appendix in the LRTP.
• Stakeholder Interviews: As needed throughout the LRTP development process, PPACG will engage with key stakeholders to discuss transportation topics and gain feedback and guidance more deeply. These interviews may be with critical agencies that were not able to engage in other opportunities or organizations with whom a focused discussion could best inform the LRTP.
• Website: A website will be established that will include all LRTP-related materials to include a project timeline, RTPAC meeting materials, links to the public survey, opportunities for public comment and staff contact information for public input.

Equitable and Inclusive Engagement

As part of the public involvement process, PPACG will incorporate engagement tactics that strive to involve low-income households, minority households, persons with limited English proficiency (LEP), older and younger people, and people with disabilities as defined in the PPACG Public Participation Plan, Title VI and Environmental Justice Plan and LEP Plan. These tactics include an approach that meets underserved communities where they are through community partner representation, translated materials, ample notice of engagement, and material translation.

For those with LEP, inclusive engagement requires spoken and written translations of program materials and presentations. Translation will be provided for in-person meetings when requested within seven days’ notice of events. Translated materials or translation services may be offered without request for communications knowingly engaging with substantially impacted areas.

To ensure messaging is accessible to the community, materials will be distributed through print and digitally posted to the PPACG website. All digital materials will be made 508/ADA Compliant.

PPACG will collect voluntary items of information through surveys. These will include demographic and/or household information.

Schedule & Engagement Phasing

This table shows the plan’s phasing and corresponding engagement strategies and tactics.

Plan Phase	Focus Area(s)	Time Period	Strategies/Tactics
Kickoff	Preliminary Public Engagement (PE)Identify PE Contacts (including disproportionately impacted communities)	Spring – Summer 2023
Phase I	Vision, Goals, ObjectivesInventory of Current ConditionsIdentification of Needs	Spring – Fall 2023	RTPAC Meeting # 1Creation of Fact Sheet
Phase 2	Regional Strategies and Implementation PrioritiesPerformance MeasuresProject Scoring Criteria	Summer 2023 – Winter 2024	RTPAC Meeting #2Community Survey
Phase 3	Evaluation of Projects During Project List Development	Spring – Summer 2024	RTPAC Meeting # 3
Phase 4	Draft Plan ReviewPublic Review Period and Public Hearing	Summer – Fall 2024	RTPAC Meeting # 4Public Open HousePublic Comment Period
Plan Wrap-up	Final Plan Review	Winter 2024 (Board of Directors adoption no later than January 2025)	Public Hearing