Community Focus Group Meetings (CFG) - October 11, 2012 / October 25, 2012 / January 31, 2013

Representatives of the civic and chamber organizations from the twenty-one LIRR station area jurisdictions attended the Nassau County Station Area Infill Redevelopment Study "Civic Focus Group (CFG)" meetings on one of three possible dates between October, 2012 and January, 2013. The purpose of these meetings was for attendees to gain a better understanding of transit-supported development (TSD) and how it relates to their communities and Long Island as a whole. The meeting also provided attendees a venue to provide insight into our study and help assess the readiness and desire for TSD at their respective station areas. The input received will not only help shape our approach to sustainable station area planning within the scope of our study, but our approach to achieving a higher standard of livability on Nassau County in general.

The meetings commenced with an introduction to the project by the County and its team of consultants, led by Parsons Brinckerhoff, followed by a presentation on livability and the principles of transit-supported development in the context of each of the twenty-one station areas under evaluation.

The meeting then transitioned into break-out groups organized by station area, allowing attendees to meet with their other members of their community around a large base map showing the existing conditions of their station area. The representatives discussed their shared vision for their station area, as well as evaluated the "readiness" and desire" for transit-supported development within their community with the help of a moderator. CFG representatives were asked to:

• Add/correct information on a large base map that is helpful and relevant
• Label/annotate the base map with any sites and/or parcels that they wish to see developed
• Answer questions taken from the "Transit-Supported Development Readiness" questionnaire as a group
• Identify any outstanding issues or concerns their station areas face

The meeting concluded with a charrette-style report to the group. The moderator from each station area presented an evaluation of station area environs and a summary of the station area questionnaire response.

Based upon the information gathered at this meeting, the project team will update the twenty-one station area existing conditions inventory and identify areas of opportunity for transit-supported development and livability enhancements. Feedback garnered at this meeting, along with that of past Municipal Advisory Group workshops, will guide the County in its selection of three station areas that will receive planning assistance in the form of site-specific transit-supported development plans. Issues and concerns for all twenty-one station areas within the study's scope will be well documented in the upcoming Existing Conditions Report and will prove useful in future planning and helping all the participating communities realize their shared visions for their station areas.

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