Agencies Invite Public to Visit Virtual Workshop To Guide Development of New Regional Plan

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Metropolitan Transportation Commission

Feb 02, 2012, 01:22 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) are asking members of the public for assistance in developing Plan Bay Area, a 25-year transportation investment and land-use strategy for the nine-county region from 2015 through 2040. The agencies have created an online virtual workshop for anyone who wants to weigh in on options and trade-offs from the convenience of their computer. People can visit the online workshop at www.onebayarea.org/workshops/virtual.htm.

The virtual workshop closely mirrors the format of a series of nine public forums held in January in every Bay Area county, and includes numerous opportunities to comment. Web visitors can watch several informational videos and take a few short surveys on their priorities for the Bay Area's future housing and land use development, transportation investments and policies and more. The virtual workshop will be up and running through February 15, 2012.

"We want to hear from you, so make your opinion count," said MTC Chair and San Mateo County Supervisor Adrienne Tissier. "The goal of Plan Bay Area is to make our region more livable for current and future generations, and we need public input to ensure we're hearing from as many residents as possible."

By creating the virtual workshop, MTC has stepped up its outreach effort for the Plan Bay Area process, which is scheduled to conclude in the spring of 2013. Plan Bay Area will be the region's first transportation and land-use plan to incorporate the Sustainable Communities Strategy mandated by state Senate Bill 375, which was signed into law in 2008.

More than 1,000 people attended Plan Bay Area workshops in all nine counties in January 2012. An additional 150 people attended 10 focus groups held with community-based organizations (CBOs) throughout the region.

Survey results and comments from the virtual workshop will be tabulated and considered by MTC and ABAG decision makers — along with feedback gathered from workshops, CBO meetings, focus groups and a statistically valid telephone survey — at a meeting slated for March 9.

MTC is the transportation planning and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. ABAG is the official regional planning agency for the 101 cities and towns and nine counties of the Bay Area.

SOURCE Metropolitan Transportation Commission