1. wellesleyunifiedplan.com

2. Consultant team Stantec’s Urban Places Group
Lead Consultant
Larissa Brown, PhD, AICP
Erin Garnaas-Holmes, ASLA
Institute for Excellence in Government
Strategic Planning for Town Government
Jane Wiseman
Community Circle
Community Engagement
Daphne Politis, AICP
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Health and Wellness
Noemie Sportiche, MS

3. What is a Unified plan? A process What do we want to preserve?
What do we want to change?
What are our priorities?
How can we get the job done?

4. What is a Unified plan? A guidance document
Wellesley today and future trends
Our vision, values, goals and priorities
Strategies to achieve the vision and goals
A strategic plan to enhance the effectiveness of town government
An action plan to implement the strategies

5. What makes it unified? Combined process and document
Update to Wellesley’s Comprehensive Plan for physical development
Strategic framework for town government; support implementation, excellent town services and prudent fiscal management
Integrated, cross-referenced and a section focused on town government effectiveness

6. What is the process? 2016-2017: Visioning
Research, interviews and focus groups/SC review of draft existing conditions
Document: Wellesley Today/Needs Assessment
Community outreach
Digital and face to face outreach
Town-wide Visioning Forum
Interactive community workshop
4 Communities of Place Workshops + 1 Business Meeting
Neighborhood based workshops (2 precincts each) and business meeting
Document: Draft Vision, Principles, and Goals
SC and Board and Commissions review
Endorsements
Presentation to Annual Town Meeting for endorsement
Documents: Wellesley Today
Vision, Principles and Goals

7. What is the process? 2017: Plan development
Round 1 Working Groups on specific topics: SC members +
Document: Preliminary plan elements
Community outreach
Digital and face to face outreach
4/5 Communities of Interest Workshops (topic focused)
Interactive community workshops
Round 2 Working Groups
Document: Draft plan elements
Community Open House
Planning directions
Steering Committee review of entire draft plan
Document: First Draft Complete Plan
Town-wide Forum on Draft Plan
2018: Plan Adoption
Public hearings
Document: Public Hearing Draft Plan
Annual Town Meeting
Document: Final Plan

8. What is the role of the Steering Committee (SC)?
The SC is a working committee:
Assist in community outreach
Help identify issues and opportunities
Update and solicit comment from “home” boards, commissions, and networks
Attend committee meetings, public meetings, and selected working group meetings
Review preliminary and draft documents

9. What is the role of the community in the process?
Participate in events/digital opportunities
Identify values, vision, general goals
Identify issues and opportunities
Neighborhood/village based
Topic based
Comment on and plan directions and Final Plan Draft

10. Strategic Plan for Town Government
Why discuss it separately
Funding and team from MAPC
Approach and Scope

11. This is Town Government

12. The strategic plan will not change the form of town government.
Work with the SC to identify innovations that deliver excellent, cost-effective services
Strategic planning
Organization and performance management
Quantitative analysis
Policy analysis
Executive developmen

13. Strategy insights support achievement of the Vision and Goals.
Data-driven
Metrics to measure progress
Framework for future integrated board and staff strategic work plans
Transparent and accountable communication throughout government and the community

14. Visioning Phase: Fall 2016 – Winter 2017
The process will build a framework for town strategic planning.
Visioning Phase: Fall 2016 – Winter 2017
Research and interviews
Data gathering on current environment
Best practice insights from other governments
Transparency, performance measurement and customer orientation
High-level assessment of current strategic planning strengths and challenges
Memo for incorporation into Wellesley Today

15. Planning/Recommendation Phase: Spring – Fall 2017
The process will build a framework for town strategic planning.
Planning/Recommendation Phase: Spring – Fall 2017
Template, process and timeline for department strategic plans and integration into town-wide plan
Document: Drafts for plan elements
Best practice implementation recommendations for governance, performance measurement, transparency, and customer service
Timeline for implementing recommendations, consistent with town Vision and Unified Plan
Document: Unified Plan implementation matrix

16. Towns are creating visual budgets.

17. Best practices: Boston.gov

18. Best practices: Kansas City Open Data

19. Best practices: Santa Monica

20. Public Health Element Why discuss it separately
Funding and team from MAPC
Approach and Scope

21. Social, Environmental, Behavioral Factors
Why consider health?
Policy documents like this Unified Plan influence the 60%
60%
20%
Genetics
Healthcare
Social, Environmental, Behavioral Factors
The idea is to measure the impact of place on people through their health, which is one of the most basic proxies of how people are doing.

22. What is “health”?
“A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”

23. What are the goals?
Goal: To maximize positive, equitably distributed health impacts and minimize or mitigate any that increase disparities or harm health
Emphasize that this is all part of the overall unified plan and will be done in close collaboration with Stantec
With a focus on vulnerable populations.
Develop actionable recommendations 4
Identify current and future health priorities 3
Analyze health impacts of social, behavioral, environmental context 2
Collect and analyze health
specific data and literature 1

24. What is the process? Task Activity Timeline Data collection
Background research
Document: Existing Conditions/Needs Assessment Draft
Sep-Nov 2016
Community context
Document existing public health services
Sep-Dec 2016
Outreach and engagement
Preliminary interviews, possible survey, public meetings
Sep 2016-
June 2016
Draft Health Element
Draft vision and goals, draft health element, review and final report
Document: Health language for Town Vision and Goals; Final Health Element
Jan-June 2107

25. Community Engagement Why discuss it separately
Funding and team from MAPC
Approach and Scope

26. Why engage the community?
Develop shared vision, goals and priorities
Consensus about the vision
Shared understanding of concerns, desires, priorities
Build a constituency for implementation of the plan

27. Who is the community? Include all points of view Residents
Business owners
Community organizations
Local leaders
Town staff and volunteers
Youth, senior citizens, Religious/ethnic groups
Institutions
People who don’t usually participate
Regional and state agencies (as relevant)

28. How will we engage the community?
Make the process bridge differences; be inclusive, transparent, easy, fun and constructive
Steering Committee meetings
Interviews and focus groups
Town-wide forums
Neighborhood workshops
Topic workshops
Neighborhood Open Houses
Business meeting
Presence at town-wide Events
Presentations to relevant boards

29. How will we engage the community?
Create multiple opportunities for community conversation
Project website
Flash surveys
blasts
Social media

30. What is the process? 2016-2017: Visioning
Interviews and focus groups; SC meetings
SC, Town staff, others as relevant
Community outreach
Digital and face to face outreach
Town-wide Visioning Forum
Interactive community workshop
4 Communities of Place Workshops + 1 Business Meeting
Neighborhood based workshops (2 precincts each) and business meeting
Presentation to Annual Town Meeting for endorsement
Documents: Wellesley Today
Vision, Principles and Goals

31. What is the process? 2017: Plan development Community outreach
Digital and face to face outreach
SC/Working Group meetings
Plan development and review
4/5 Communities of Interest Workshops (topic focused)
Interactive community workshops
Community Open House
Planning directions
Town-wide Forum on Draft Plan
Public review of the plan
2018: Plan Adoption
Public hearings
Document: Public Hearing Draft Plan
Annual Town Meeting
Document: Final Plan

32. How will the community stay informed?
Disseminate information in multiple ways
Information hubs
Project website updates
Cable TV
Press releases
Speakers Bureau
Presence at town events/festivals

33. Questions? Why discuss it separately Funding and team from MAPC
Approach and Scope