Foster City’s “CommUNITY Dialogue Series” Will Inform, Engage, and Involve Community Members
Contact: Dante G. Hall, (650) 286-3200, dhall@fostercity.org
Community members are invited to participate in a new community engagement program in Foster City, taking place from May through December. The four-session "CommUNITY Dialogue Series" will bring people together to learn and share views and ideas about some of the key issues facing Foster City today. The results of the four dialogue sessions will be reported out to a joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission, and incorporated into discussions around policies that could be developed to best address these issues.
The key topics to be brought into this community-based forum are: Land Use, Affordable Workforce Housing, Transportation, and Commercial Retail.
Interested members of the community can get more information and register to attend by visiting the City's CommUNITY Dialogue Series web page Social Engagement – Sustainable Foster City and clicking on the "register" link. Each session requires a separate registration, and while participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions, they may feel free to attend only the ones of particular interest to them.
"Our goal with the CommUNITY Dialogue Series is to approach these critical topics with a wide, diverse set of perspectives from throughout our community," said Charlie Bronitsky, Mayor of Foster City. "To do this, we're creating a comfortable, welcoming, less-formal environment that will encourage open, honest discussion – and bring unity of direction to the issues we face as a community. When people can sit down together, find common ground, and offer respect for others' opinions in this kind of setting, we can collaborate on great possibilities. That's what our CommUNITY Dialogue Series is all about."
CommUNITY Dialogue Series - Session 1 – Celebrating the Evolution of Our City
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
7 – 8:30 pm
Foster City Community Center, 1000 E. Hillsdale Boulevard
Childcare will be provided
Session 1 is entitled Celebrating the Evolution of Our City, and will help provide the foundation for discussions taking place that evening as well as at subsequent sessions. Friends, neighbors, and other attendees will join together and enjoy great food and lively music before hearing opening presentations. The centerpiece of the evening will be Engagement Stations designed to provide information about land use, housing, and transportation in our City. You will be able to chat with staff, ask questions, and submit comment cards on issues that are important to you. The evening will close with a survey to further gather the thoughtful and productive comments and ideas that are sure to arise.
The dates of the other three sessions and the joint Planning Commission/City Council meeting are:
- CommUNITY Dialogue Series - Session 2 - Workforce Housing, Wednesday, August 9, 2017, 7 – 8:30 pm(location to be announced)
- CommUNITY Dialogue Series - Session 3 - Transportation & Mobility, Wednesday, October 11, 2017, 7:30 – 9:30 am(location to be announced)
- CommUNITY Dialogue Series - Session 4 - Commercial Retail, Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 7 – 8:30 pm(location to be announced)
- Summary Report to City Council/Planning Commission Joint Meeting, Monday, January 29, 2018 (tentative), 6:30pm(location to be announced)
Updated information and detailed outlines of each session are on the CommUNITY Dialogue Series web page Social Engagement – Sustainable Foster City.
The hope and expectation is that by going through this Community Dialogue Series process together, the City and community members will experience a wonderful convergence of thoughts and ideas, focused on those key issues which affect Foster City today, which will have lasting impact for generations. It's an opportunity whose time is now, and all are encouraged to register and participate.
