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PLANAPALOOZA 2013 Q&A What is a Planapalooza? A Planapalooza is an intense, participatory design and public input process where all members of the community work directly with a multidisciplinary consulting team. The entire process is open to the public at all times. Please join us to create a long-range vision and Comprehensive Plan for Lewiston. What is an Open Studio? The design team will set up a temporary office at 219 Lisbon Street, next to LA Magazine and diagonally across the street from the Lewiston Library during Planapalooza. Urban designers, illustrators, and planners will be working from morning until night on the Comprehensive Plan for Lewiston, capturing public comments and incorporating these ideas real time into illustrative master plans that will help articulate the community’s vision for the future. Anyone from the public is welcome to drop by to see the planning work in progress. What if I can’t make it to the Opening Presentation? Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the opening presentation. The benefit of a Planapalooza process is that you can give the design team your input at any time. The studio at 219 Lisbon Street will be open from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm daily, from Friday, June 21st, through Monday, June 25th, or any other time you see the lights on. See the complete Planapalooza schedule for more details. In the studio, there will be map stations and comment cards available as ways to give input. You can also talk directly with the team about your concerns, issues, or ideas. How often do I need to show up to make sure my voice is heard? During Planapalooza, the amount of time individuals spend in the studio or attending meetings varies greatly, depending on level of interest or time availability. You are welcome to come to every public meeting or to just one or two. It’s up to you. No matter how much you participate, the design team will record your input and make sure that your ideas are balanced against the ideas and interest of the community as a whole. ---PAGE BREAK--- If I had to pick one or two meetings to attend, which would be the best choice? We strongly recommend that people attend the Opening Presentation and the Closing Presentation. This will allow you to provide your ideas in the high energy environment of the first large group meeting, and then see how your ideas were incorporated into the final plans that will be presented at the Closing Presentation. The Pin-Up is also a chance to see the plans in progress and to provide valuable feedback that helps to shape the final plan. Who should attend the Round Table Meetings? During the first day of Planapalooza on Friday, June 21st, there will be a series of Round Table Meetings open to the public. These meetings provide an opportunity to discuss ideas and concerns that are related to certain groups or particular topics. These meetings are very informal and provide yet another opportunity for the public to weigh in on the planning process and for the design team to gather information critical to the development of the Comprehensive Plan. What is an Illustrative Master Plan? An illustrative master plan is a detailed drawing that articulates a potential vision for how a community will grow in the future based on ideas and input provided by the public. In Lewiston, illustrative master plans will be developed during Planapalooza to show the community’s vision for the future of the City. The plans will show new buildings, parks, street connections, and other ideas that emerge during the process. The illustrative master plans will provide important direction for the Comprehensive Plan and help galvanize support around the vision by allowing the community to see and understand how broad ideas relate to specific areas within the City. What happens after Planapalooza? After Planapalooza the design team will return to their home offices and complete the Comprehensive Plan for submittal to the Planning Department. Following an initial staff review, the design team will then prepare a Discussion Draft Comprehensive Plan, which will be circulated to the Comprehensive Plan "Think Tank" Committee, Elected Officials, the Planning Board, City Departments, and the public. The consultant will return to town to present this Discussion Draft Comprehensive Plan to the community. Comments will be collected by the Planning Department and submitted to the consultant for inclusion into the Final Draft Comprehensive Plan. This Final Draft Comprehensive Plan will then be brought through the official approval process with the normal public notifications and hearings. Please check out the project website and Facebook page for updates, discussion and information throughout the process: www.lewistonmaine.gov/comprehensiveplan