Community Engagement is vital to this effort and will greatly inform the assessment. It includes both virtual and in-person engagement.

VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENT & SURVEYS
These engagement activities ensure the community is informed on assessment progress and has the opportunity to participate if they are not able to attend an in-person session.

IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT
Public Meeting #1
This meeting was held early on to learn about the assessment goals and allow the opportunity to provide general input on both the use of the site and how the Project Team may best proceed with gathering community input.

Stakeholder Charettes/Workshops
Community stakeholders were organized into smaller groups to engage in more in-depth discussion regarding the feedback and ideas brought forth in the first public meeting. A charette-style approach prompted participation through immersive activities to determine and further explore potential concepts. The goal of these workshops was to start narrowing down plausible ideas and consider the pros and cons of each.

Public Meeting #2
This meeting will share concepts that have come forward from the first meeting and the stakeholder charettes. The Neighborhood Strategies team will narrow input down to 2-3 concepts for presentation and open up the room to questions and comments. Preliminary sketches will be presented for each concept and feedback will be solicited that aids in the creation of the final concept recommendation and corresponding illustration. Attendees will be encouraged to give feedback during the meeting or follow-up via email or website.

Final Public Meeting
The final meeting will be held in coordination with the Project Oversight Committee to present an Executive Summary of the Final Redevelopment Assessment Report including the final land use recommendations, final illustrations of the concept, and how stakeholder engagement informed the decision. The City and any relevant partners will have a chance to speak to next steps and answer questions alongside the Neighborhood Strategies team.

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT
The City of Marietta engaged young residents, specifically those ages 5-17, to help brainstorm what they’d like to see happen at the Harmar Elementary site. Including the Marietta youth in engagement activities brought a unique perspective, broadened the possibilities for the site’s redevelopment, and involved young residents for whom community projects will serve for years to come. Additionally, it ensured that a variety of stakeholders who represent Marietta—especially youth, who typically don’t have a voice in decision-making—had the opportunity to give input and be heard. 

Two surveys were created for youth feedback—one geared toward elementary-age children and the other for middle to high school students. Additionally, students were provided with an optional drawing prompt that allowed them to bring their vision for the site to life. The majority of students participated in the survey and/or created their site drawings as part of a class project.