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Weiss Consulting Builds Agreement in Transportation and Regional Planning

Weiss Consulting, LLC is a certified DBE in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware Departments of Transportation.  We helped build agreement in transportation planning in a highly contentious environmental impact study, and supported regional planning with a uniquely engaging county master plan update process.

By definition, regional planning requires working across jurisdictions, where competing interests are almost assured.  Transportation planning is similarly complex, as transportation is inextricably linked to land use planning and zoning, yet responsibility for these issues is distributed among multiple entities.  Although public engagement is mandated in many planning efforts, past experiences of being slammed and an aversion to conflict often renders the practice of civic involvement perfunctory and even evasive.

In complex transportation, land use and regional planning efforts, we create forums where people engage in thoughtful conversations on issues that matter to them.  Our expertise working with tough conflicting interests adds a rare element of hope for reaching intelligent, workable, high quality decisions that people truly accept.  Providing clear structure and strong facilitation, we help groups clarify context, hear one another, find common ground, and build an agenda for action.  Our process maximizes the chances of finding agreement when it matters, and taking joint action.

• The Route 1 Regional Growth Strategy project developed a community definition of “magnetic north”, the vision that will guide future decision making in transportation, land use and economic policy decisions. Although the 15 townships and other jurisdictions in the region treasure their independence, we helped them to appreciate their interdependence as well.
• Updating the Mercer County Master Plan became an opportunity to build common ground among municipalities and to develop a shared regional perspective, through the high engagement stakeholder meetings we designed and facilitated. 
• The Penns Neck transportation planning process resulted in an EIS with substantial citizen and government agreement.  We provided strong meeting leadership and built common ground among diverse and highly polarized community members.