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San Leandro General Plan Update Communications and Outreach Plan Page 11 of 14 <br />comments. As of June 2014, two applications of the portal have already been used. The first is <br />the “Housing Challenge,” which asks residents to respond to an open ended question regarding <br />the “biggest housing challenge facing San Leandro today.” The second is a ranked choice voting <br />exercise designed for a tablet (I-Pad, etc.) in which users are shown 10 photos of different <br />housing types (senior housing, mobile homes, executive homes, rental apartments, etc.) and <br />asked to choose the three that San Leandro needs most. <br /> <br />While removed from the interpersonal dynamics of a Town Hall meeting, the use of Virtual City <br />Hall will allow for real-time feedback from citizens who might not otherwise participate in the <br />planning process. Virtual City Hall is easy and convenient, and can be accessed 24 hours a day. <br />Registering for the site takes less than a minute. Users may write as much or as little as they <br />like. The site is ideal for those who are too busy to attend a meeting, lack transportation or a <br />convenient means of attending, or who are more comfortable expressing themselves via email. <br />Depending on the questions asked, data collected from Virtual City Hall can also be analyzed <br />according to geographic and demographic variables, adding value to the information collected. <br /> <br />The screen shot to the right illustrates one <br />of the questions posted on Virtual City <br />Hall as of early June 2014. The City will be <br />sending an email “blast” to its mailing list <br />to encourage as many as San Leandro <br />residents as possible to weigh in on this <br />question. Results can be sorted by those <br />who live inside and outside of the City, <br />and by other variables (age, etc.). <br /> <br />The on-line portal also provides an easy <br />tool for announcements from the City to <br />the public. This two-way communication <br />will be ongoing throughout the process and can ensure up-to-date information sharing. <br /> <br /> <br />Monitoring and Evaluation <br /> <br />Finally, the Communications Plan includes a monitoring and evaluation component. Staff and <br />the project team will periodically discuss whether the website and web -based tools are serving <br />their intended purpose, whether Town Hall meetings and other meetings are achieving desired <br />attendance levels and are producing helpful feedback and input, and whether the other <br />meetings described here are achieving their intended outcomes. Ways to refine and improve <br />the process, increase participation, and supplement the tools listed above will be explored as <br />the project proceeds. <br /> <br /> <br />