Pacific Grove engagement tool featured in Monterey County Weekly

Map image from Pacific Grove’s Balancing Act tool

“Build your own Pacific Grove housing plan with this cool public engagement tool.”

Our engagement work for the Pacific Grove Housing Element update, specifically our use of the interactive Balancing Act tool, was featured in a great write-up in Monterey County Now, a daily newsletter from Monterey County Weekly. Staff writer Pam Marino described her use of the tool and the context for why it’s important – Pacific Grove is facing a large challenge to meet housing allocation numbers for 2023-2031.

Community Planning Collaborative is currently leading the project to update Pacific Grove’s Housing Element, including public engagement and outreach to keep the community involved in the process. The Balancing Act tool is a perfect fit for this work, giving community members the opportunity to try out various policy decisions and see in real-time the implication it would have on Pacific Grove’s housing supply. As they understand the complexity of the problems and possible solutions, they can give more targeted feedback and have more of an impact on the plan.

See the article (linked below) for a great walkthrough of the tool and how it works.

(Note that links to Pacific Grove’s Balancing Act tool do not work, since the tool was available for public use and input until November 30, 2022).