Virtual Workshop for Cheyenne West Edge District

The West Edge District of Cheyenne, WY lies between the downtown core, railroad tracks, and existing residential neighborhoods. The City did community outreach in 2012 and 2013 to include the public in shaping a vision for the area. This effort and subsequent outreach resulted in the 2014 Visionary Blueprint and 2016 Area Wide Plan. These documents include concepts for long-range visualization and zoning recommendations, but actual improvements have not been designed yet and the City has not taken any rezoning action since then.

The District is envisioned to be a trendy, pedestrian oriented mixed-use area, but the current industrial zoning doesn’t allow for mixed-uses. If the City were to simply rezone to normal mixed-use, it would make the existing industrial uses non-conforming. The City is looking for a zoning solution that accommodates existing industrial uses but also cultivates new development.

Problem

Mark Christensen started as a long-range Planner with the City in late 2019. One of the primary duties of this position is to manage rezoning effort in the West Edge District. The position had been vacant for two years, so momentum to rezone the area had tapered off. Mark’s primary objective was to make sure the West Edge Visionary Blueprint and Area Wide Plan still resonate with property owners in the area. In addition to this, he also wanted to get feedback on design regulations, recent development, and other potential uses that may be permitted in the District.

The Planning and Development Department scheduled a zoning workshop for March 25th to begin the rezoning process, but City staff began working from home on March 16th due to the Coronavirus. Not wanting to continue losing momentum, staff wanted to find a way to hold the workshop virtually.

Solution

The City of Cheyenne used a Konveio Site to host a virtual workshop for two weeks. Staff was able to easily replicate stations with boards that were going to be used at the in-person workshop. Half of the boards were informational, and half prompted people to vote for their preferred alternatives and place comments explaining their answers. Site visitors did not have to register to participate, but they were prompted to enter their name.

Impact

The Konveio Site enabled the City to get more robust input and directed feedback than they would normally get on sticky notes or comment cards at an in-person meeting. City Staff used Konveio’s reporting feature to easily download and compile the comments and found that a City-initiated rezoning is the favored direction. After the quarantine restrictions are lifted, the City plans to hold a public meeting that incorporates the feedback received through the Konveio Site. They also plan to supplement the in-person meeting with an online component in order to get additional detailed comments.

“I enjoyed using Konveio. It was really intuitive and easy to use. It enabled us to keep the momentum going during the quarantine, and the customer service was great!”

— Mark Christensen, Planner II