First of four key meetings on Roseland’s future kick off this week

Roseland residents seeking a say in the future of their underserved neighborhood need to speak up now if they want their ideas included in plans that will guide the area’s development for years to come.

A new library? Better roads or public transportation? Safer routes to school?

City officials say now is the time for residents to express how they want their community to change for the better once the remaining 620-acre county governed area is officially incorporated into the city.

The first of four public forums seeking public input takes place on Wednesday evening and is an “extremely important meeting,” said Jessica Jones, the city planner overseeing the effort.

“This is the opportunity for the people who live and work in and are part of that community to voice their opinions of what they want to see as the future of Roseland,” Jones said.

The meetings will simultaneously gather input on two key planning initiatives underway in Roseland. One is the multi-year annexation effort aimed at incorporating Roseland and four smaller county pockets around Brittain Lane, Victoria Drive, West Hearn Avenue and West Third Street into the city.

The other is a comprehensive land-use planning process for the greater Roseland area with a focus on aligning future development with transportation opportunities, such as a bus hub in the area.

Since the annexation and planning efforts will require significant public outreach, the city merged them into a single effort.

The first workshop on Wednesday evening will focus on the vision people have for the area, describe what’s there today and discuss options for improving streets and buildings.

The second meeting on June 23 will continue the process by further discussing options and their benefits and trade-offs, Jones said. Both gatherings are crucial, she said.

“If people aren’t at these meetings then we won’t know what they think,” she said.

Later workshops will refine the plans, which will ultimately need to be approved by the Planning Commission and City Council.

The city has worked hard to make sure it reaches out to people who may not have traditionally participated in local government, Jones said. This has included recruiting a large steering committee made up of members with deep ties to the community, and publicizing meeting notices in Spanish language media and through service providers, she said.

“I think we’ve reached a lot of people that we wouldn’t otherwise normally reach,” she said.

Some of the input from ?the steering committee to date has been that residents strongly desire safer paths of travel to school for their kids, such as sidewalks and bicycle lanes, Jones said.

All the workshops will be conducted in English and Spanish, she said. About 95 percent of the participants were Spanish speaking at a recent informational meeting at Bayer Farm Neighborhood Park & Garden, Jones said. Food and childcare will be provided at all meetings.

“We’re just hoping that people bring a willingness to talk to us about what their vision is for the area,” Jones said.

The Wednesday workshop takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the large gym at Roseland Accelerated Middle School, ?1777 West Avenue.

The second will be June 23, at the same time and place.

For more information, ?contact Jessica Jones at jjones@srcity.org or 543-3410. The city’s project page can be found at ?srcity.org/roseland.