Zan Associates is part of the consultant team working on the 8th Street Reconstruction project between Hennepin Avenue and Chicago Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. Zan is leading the public and stakeholder engagement effort, as well as outreach and communication for the project. As part of the public and stakeholder effort, Zan's role was to build consensus with key opinion leaders and to identify property specific issues and concerns with key stakeholders in the corridor, such as curbside uses (e.g., parking, valet zones, deliveries, etc.), streetscape enhancements, and property access. Strategies have included presentations, open houses, stakeholder listening sessions, individual property meetings, online surveys, and community events/pop-up meetings at busy downtown locations such as the skyway system. The purpose of these engagement strategies and tools was to assist with building consensus around potential streetscape options for the project including the development of streetscape concept renderings and working through the special assessment process with building owners. 

 

Zan is also playing a lead role in outreach and communication for the utility and construction phase of the project. Zan's responsibilities have included project branding, newsletters, maps, infographics; designing and managing a project website; managing a hotline and email; responding to public questions; and preparing and sending out weekly updates.