OpenGov
will share your response with the City of Norfolk staff. Do you also want your response shown on this website?
Yes -
show it with my name
Sign in and be yourself
Sign in and let others know who you are and what you think. You can sign in now or after you submit your response. You'll be able to read your response on this website and change it if you change your mind.
Read more about privacy >
Yes - show it without my name
Sign in and be someone
Sign in and let others know what you think. Only OpenGov will know who you are. You can sign in now or after you submit your response. You'll be able to read your response on this website and change it if you change your mind.
Read more about privacy >
No - just show it without my name to staff
* required
Be anonymous
Even though your response will be shared with staff, it won’t be shown on this public website so other community members won’t have the opportunity to see it.
Concerned about sharing your contact information with OpenGov?
Read more about privacy >
Read more about privacy >
What is a disruptive statement?
A statement
containing personal attacks, profanity, commercial advertising or content which is entirely off-topic, and/or
from a user who has falsified their registration information with the intent to post multiple statements in one topic or to misrepresent their city of residence.
Why does Open Town Hall monitor for disruptive statements?
OpenGov is a non-partisan company dedicated to building public trust in government and broadening civic engagement. Many people will not participate if the forum has disruptive statements.
Does Open Town Hall find many disruptive statements?
No. Disruptive statements are quite rare - less than one in a thousand statements are disruptive.
What does Open Town Hall do if they find a disruptive statement?
Open Town Hall
moves the statement to a different web page,
describes the problem in an email to the author, and
invites the author to change the statement.
Does Open Town Hall ever edit or delete statements?
Never. Only the statement's author can edit or delete a statement.
If I disagree with someone, can I post my opinion?
Yes. Open Town Hall encourages open dialog which, by necessity, includes disagreements.
How do I know if my statement is a 'disagreement' or a 'personal attack'?
Personal attacks are disparaging remarks which impute motives to a person's action. Statements of fact, or of your own opinion are generally not personal attacks.
Here are some examples of statements which are, and are not, personal attacks.
Personal Attack
Not A Personal Attack
He lied.
He said he did X, but in fact he did Y.
She misrepresented the truth.
I don't trust her.
He is greedy.
He is making plenty of money.
It is merely a power play on her part.
She will announce her candidacy soon.
Let’s Talk Norfolk has two participation channels :
The Registered Channel: Sign in before or just after you submit your response. Either way, Community Feedback will show your response on this website.
The Unregistered Channel: Don't sign in and remain anonymous. Community Feedback will just share your response with Norfolk staff.
Note: The first time you sign in, you'll need to register (establish an account on Let’s Talk Norfolk). Registration is free.
The City of Norfolk has contracted with Community Feedback to monitor responses shown on this website.
To prevent any single user from dominating the forum, the City of Norfolk restricts the number of responses any one user can post on selected topics. Registration helps Community Feedback enforce this restriction.
Users, staff and government leaders often want to know the neighborhood from which a response is posted. Community Feedback uses registration to show the neighborhood next to each response (not the address).
If a user posts a response that does not meet the City of Norfolk guidelines for civility , Community Feedback uses the user's email address to invite the user to resolve the issue.
Community Feedback will get your contact information. The company is under contract with the City of Norfolk to hold it in strict confidence per their privacy policy .
Since you'll see your own response on Let’s Talk Norfolk, you'll be able to confirm that your response was posted as you intended.
You'll be able to change and/or delete your response as long as the topic is open.
Yes. Sign out, then set your privacy preference to be "No - just show it without my name to staff". You won't need to register.
While no authentication procedure can perfectly detect every fraudulent registration, Community Feedback is able to secure the registered channel against systematic fraud : cases where users submit enough statements with fraudulent registrations to sway the overall interpretation of the feedback.
Community Feedback is unable to secure the unregistered channel against systematic fraud, because unregistered users are anonymous.
Neither the registered nor the unregistered channel represent a certified voting system or ballot box - and that caveat is footnoted on every page of feedback. Instead, both are additional channels for feedback to government.
Users can participate on the registered channel (by signing in) or on the unregistered channel (by remaining anonymous). The City of Norfolk offers both channels in order to broaden participation and maximize decision makers' insights.
The registered channel enables users to assure decision makers that their feedback comes from a real person in a specific neighborhood. It also enables users to participate in a public discussion on the website, as well as manage their own response after posting it.
The unregistered channel is for users who want to provide quick feedback without registering, and/or whose privacy concerns would prevent them from participating if required to register. Because many users with valuable insights will only share them anonymously, this channel gives decision makers the option to consider those insights in their deliberations.
OpenGov is a non-partisan company whose mission is to broaden civic engagement and build public trust in government. The City of Norfolk has contracted with OpenGov to administer Let’s Talk Norfolk.
This activity provides an opportunity to comment on the five main sections of the plan containing the draft goals, actions, and strategies for each pillar as well as the draft Future Land Use Plan, showing where and how the city should develop in the future.
What is missing from this pillar?
Rank the goals in this pillar by importance:
Support Safe and Vibrant Places
Support Safe and Vibrant Places
Make this the priority
Support Complete and Healthy Neighborhoods
Support Complete and Healthy Neighborhoods
Make this the priority
Support and Strengthen Community Facilities and Services
Support and Strengthen Community Facilities and Services
Make this the priority
Celebrate and Preserve Neighborhood Identity, Character, and Histories
Celebrate and Preserve Neighborhood Identity, Character, and Histories
Make this the priority
What is missing from this pillar?
Rank the goals in this pillar by importance:
Support a Housing Market that Meets the Needs of All Residents
Support a Housing Market that Meets the Needs of All Residents
Make this the priority
Support Local Workforce Development and Build Strategic Pipelines
Support Local Workforce Development and Build Strategic Pipelines
Make this the priority
Increase Housing Production and Adapt Housing Options for a Changing Population
Increase Housing Production and Adapt Housing Options for a Changing Population
Make this the priority
Grow and Diversify Norfolk's Economy
Grow and Diversify Norfolk's Economy
Make this the priority
What is missing from this pillar?
Rank the goals in this pillar by importance:
Build and Maintain a Network of Green and Blue Infrastructure
Build and Maintain a Network of Green and Blue Infrastructure
Make this the priority
Support a Comprehensive and Coordinated Approach to Building Resilience
Preserve and Enhance Natural Systems
Preserve and Enhance Natural Systems
Make this the priority
Protect and Adapt Communities from Flooding and Other Risks
Protect and Adapt Communities from Flooding and Other Risks
Make this the priority
Integrate Resilience and Sustainability in Capital and Infrastructure Planning
Integrate Resilience and Sustainability in Capital and Infrastructure Planning
Make this the priority
What is missing from this pillar?
Rank the goals in this pillar by importance:
Improve Intracity Travel and Connections
Improve Intracity Travel and Connections
Make this the priority
Enhance and Protect Transportation and Utility Infrastructure
Enhance and Protect Transportation and Utility Infrastructure
Make this the priority
Enhance Regional, National, and International Connections
Enhance Regional, National, and International Connections
Make this the priority
Improve Safety and Reliability along Corridors
Improve Safety and Reliability along Corridors
Make this the priority
Build, Expand, and Enhance Multi-Modal Transportation throughout the City
Build, Expand, and Enhance Multi-Modal Transportation throughout the City
Make this the priority
Does the Draft Future Land Use Map align with your aspirations for the location and character of future growth and development in the city?
Please explain why it does or does not align.
What is a disruptive statement?
A statement
containing personal attacks, profanity, commercial advertising or content which is entirely off-topic, and/or
from a user who has falsified their registration information with the intent to post multiple statements in one topic or to misrepresent their city of residence.
Why does Open Town Hall monitor for disruptive statements?
OpenGov is a non-partisan company dedicated to building public trust in government and broadening civic engagement. Many people will not participate if the forum has disruptive statements.
Does Open Town Hall find many disruptive statements?
No. Disruptive statements are quite rare - less than one in a thousand statements are disruptive.
What does Open Town Hall do if they find a disruptive statement?
Open Town Hall
moves the statement to a different web page,
describes the problem in an email to the author, and
invites the author to change the statement.
Does Open Town Hall ever edit or delete statements?
Never. Only the statement's author can edit or delete a statement.
If I disagree with someone, can I post my opinion?
Yes. Open Town Hall encourages open dialog which, by necessity, includes disagreements.
How do I know if my statement is a 'disagreement' or a 'personal attack'?
Personal attacks are disparaging remarks which impute motives to a person's action. Statements of fact, or of your own opinion are generally not personal attacks.
Here are some examples of statements which are, and are not, personal attacks.
Personal Attack
Not A Personal Attack
He lied.
He said he did X, but in fact he did Y.
She misrepresented the truth.
I don't trust her.
He is greedy.
He is making plenty of money.
It is merely a power play on her part.
She will announce her candidacy soon.
What is missing from this pillar?
No response.Rank the goals in this pillar by importance:
Support Safe and Vibrant Places
Support Complete and Healthy Neighborhoods
Support and Strengthen Community Facilities and Services
Celebrate and Preserve Neighborhood Identity, Character, and Histories
What is missing from this pillar?
No response.Rank the goals in this pillar by importance:
Support a Housing Market that Meets the Needs of All Residents
Increase Housing Production and Adapt Housing Options for a Changing Population
Support Local Workforce Development and Build Strategic Pipelines
Grow and Diversify Norfolk's Economy
What is missing from this pillar?
No response.Rank the goals in this pillar by importance:
Preserve and Enhance Natural Systems
Build and Maintain a Network of Green and Blue Infrastructure
Protect and Adapt Communities from Flooding and Other Risks
Integrate Resilience and Sustainability in Capital and Infrastructure Planning
Support a Comprehensive and Coordinated Approach to Building Resilience
What is missing from this pillar?
No response.Rank the goals in this pillar by importance:
Enhance and Protect Transportation and Utility Infrastructure
Enhance Regional, National, and International Connections
Improve Safety and Reliability along Corridors
Improve Intracity Travel and Connections
Build, Expand, and Enhance Multi-Modal Transportation throughout the City
Does the Draft Future Land Use Map align with your aspirations for the location and character of future growth and development in the city?
Please explain why it does or does not align.
The future land use map simplifies many of the City's challenges associated with flooding risk, as well as he need for more open/conserved/public access spaces. Using language like "sustain" in areas of highest flooding and sea level rise risk implies conditions in these places are static, when in reality, they are dynamic. More information about how we can reduce risk in these places through the prioritization of conservation and/or co-benefits of public access would paint a more realistic picture of what the future will look like in the most at risk parts of the City. While the draft comprehensive plan includes countless innovative strategies to reduce risk and incentivize conservation, the future land use map doesn't clearly reflect this innovation.