The public is invited to participate in the city of St. Petersburg's downtown waterfront master planning process by attending a kickoff meeting Wednesday night.

City staff and a consultant team will review work completed, including the findings of the Urban Land Institute. There will be a review of great waterfront cities, a short table exercise and a discussion about the future of our downtown waterfront.

Participants will also hear about the next steps in the public process: a series of community meetings and walking audits along five different stretches of the downtown waterfront during the month of September - city officials said.

The meeting is set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, 333 First St. S. Free parking will be available after 5 p.m. across the street at Al Lang Stadium or in the Mahaffey Theater parking garage.

For more information, please visit the city's waterfront planning website at www.stpete.org/dwmp.