DELAWARE VALLEY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION
REGIONAL HOUSING COMMITTEE MEETING

THURSDAY MAY 18, 2000
10:00 A.M.

AGENDA

1. DISCUSSION ITEMS:

DVRPC staff will discuss the status of ongoing housing-related work program projects. Projects to be discussed include the following:

  1. Transit-friendly Mortgage Demonstration Program: Craig Totaro, TRF

    The transit-friendly mortgage is an innovative mortgage concept that recognizes that a homeowner's future transportation costs are directly related to the density, transit and pedestrian accessibility, and access to neighborhood shopping opportunities in the area in which a home is located. Such a program offers incentives to buyers who choose to live in more densely populated neighborhoods served by public transit, and can foster in-fill housing development and stimulate housing sales in urban communities. Other potential benefits include increased homeownership opportunities for low and moderate income households; increased use of public transit; reduced energy consumption; and improved air quality.

    The Reinvestment Fund (TRF), the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) and numerous other partners will be undertaking a project under the federal Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot Program (TCSP), which will include a demonstration transit-friendly mortgage program. Craig Totaro will update the group on the scope and status of the project, as well as DVRPC's projected role.

  2. Housing Affordability Index Update: Jennifer Campbell, DVRPC

    In DVRPC's Homeownership: A Vanishing Dream?, completed in 1990, staff calculated an affordability index for each municipality within the nine-county region. This index compared the cost of purchasing a median-priced home in each municipality to the cost affordable to the region's median-income household. Municipal affordability indices were then considered in relation to the location of the region's employment centers and transportation services. Staff is currently in the process of updating this affordability index and comparing the results to the findings of the 1990 study. Ms. Campbell will provide an overview of this project and update the group on its status.

  3. First Generation Suburbs Case Study: Delaware County's William Penn School District: Mary E. Bell, DVRPC

    Many boroughs and townships that developed rapidly following World War II currently face challenges to their fiscal and socio-economic stability. As these "first generation" communities lose middle income households and jobs and realize corresponding decreases in their tax base, local demand for social services increases and the ability to finance municipal services and schools comes under stress. DVRPC's report entitled The Future of First Generation Suburbs in the Delaware Valley reviewed the history of suburban development and decentralization in the Delaware Valley; measured fiscal and socio-economic conditions in the region; and developed recommendations to overcome the problems facing these first generation communities through tax reform, regional planning efforts and local initiatives. The current study focuses on the six municipalities that comprise the William Penn School District in Eastern Delaware County, each of which may be classified as a first generation community. Ms. Bell will briefly update the group on ongoing study efforts in these communities.

  4. Horizons: The Year 2025 Plan for the Delaware Valley Richard Bickel, DVRPC

    Report #2: Issues and Choices, the second of five Horizons, 2025 Plan reports intended to set the stage for a new long-range plan for the Delaware Valley region, was recently released. DVRPC staff will discuss this report and update the committee on the status of the Commission's ongoing Year 2025 long-range planning effort.

2. Old business

3. New business

4. Adjournment

Attachment:
Potential Work Program Projects