10:00 am, November 14, 2023
Call In Phone Number: 1-346-248-7799 Meeting ID: 882 0551 9367 Passcode: 71180803
ONLINE ONLY
Call to Order – Chair’s Comments
Deputy Executive Director’s Report
Public Comments on Agenda and Non-Agenda Items
ACTION ITEMS
1.Highlights of the October 10, 2023 RTC Meeting
2.DVRPC Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Actions
Alyson Dressman, Capital Program Planner, will present. The dynamic nature of funding transportation improvements and the need to remain within financial constraint require amendments or modifications to the TIP on a regular basis. The following projects require formal TIP modifications or amendments this month for the FY2022 TIP for New Jersey and/or the FY2023 TIP for Pennsylvania.
PA23-84: ADA Ramps Philadelphia 2024 (MPMS #120702), Philadelphia County – Add New Project to the TIP
3. William Penn Foundation Grant Award – Regional Hub for Federal Climate Funding
Karin Morris, Director of Community Planning, will present a work program amendment to use $1.575M from the William Penn Foundation to support activities under the Regional Hub for Federal Climate Funding project. The project includes three tracks: 1) Leading the clean energy transition; 2) Facilitating climate resilience regionally; and 3) Funding transformational transportation infrastructure projects. The project will facilitate robust engagement, build and strengthen relationships and partner capacity, conduct critical analyses, develop strategic roadmaps, design priority projects, pilot solutions, develop governance structures, and support implementation in these three critical areas. A primary goal is to seize this unique moment to determine the best way to meet the changing needs and growing demands around climate action and resilience in the region.
4. FY24 Work Program Amendment: Regional Trails Program Grant from William Penn Foundation
Shawn Megill Legendre, Manager, Regional Trails Program, will present an amendment to the FY2024 UPWP to solicit and award new grants under the Regional Trails Program supported by the William Penn Foundation. This program renewal will include $1.935 million for grants and $215,000 to support program administration and technical assistance in support of planning, design, and construction of Circuit Trails and supportive infrastructure.
Brooke Garcher, Program Analyst, Office of Sustainable Energy will present a work program amendment to use $423,300 from the U.S. Department of Energy's Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation Program for the implementation of regional energy benchmarking and building performance standards (BPS) programs in small, resource-constrained, and/or disadvantaged jurisdictions. This program will support the creation of regional cohorts across the country, of which DVRPC will lead the Southeast Pennsylvania cohort for municipalities in the Counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery. This work program amendment aligns with and augments the Regional Benchmarking Program Seed Fund supported by funding from the PA Department of Environmental Protection to develop and implement a regional energy benchmarking program.
INFORMATION ITEMS
6. Finalized Calendar Year 2024 RTC Meeting Dates
7. FY25 UPWP Update
PRESENTATION ITEMS
8. Spirit of Place: Promoting Cultural Vitality in Philadelphia
Derek Lombardi, AICP, Senior Planner, will present. This report summarizes research on the strategies, policies, and tools that cities around the country are using to protect the historical, social, and economic value of culturally significant communities and assets. This work was undertaken to assist the City of Philadelphia as it launched its Cultural Resources Survey Plan and Pilot, a multiyear effort designed to celebrate and protect Philadelphia’s rich and varied cultural resources and histories. Shannon Garrison from the Philadelphia Historical Commission will join to provide a brief update on the City's Cultural Resource Pilot Project itself—now branded Treasure Philly! This pilot project is focusing on the neighborhoods surrounding the Broad, Germantown and Erie intersection.
9. Impacts of E-Commerce Report
Dan Farina, Jr. AICP, Senior Freight Transportation Planner, will present. The ongoing growth and evolution of retail trade has been a key trend driving freight transportation and development patterns in recent years. Acceleration of this trend, most notably during the coronavirus pandemic, has emphasized the need to better understand the local impacts of this evolving market. The Freight Program undertook this study to explore trends in e-commerce, the supporting supply chain changes, and local impacts that the region must consider to both support this important economic activity and ensure the efficiency of the transportation system that will support these new systems. This report explores strategies and considerations for accommodating new forms of distribution activity to assist the region and municipalities as they plan for new patterns of development and accommodate shifts in retail activity.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
10. IIJA Update
An update on IIJA funding opportunities and coordination activities will be provided.
11. One Minute Reports
RTC Members and guests will be invited to provide updates on the activities of their agencies.
Old Business and New Business
12. Meeting Adjournment
The next scheduled meeting of the RTC is Tuesday, January 9, 2024, planned for virtual.
Title VI Statement
In effect as of January 30, 2025
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related nondiscrimination mandates in all programs and activities. DVRPC is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, all programs and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or income level, as protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other related nondiscrimination mandates.
DVRPC's website, www.dvrpc.org, may be translated into multiple languages. Publications and other public documents can be made available in alternative languages and formats, if requested. DVRPC’s public meetings are always held in ADA-accessible facilities and in transit-accessible locations whenever possible. DVRPC will work to accommodate all reasonable requests for translation, interpretation, accommodations or other auxiliary services and encourages that requests be made at least seven days prior to a public meeting. Requests can be made by contacting the Commission’s ADA and Title VI Compliance Officer Shoshana Akins via email at public_affairs@dvrpc.org, calling (215) 592-1800, or while registering for an upcoming meeting.
Any person who believes they have been aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice by DVRPC under Title VI has a right to file a formal complaint. Any such complaint must be in writing and filed with DVRPC's ADA and Title VI Compliance Officer Shoshana Akins and/or the appropriate state or federal agency within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory occurrence. Complaints that a program, service, or activity of DVRPC is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Shoshana Akins as well. For more information on DVRPC's Title VI program or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, please visit: www.dvrpc.org/GetInvolved/TitleVI, call (215) 592-1800, or email public_affairs@dvrpc.org.