Regional Technical Committee

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.

5. DVRPC FY24 Work Program Amendment: Regional Benchmarking and Building Performance Standards (BPS) Program

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.

Air Quality Partnership
Annual Report
Connections 2050
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
Economic Development District