Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Encyclopedia
| Logo |
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| Location | |
| General Information | |
| Established | 1965 |
| Number of Counties | 9 |
| Area (approx.) | 3,812 sq. mi. |
| Population | 5.39 Million (2000) 5.63 Million (2010) |
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is the metropolitan planning organization
Metropolitan planning organization
A metropolitan planning organization is a federally-mandated and federally-funded transportation policy-making organization in the United States that is made up of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authorities...
for the Delaware Valley
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...
. Created in 1965 by an interstate compact
Interstate compact
An interstate compact is an agreement between two or more states of the United States of America. Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution provides that "no state shall enter into an agreement or compact with another state" without the consent of Congress...
, DVRPC is responsible for transportation
Transportation planning
Transportation planning is a field involved with the evaluation, assessment, design and siting of transportation facilities .-Models and Sustainability :...
and regional planning
Regional planning
Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. The related field of urban planning deals with the specific issues of city planning...
in the greater Philadelphia area.
History
The first evidence of regional planning in the Delaware Valley was in the form of the “Regional Planning Federation of the Philadelphia Tri-State District” which was formed in 1928 and which issued the first regional plan in 1932. The agency was disbanded in 1941.Philadelphia’s Urban Traffic and Transportation Board may be the next link, producing Plan and Program 1955. This agency was followed by the Penn Jersey Transportation Study which was organized to resume regional planning and which metamorphosed into the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC).
DVRPC role
Per the agency's website:The Commission was first instituted as a regional planning agency in 1965 under a contract between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 1967, it was formally established under the "Delaware Valley Urban Compact" to provide continuing, comprehensive, coordinated regional planning for the Delaware Valley Urban Area and to provide a variety of services designed to address regional issues and needs. The structure, authority, purpose and administrative procedures of DVRPC were defined, via thi compact, by the legislatures of both states. DVRPC was subsequently designated as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for its nine-county planning region and retained this designation through the implementation of the 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). ISTEA gave the Commission an expanded transportation planning authority and responsibility, as defined in the USDOT Final Rules for Statewide Planning and Metropolitan Planning. Subsequent federal bills have continued and expanded this designation and responsibility.
The Commission is governed by an 18-member board that establishes regional policy, defines committee duties, and adopts the annual work program. A 10-member executive committee oversees general operations and fiscal matters, including adoption of the annual budget.
Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law ruling
On July 19, 2011, the Pennsylvania Office of Open RecordsPennsylvania Office of Open Records
The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records is a governmental agency in Pennsylvania that administers the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law.Decisions made by the Office of Open Records regarding appeals, called "final determinations," are available online....
(OOR) determined that DVRPC was covered under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) of 2008 and was therefore required to provide access to public records in its possession. DVRPC, in response to several requests for information from the Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition
Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition
The Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition is a network of transit advocates who promote responsible investment in transit expansion. The organization's goal is to work with local transit organizations to redirect limited transportation funding to investment in expanding rail-based transit in...
(PA-TEC), had previously argued that it was exempt from the state law, as it was a multi-state agency that did not perform any essential function, despite being funded almost entirely by taxpayers. The OOR overruled DVRPC's assessment, stating that the RTKL eliminated the requirement than an entity perform an essential governmental function in order to be considered an agency. The OOR had further determined that members of PA-TEC, despite repeated attempts to obtain information from DVRPC, had not engaged in disruptive behavior, which the DVRPC stated had “a chilling effect” on citizen participation because they "involve e-mails exchanged with leaders of the RCC, who aren't employees of the commission."
The OOR ordered the DVRPC to comply with PA-TEC's request and release all documents the group has requested; DVPRC waived its right to appeal the decision in Commonwealth court.
The ruling has serious consequences concerning the workings of the DVRPC. Documents produced by the DVRPC are now presumed public, resulting in the commission only able to refuse the release documents under certain narrow exceptions spelled out in the RTKL. PlanPhilly.com has called the decision "a landmark ruling."
Regional Citizens Committee
The Regional Citizens Committee (RCC) initially came into being in the mid-1970s as the result of a federal mandate; it was initially structured as three committees focusing on the issues of transportation, housing and the environment. In 1980, the three committees were merged into one and since that time the RCC has functioned as an advisory committee to the Board. In 1984, the RCC Chair was given a seat at the Board table in an advisory capacity.The RCC was structured to fulfill several goals:
- To identify those members of key regional organizations who could convey the message heard at RCC meetings to other individuals, thus building a grassroots consensus for DVRPC initiatives;
- To review ongoing DVRPC activities and program and provide input on public policy within the purview of DVRPC; and
- To work cooperatively with the Board and staff to implement the public participation requirements mandated by federal transportation legislation.
The RCC was originally composed of citizen members, advocates for special interests, and regional organizations.
On March 8, 2011, members of the RCC were notified by Committee Chairwoman Aissia Richardson that voting rights for members were being revoked on the Action Task Force subcommittee, which votes and comments on transportation projects (Transportation Improvement Program [TIP] Action Items), and had been redistributed to selected members chosen by the RCC executive committee and unknown DVRPC employees. A records request under Pennsylvania State Law by the Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition revealed that the re-assingment of voting rights was undocumented and done out of public view. This occurred after months of RCC deliberations over SEPTA parking garage projects, commuter rail expansion, and prioritization of transportation funding. Despite several attempts, including a formal right-to-know request, DVRPC did not produce any records documenting the suspension and redistribution of voting rights at the RCC's Action Task Force, or alterations to the Federally mandated Public Participation Plan.
The May 17, 2011 meeting opened with Chairwoman Aissia Richardson reading a statement about diversity and Nazi concentration camps, and followed with a series of personal attacks against members of PA-TEC by vice chairman Jim Richardson, telling one member "Screw you!" and another "let's take this outside".
Disband
DVRPC officially disbanded the RCC in November 2011. A new citizens group will be established early next year, with some members appointed by the member counties and others selected by the planning commission's staff. In October, the DVRPC board voted to replace the RCC with a public participation task force of apporximately about 25 members. The new RCC will consist of each county appointing one member, with others selected by DVRPC staff from residents who apply online. Candace Snyder, director of DVRPC public affairs and staff coordinator of the citizens committee, told the RCC that members will be hand-picked for two-year terms, and their first meeting could be held by April 2012, after "citizen planner training" is completed."I can see that this will become a political thing," commented Carol Ann Thomas, Burlington County's principal transportation planner, who chairs the RCC (appointment of members by elected and/or unelected officials is inherently political). PA-TEC commented that the creation of the panel was a way for DVRPC to control the public's involvement, saying the new task force "further confirms that public input is being filtered and guided by DVRPC," adding "just because DVRPC feels burdened by relatively meaningful public participation should not give it license to ignore the intent of the law.
Food System Plan
In February 2011, DVRPC unveiled "Eating Here: Greater Philadelphia’s Food System Plan" and announced $500,000 in implementation grants at an event at Reading Terminal MarketReading Terminal Market
Reading Terminal Market is an enclosed public market found at 12th and Arch Streets in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over one hundred merchants offer fresh produce, meats, fish, groceries, ice cream, flowers, baked goods, crafts, books, clothing, and specialty and ethnic foods...
. Attendees included over 100 regional policy makers, farmers, preservation experts, hunger advocates, and small business owners. The Plan is the result of a two-year collaborative effort to provide recommendations to increase the security and economic, social, and environmental benefits of the regional food system.
DVRPC also announced $500,000 in grants, made possible with funding from the William Penn Foundation. DVRPC Board Chair and Montgomery County
Montgomery County
Montgomery County may refer to:* Montgomery County, Tasmania or Montgomery Land District, Australia* Montgomery County, Alabama* Montgomery County, Arkansas* Montgomery County, Georgia* Montgomery County, Illinois* Montgomery County, Indiana...
Commissioner Joe Hoeffel
Joe Hoeffel
Joseph Merrill "Joe" Hoeffel III is an American politician. A Democrat, he is currently a member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, having previously served from 1992 to 1998....
presented "Plate of Distinction" Awards to seven local organizations already working to achieve the recommendations laid out in the plan. These organizations are:
- The Common Market
- Fair Food
- Greensgrow Farms
- Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA)
- Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA)
- SHARE Food Programs
- Weavers Way Community Programs.
Executive Director
In April 2006, Barry Seymour was selected by the DVRPC Board as the new Executive Director, replacing John Coscia, who had been the Executive Director since 1982.Employment
DVRPC currently employs approximately 129 full-time staff and additional college interns to conduct their planning activities in the Greater Philadelphia Region.Future planning
DVRPC produces a long range plan every five years. The current long range plan is titled Connections, the Long-Range Plan for a Sustainable Future.Counties served
New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
- BurlingtonBurlington County, New JerseyThere were 154,371 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had...
- CamdenCamden County, New Jersey-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census the population of Camden County was 60.28% Non-Hispanic white, 18.45% Non-Hispanic black, 1.12% Hispanic blacks, 0.17% Non-Hispanic Native American, 0.15% Hispanic Native Americans, 5.07% Non-Hispanic Asian, and 0.14% non-Hispanics reporting some other race...
- GloucesterGloucester County, New JerseyGloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 288,288. Its county seat is Woodbury....
- MercerMercer County, New JerseyAs of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
- BucksBucks County, Pennsylvania- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
- ChesterChester County, Pennsylvania-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
- DelawareDelaware County, PennsylvaniaDelaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
- MontgomeryMontgomery County, PennsylvaniaMontgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
- PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia County, Pennsylvania-History:Tribes of Lenape were the first known occupants in the area which became Philadelphia County. The first European settlers were Swedes and Finns who arrived in 1638. The Netherlands seized the area in 1655, but permanently lost control to England in 1674...