Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
NEWS
UPCOMING EVENTS
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INTRODUCING THE LINK
It is 125 miles of multimodal trails that snake into most every corner of the Lehigh Valley, serving as recreation for some and commuting corridors for other, and another 100 miles of trails waiting to be added soon.
To this point, it’s been called the Lehigh Valley trail network, but now it is simply known as THE LINK.
NEW SAFETY FOCUS TAKES AIM AT TRAFFIC DEATHS, INJURIES
Every year more than 50 people are killed in traffic accidents in the Lehigh Valley and another 150 are seriously injured, but regional leaders are now increasing efforts to bring both of those numbers down.
Some of that new safety push will involve state-of-the-art designs to make the road, trail and transit infrastructure safer, but the biggest impact can be made by changing dangerous behaviors that leave drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and children at risk.
That was the message from traffic safety experts in Lehigh and Northampton counties last week during the LVPC’s Multimodal Working Group meeting.
“Transportation safety is an enormous issue in the Lehigh Valley,” said LVPC Executive Director Becky Bradley. “When people think about traffic, they think of only cars, but pedestrians and cyclists are part of traffic, so if we’re going to tackle this issue, we need to consider safety globally.”
MACUNGIE BOROUGH IS OUR 2018 COMMUNITY OF DISTINCTION
Macungie Borough’s municipal neighbors have added thousands new homes and millions of square feet of warehouse space in the past decade.
That left borough leaders with a dilemma: Continue on their own track and hope the impact of thousands more trucks and cars didn’t overwhelm the borough, or get proactive in protecting the borough’s quality of life and historic character.
The borough chose the proactive approach by taking steps to insulate its historic downtown and make Route 100 – its literal Main Street – safer, while partnering with five neighboring communities in southwest Lehigh County to construct a roadmap for the future.
For those reasons, Macungie Borough was named the LVPC’s 2018 Community of Distinction, October 10 during the 5th Annual Lehigh Valley Gala + Awards at DeSales University.
BUSHKILL TOWNSHIP'S DISTINCTION IS BALANCE AND COOPERATION
Look across the horizon from many sections of Bushkill Township and you’re likely to see rolling fields of farmland or large swaths of wooded area. That more than 40 percent of the township is agriculture or undeveloped land is a source of pride for residents.
But that hasn’t stopped township leaders from partnering with neighboring communities more receptive to land development.
That willingness to balance its focus on preserving the township’s rural character with the needs of its neighbors made Bushkill Township the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s 2015 Community of Distinction, and earlier this month the LVPC gave the borough a way to share its honor with people entering the borough.
Bath Borough Multimodal Safety and Parking Analysis
Experts say a regional approach is essential for tackling freight transportation
LVB.com, June 22, 2018
As construction of warehouses and distribution centers continues to increase throughout the region, the challenges of transporting all that freight continue to rise in importance.
These issues touch on a host of trends and factors, from the changing needs of the labor force to the amount of time people spend driving to and from work navigating busy highways.
To identify and explore the issues facing freight transportation, several regional organizations hosted an Eastern Pennsylvania Freight Summit at Lehigh University’s Mountaintop Campus in Bethlehem on Thursday.
The first day of the event included panel discussions and several speakers, followed by guided tours of manufacturing and distribution facilities in the region today.
Click here to read the full article.
PennDOT focusing on truck parking in Lehigh Valley, other congested areas
Lehigh Valley Live, June 22, 2018
Parking for tractor trailers was already a problem in Pennsylvania 11 years ago, and now PennDOT is calling for help with solutions.
On Thursday, PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards said the department is moving forward with a public-private partnership, referred to as a P3, to address truck parking in the state.
Richards spoke at the Eastern Pennsylvania Freight Summit, the first of its kind summit in the state held at Lehigh University's Iacocca Hall.
Click here to read the full article.
As trucking booms, planners scramble to find tractor-trailer parking
The Morning Call, June 21, 2018
While the growing presence of tractor trailers has been a complaint of Lehigh Valley residents in recent years, local planners are concerned with the one place they’re not seeing them — designated truck parking spots.
In the past decade, the Lehigh Valley has seen enormous warehouses spring up to accommodate the growing demand for online retail and overnight delivery. Logistic hubs for Walmart.com and Amazon have moved into warehouses of more than a million square feet in the Lehigh Valley, and FedEx Ground is finishing up a similarly sized warehouse in Allen Township that will be the company’s largest warehouse facility. The transportation and warehousing industries now account for about 8.4 percent of employment in the Lehigh Valley, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Click here to read the full article.
New Subdivision and Land Development Fee Schedule +
Plan Signing Requirements
The LVPC has updated the current fee schedule for services related to Subdivision and Land Development applications. These fees went into effect on October 1, 2017.
The schedule and submission requirements can be viewed here.
Click here for the new Plan Signing Requirements
Click here for the new Subdivision Review Submission Requirements
BUILDLV
Annual Development Report
LVTS Public Participation Plan Update
Public involvement is a vital component of the transportation planning process. Providing full disclosure of plans and programs not only during the development phase but also after the adoption of these plans and programs allows the general public the opportunity to be involved, comment on, and influence the development process. Every person, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, disability, or socio-economic status should have the opportunity to take part in and influence the transportation planning process. This Public Participation Plan provides for and documents the methods utilized by the LVTS to achieve this outcome.
Full PDF Draft Report click here.
Click here for the Public Notice on a public meeting related to this plan.
The People: Population + Employment Projections
BuildLV
Monthly Development Report
MOVELV
Long Range Transportation Plan
MOVELV
Lehigh Valley Regional Freight Plan
Regional Comprehensive Plan - The Lehigh Valley...2030
LVPC Meetings
November 27, 2018
Comprehensive Planning Committee
November 29, 2018
December 18, 2018
The following is the schedule of regular monthly meetings and all Committee meetings of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission. All Commission and Committee meetings will be held unless otherwise noted at:
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
961 Marcon Boulevard, Suite 310
Allentown, PA 18109
LVPC – meets on the last Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM. Except December.
Executive Committee – meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 1:00 PM.
Comprehensive Planning Committee – meets on the Tuesday immediately preceding LVPC meeting dates at 12:00 PM.
Environment Committee – meets on the Tuesday immediately preceding LVPC meeting dates at 11:00 AM
Transportation Committee – meets on the Thursday immediately preceding LVPC meeting dates at 5:30 PM.
LVTS Meetings
November 29, 2018
December 5, 2018
LEHIGH VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION/LEHIGH VALLEY TRANSPORTATION STUDY – DECEMBER 2018 LOCATION CHANGE
The LEHIGH VALLEY TRANSPORTATION STUDY (LVTS) Joint Technical and Coordinating Committee meeting originally scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. and Freight Advisory Committee meeting originally scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. on December 5, 2018 at Penn State Lehigh Valley have been moved to 9:00 a.m. at the Catasauqua Municipal Building, 90 Bridge Street, Catasauqua, PA 18032.
WALK/BIKE LV
Multimodal Working Group Meetings
Northampton Community College/Fowler Family Southside Center
511 E. 3rd Street
Bethlehem, PA 18015
Wednesday, November 28, 4:00-5:30 P.M.
Walk/BikeLV Open House
Northampton Community College/Fowler Family Southside Center
511 E. 3rd Street
Bethlehem, PA 18015
Wednesday, November 28, 6:00-7:30 P.M.
Local Technical
Assistance Program 2018
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
961 Marcon Boulevard - Suite 310
Allentown, PA 18109
Phone: (610) 264-4544
Toll Free: (888) 627-8808
Fax: (610) 264-2616
