County Board of Commissioners Adopt Landscapes2
On November 9th, the Chester County Board of Commissioners adopted Landscapes2 as the official long range policy plan for Chester County. The public hearing was held at the Penn State Great Valley campus. The plan updates and replaces Landscapes, originally adopted in 1996.
Landscapes2 Related References
With eye on sprawl, county officials adopt land-use policy. Chester County Commissioners adopted Landscapes2, the county's updated comprehensive land use policy plan, at a public hearing Monday. Thirteen years ago, the commissioners adopted the first version of Landscapes, drawing attention to the danger the county faced from sprawling development.
A blueprint for the region's future. Like much of the Delaware Valley, Chester County is a fantastic place to live, work and play. But as the region looks toward the future, we must act to improve our quality of life, enhance our communities, and position ourselves for sustainable growth. How? Fight sprawl, protect natural resources, preserve open space, improve transportation, reinvest in older communities, and boost energy efficiency and green jobs. "Connections - The Regional Plan for a Sustainable Future" is a Blueprint for the Region's future.
Consultants for the Federation of Northern Chester County Communities held the first public meeting last week on a new regional parks, recreation and open-space plan being developed. Consultants assemble opinions on recreation, open space for planning. Residents of nine northern Chester County townships had the opportunity recently to offer opinions on their open-space and recreation needs.
A reoccurring recommendation within the Transportation section of Landscapes2 focuses on providing and improving amenities for public transportation users, pedestrians, and bicyclists. A recent publication, Rethinking the Suburban Bus Stop identifies typical issues that face suburban bus stops and provides design recommendations in varying suburban contexts.
FREE Weatherization For Energy Savings for Chester County residents. The Pennsylvania Low Income Usage Reduction Program (LIURP) may offer the help you need. Lower-income residents can receive FREE Energy Audits, Conservation counseling, and Weatherization Upgrades to your home or apartment offering an average savings of 32% on heating bills.
Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths. In the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community. More than 43,000 Americans – including 3,906 children under 16 – have been killed this decade alone. This is the equivalent of a jumbo jet going down roughly every month, yet it receives nothing like the kind of attention that would surely follow such a disaster. Dangerous by Design report is a joint effort of the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership and Transportation for America. It builds on the research and analysis of a number of national organizations and policy experts.
Rethinking Sixty Years of Sprawl. The time has come to declare that the "General Motors model" of urban planning is officially bankrupt. We must reinvest in existing urban centers, because reusing the infrastructure and restoring underutilized real estate is far more environmentally efficient than new construction, no matter how green that construction is. It’s also time to change local land use laws to promote more compact development around transit and the availability of affordable housing close to jobs and services
Planning Related References
Philadelphia Area Manufacturing Grows at Faster Pace. Manufacturing in the Philadelphia region expanded in November at the fastest pace in more than two years, reflecting gains in orders and sales. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s general economic index rose to 16.7, higher than forecast, from 11.5 in October.
Planner: Many area highways have potential for tolls. The region's top planner thinks that tolling Route 422 to generate highway funding is good for starters, but would like drivers in the region to look at the big picture. What about tolling the Schuylkill Expressway, the Blue Route and Interstate 95?
Aqua America builds solar farm. Aqua Pennsylvania broke ground Thursday on the second-largest solar power installation in the state — a 1.1-megawatt solar farm at Ingram's Mill Water Treatment Plant. On a hot summer day, the solar farm will generate enough power to run the whole plant.
Philadelphia Pilot Program to Provide $3.5 M in Solar Panels to 100 Homeowners with No Upfront Cost. GREENandSAVE Home Optimization Service Group is promoting this offer to the first 100 homeowners to participate in this program in Philadelphia to provide 100 homeowners up to $35,000 of solar panels with no upfront costs.
Chicago is home to over 200 green roofs, covering 2.5 million square feet, more than any other U.S. city. They sit atop Mayor Daley’s City Hall, Target, the Apple store, and a McDonalds. But they’re not just for large institutions anymore.
Amtrak Launches New and Improved Amtrak.com Website Gets New Look, Customers Get New Features, improved navigation, enhanced fare-finder feature consolidates all booking functionality into a single dynamic menu.
Pennsylvania gets federal grant to help workers find, train for "green" jobs. Pennsylvania is getting $1.25 million in federal stimulus money to create an automated system through workforce agencies to help link workers to training and jobs in “green” industries.
Upcoming Events and Training
Sharing the Agricultural Abundance of Chester County, Tuesday, December 1, 2009 9:00 am - 10:30 am (breakfast at 8:30 am) at the Chester County Government Services Center.
PA 41 Open House Plans Display December 8, 2009 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM at the Hartefeld national Golf Course in Avendale PA.
ESRI Mid Atlantic User Group 2009 Annual Conference, December 9, 2009 at the Radisson Hotel Valley Forge, King of Prussia.
Transportation Engineering & Safety Conference December 9 - 11, 2009 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College PA.
SEPTA FY 2011 Capital Budget and 2011-2022 Capital Program Public Hearings, December 15, 2009; morning session @ 11:00 am evening session @ 5:00 pm, SEPTA Board Room, 1234 Market Street, Philadelphia
TMACC legislative Breakfast with State Senators, Wednesday December 16, 2009 at 8:00 am at The Inn at Chester Springs.