MONTGOMERY COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Meeting Venue: URSINUS COLLEGE

MINUTES: Regular Monthly Board Meeting Wednesday, June 11, 2014 Approved: July 9, 2014

BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDING: Marc Jonas, Esq.; Chair; Dulcie Flaharty Vice Chair.; Scott Exley; Rev. John West; Jill Blumhardt; Robert Blue; Rachel Yoka; Roy Rodriquez; and Charles Tornetta

GUESTS ATTENDING: Leslie Richards, V-Chair, Montgomery County Commissioners; Bobby Fong, Pres., Ursinus College; Kathleen Owens, Pres., Gwynedd Mercy University; Vicki McGarvey, V-Provost, Temple University—Ambler Campus; Karen Stout, Pres., Montgomery County Community College; Karen Sandler, Chancellor, Penn State University— Abington Campus; Shannon Spencer (Ursinus – Office of Sustainability); Andy Feick (Ursinus – Director of Facilities); Linda Jansen, county resident

STAFF ATTENDING: Jody Holton; John Cover; Michael Stokes; Leo Bagley; Brian O’Leary; Drew Shaw; Anne Leavitt- Gruberger; Joseph Nixon; Brandon Rudd; Jon Lesher; Robin McLean

PRESS: Brendan Wills, The Times Herald

I. Call to Order/Board Comments Mr. Jonas called the meeting to order. He welcomed staff and guests to Ursinus College and thanked President Fong for hosting the Board meeting. President Fong welcomed everyone to the college. This is his third year as president, and one of his goals is increasing interaction with the community. Mr. Jonas introduced the representatives from the attending colleges and universities as well as Commissioner Richards and Brian Regli, former head of the Montgomery County Commerce Department.

II. Minutes of May 14, 2014 The minutes from the May 14, 2014 regular Board meeting were approved by the Board as presented.

Motion: To approve the May 14, 2014 Board minutes, by Mr. Tornetta, seconded by Ms. Flaharty, and approved by all present.

III. Public Comments Linda Jansen complemented the staff on the Montco 2040 Plan and then spoke about an Act 537 issue in Lower Frederick Township. She is looking for assistance to address this matter with the Township.

IV. Roundtable Discussion on Montco 2040—Future of Education in Montgomery County Presenter: Brian O’Leary

Mr. O’Leary presented a PowerPoint presentation explaining each of the goals of the comprehensive plan. He talked about the broad representation on the steering committee, and the steering committee’s input into developing the three themes of the plan: Connected Communities (i.e., partnerships, transportation options, trails/greenways);

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Sustainable Places (i.e., resilient infrastructure network, stormwater management, healthy lifestyles); and Vibrant Economy (i.e., encouraging redevelopment, attracting business, adapting to changing real estate markets).

Commissioner Richards welcomed everyone and expressed the Commissioners’ for the work of the planning commission. The Commissioners had asked the planning commission to work on the revitalization of Norristown (the county seat), to work collaboratively with municipalities on issues such as flooding and transportation, and to create a visionary comprehensive plan. The Commissioners are pleased with how the planning commission has reached out to the public, especially with this plan. She mentioned how this meeting with educators is underscoring the importance of education in the county, and how it will move the county forward.

Mr. Regli spoke briefly about how the Commissioners formed the Commerce Department by combining other county departments. This department has worked on supporting higher education in the county in three ways: workforce development, infrastructure investment, and human capital. The educational institutions here are key parts of the economic development of the county.

Mr. Jonas asked the educators to introduce themselves and give a background about their institutions.

Ms. Sandler from Penn State (Abington) explained that it is a land grant university of Penn State. The campus is like a bridge that brings people from the city out to the county. The campus is 35 acres with approximately 3,700 students, and it is one of the largest employers in the township. She appreciates the location in Abington because it is a diverse community with villages, parks, commercial centers, and neighborhoods. She also discussed the public transportation connections and how they have worked with students and faculty to reduce the number of cars coming to the school by using shuttles. They are working on intercultural relations with the development of a center that works with faculty and cultural leaders for betterment of the community.

Ms. Stout from Montgomery County Community College noted that the college has three different sites in Montgomery County (Blue Bell, Pottstown, and Towamencin) with approximately 22,000 students. Most graduates are from the county and tend to stay in the county after graduation. There has been an increase in the number of students commuting from Philadelphia. There is a high educational attainment level at the college as well as a workforce development center that works closely with businesses to customize job training for worker advancement. The college has received awards for its work on sustainability in campus design. They are working on transportation which is a key issue for the college (i.e., running shuttles among the college campuses). Themes from the Montco 2040 Plan are similar to those in the college’s master plan. Transportation and sustainability might be a way to get the other colleges/universities involved in a college/university working group for Montgomery County.

Ms. McGarvey from Temple University (Ambler) said that the Ambler campus is an extension of the main campus in Philadelphia. Temple’s enrollment is approximately 39,000 students. There are two departments located at the Ambler campus, but no student housing, making it a part time campus. A shuttle runs from the train station in Ambler and from the main campus where there is housing. Temple is working on a master plan that will cover the extension campuses. The main focus for this campus is helping the community.

Ms. Owens from Gwynedd Mercy University thanked the planning commission for the invitation to attend the meeting. She gave a background about the university in its location in Gwynedd Valley. It is a catholic university with about 2,700 students ranging from 18 to 22 years old with diverse backgrounds (faiths, ethnicity). The university offers many different degrees. They have other campuses such as one in East Norriton and Philadelphia. The school is very committed to some of the issues stated in the Comp Plan (transportation, stormwater, building design). They provide shuttle services to an off-site parking lot as well as to the train stations. They also work with the township on trails, healthy living, environmental conservation, and other issues.

Mr. Fong from Ursinus College explained that Ursinus College is a classic liberal arts college with 1,600 students. Many of the graduating students are employed within six months of graduation and some stay in the county after

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graduation. He introduced Shannon Spenser (Office of Sustainability) and Andy Feick (Director of Facilities) who have worked closely on issues pertaining to campus sustainability. The college is not looking to expand. Transportation is an important issue for the campus, since there are very limited alternative transportation opportunities at the campus. Another concern has been attracting small businesses to Collegeville. The opening of large malls has affected the town’s businesses and draws the students to shop and dine at the mall. Housing is becoming an issue for faculty and staff. Many cannot live close to the campus because of rising housing costs which undercut their availability to the students, thereby increasing the demand for parking.

Mr. Jonas summed up what was presented and encouraged staff to participate in the discussion. Mr. O’Leary started the discussion by noting that the common issue seemed to be transportation with part of the answer being better transportation choices. Ms. Owens echoed Mr. Fong’s comment about campus-based students wanting to go out on weekends with no transportation of their own. Mr. O’Leary suggested having a public/private partnership. Ms. Flaharty suggested investigating sharing transportation among the colleges. Bike sharing is being done by MCCC and Gwynedd Mercy, which might be used at the other colleges, if it is not done already. Ms. Sandler suggested getting more education leaders together, through other meetings or using multimedia, to build on ideas expressed here. Mr. O’Leary brought up researching what other institutions are doing in a cooperative transportation effort.

Mr. O’Leary continued the discussion about attracting businesses and adapting to changing market conditions. He asked what the county can do market its higher education institutions to businesses and create a more attractive draw to the towns surrounding the institutions. Ms. Owens answered that it seems to roll back to transportation because most students want to be able to get to the city whether it is for social events, providing services, or education prospects. Ms. Sandler mentioned opportunities in Pottstown and the classic towns of the county -- if events or entertainment are promoted locally, it may be easier to give the students a sense of what’s going on in the community. Mr. Fong expressed that most newly graduated students want to live in the city, they are seeking flexible work environments, and they want to use flex time to work from home if they take a job in the suburbs. Mr. O’Leary emphasized that we have great small towns and a natural environment (wooded areas, parks, etc.) sufficiently convenient to the city to attract people.

Mr. O’Leary asked about sustainability, stormwater, BMPs, seeking feedback on how to connect with local government and the design of campuses. Mr. Fong said that would like to contribute expertise in sustainability, since they have faculty who specialize in sustainability and could be useful to municipalities. Mr. O’Leary suggested putting together an expertise partnership for on-call type of service to assist municipal officials with questions they might have about these topics. Ms. Owens suggested open forums to bring faculty and experts together to talk about these types of topics and involve the students. Ms. Sandler said that the students are interested in this and would love to volunteer for these committees. Mr. Feick commented about bringing in local municipal officials to bridge the gap between the way students think about local government, and how municipalities look to the future sustainability of the community. Mr. O’Leary said that the county is open to additional expertise and reaching out to our communities. Mr. Blue suggested getting students on different municipal committees to get their voices heard and show what they can offer to help the community. Ms. Richards said that even if the student cannot be a voting member of the municipal committee, the student can attend meetings and participate. This is done in some high schools, in which students go to a meeting and report back on what was discussed as part of their class project.

Mr. Jonas thanked the educators for their input, suggesting that we continue this on a larger scale with more county higher education institutions and the planning commission staff.

V. Collegeville Sustainability Plan Presenter: Joseph Nixon

Mr. Nixon presented an overview of the Collegeville Sustainability Plan that was prepared for Collegeville Borough with input from a steering committee that included Ursinus College. The draft plan was brought before the borough council at its last meeting. He started the presentation by talking about the scope of the plan consisting of municipal action,

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borough policy and operations, leading by example, energy cost savings, and grant funding opportunities. Baseline inventory and analysis charts were shown using DVRPC tools that input the information onto spreadsheets to keep track of energy usage. The plan shows energy use of municipal buildings, facilities, vehicles, and street lighting. It also includes sections on mobility, waste management, ecological stewardship, and healthy living statistics. Mr. Nixon discussed the goals and objectives of this plan, as well as the action items for the borough. These are attainable projects that the borough can implement to become a leader in sustainable operations. This plan will be updated to reflect data changes over the next year, and there will be a website.

VI. Planning on Two Feet: Walkability Audit Primer Presenter: Brandon Rudd

Mr. Rudd gave a presentation on why walking is important and how a walkability audit can help address gaps in pedestrian infrastructure. He described a decline in walking over the past 40 years, especially in school-aged children. He also described the rise in obesity in children and adults – 1/3 are obese. Walking is a low impact form of exercise that can be integrated into a daily lifestyle and routine, if the built environment has pedestrian infrastructure. Walking also lessens vehicle emissions, saves money on gas, helps the local economy for small businesses, and is free. Mr. Rudd described the walkability audit process used in communities. It is a public event which includes a presentation on what makes a community walkable, mapping sessions, brainstorming solutions, and a report which will compile the observations and recommendations from the audit. Mr. Rudd will lead a walkability audit in Collegeville on June 18th. The Board mentioned that this walkability audit is an excellent service that the planning commission provides to municipalities, and it could be something the planning commission could offer to colleges and universities.

VII. Director’s Report A. Staff and Board members attended the Pennypack Trail groundbreaking ceremony. We are looking forward to the 3.2 mile extension of this county trail.

B. Staff was also present at the National Trails Day Event at Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, which is one of our “Get Out and Go Montco” events, in partnership with the County Health Department and Parks Department.

C. The next Board meeting will be in Chester County at Penn State Great Valley Campus, for a joint meeting on economic development, reinvestment in our business parks, transportation access improvements, and ordinances that support redevelopment. The guest speaker will be Terry Foley from City Avenue Business District.

The meeting adjourned at 12 noon.

Next MCPC Board meeting will be held on July 9, 2014 at 11:00 am at Penn State Great Valley Campus, 30 E. Swedesford Road, Malvern, PA. The meeting will be immediately followed by a Joint Work Session of the Chester County Planning Commission and the Montgomery County Planning Commission from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm.