MONTGOMERY COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

MINUTES: Regular Monthly Board Meeting Wednesday, October 14, 2020 Approved: November 18, 2020

BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDING: Steven Kline, Chair; Dulcie Flaherty, V-Chair; Charles Tornetta; Robert Blue; Jill Blumhardt;. John Ernst

STAFF ATTENDING: Scott France, Matthew Edmond, Pattie Guttenplan, Eric Jarrell, Claire Warner, Kevin Chavous, Marley Bice, Tamar Nativ, Aaron Holly, Brian Olszak, Chloe Mohr, Karina Caddick

GUESTS: Chris Leswing, Lower Merion Township, Director of Building and Planning; Colleen Hall, Lower Merion, Planner-GIS Technician; Carissa Hazelton, Lower Merion Planner

I. Call to Order/Public Comments Steven Kline called the Board meeting to order.

II. Minutes of September 9, 2020 The minutes from the September 9, 2020 regular Board meeting were approved by the Board.

Motion: To approve the September 9, 2020 Board minutes, by Mr. Kline, seconded by Mr. Ernst, and approved by all present.

III. Public Comment None

IV. Interim Update on Fort Washington Office Park Landscape / Streetscape Plan Presenter: Pattie Guttenplan, Eric Jarrell, Claire Warner, Kevin Chavous

Claire Warner, Pattie Guttenplan, Eric Jarrell, and Kevin Chavous provided an update of the Fort Washington Office Park Landscape and Streetscape Plan. This is an interim update of the plan as it enters its next phase of planning. The Planning Commission staff felt this was a good point in the process where we would benefit most from the feedback and suggestions of the board. Claire Warner spoke about her work in coordination with Upper Dublin Township for the creation of this plan. The plan is intended to serve as guidance to the township on how to improve pedestrian connections within, create an identity for, and improve the appearance of the office park along the approximately 2-mile corridor from Susquehanna Road to Avenue. This corridor is comprised of parts of Commerce, Delaware, and Virginia Drives. Recent efforts to modernize and revitalize the office park included the construction of the Pine Run and Rap Run dry dams which have been effective in reducing the flooding within the office park. The updated FEMA floodplain map resulted in making the Office Park more viable. Then in 2017, the Transportation Demand Management Plan proposed recommendations to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles and increase opportunities for alternative modes of transportation to the park. Other more recent efforts included a new ordinance in 2019, the Greater Fort Washington GFW Zoning District & Design Guidelines that encourages a more pedestrian oriented design and creates a more unified appearance throughout the office park. The result is to revitalize, modernize, and attract people to the office park to a live, work, play environment. The focal point of the Fort Washington Office Park will be the Library and Community Center which received a $1M grant to develop an expansive lawn and Café that will allow for community engagement opportunities. Future projects that are significant include the construction of the remaining sections of the Cross County Trail, which has been fully funded, and which parallels this corridor through the office park; and the Fort Washington Interchange zip ramp that will provide direct access to the park from the PA Turnpike. Pattie Guttenplan spoke about the development of the Fort Washington Office Park MCPC Board Minutes -2- October 14, 2020

Landscape and Streetscape Plan. The plan has two components. The first will be to develop a detailed and comprehensive landscape plan along the Cross County Trail that will include maintenance and treatment recommendations. The second will be to develop a conceptual streetscape plan that will focus on gateway treatments and will look at intersections, crosswalks, bus stops, benches, streetlights, employment centers as well as other areas within the Office Park. The area was divided into five zones based on the uses and physical constraints. Kevin Chavous provided a detailed summary of each of the five zones. He spoke about the review of each parcel in its current state. They examined the land use, any transit issues, roads, trails and how all these interact to each other. Eric Jarrell spoke about the implementation strategies that will be considered to move forward on the plan. A Municipal Authority was created which is made up of the property owners and we will help to guide them as they move forward in executing the modernization plan. There are grant opportunities where the planning commission can provide assistance. The board provided the Planning Commission staff with suggestions, strategies, and insights on how to move forward in planning for the future.

V. MCPC Design Charrettes – A Lower Merion Case Study Presenter: Marley Bice, Pattie Guttenplan, Tamar Nativ, Guest: Chris Leswing, Lower Merion Township, Director of Building and Planning

Pattie Guttenplan introduced Chris Leswing, Director of Building and Planning for Lower Merion who spoke about the process of updating their Zoning Code. The Lower Merion Zoning Code is lengthy and complicated and the township received several requests from residents to test the zoning code, as was done by the city of before the code was adopted. Mr. Leswing contacted the Planning Commission to see if this is a project that we can take on, and complete within a very short time frame. In the end, the full process from beginning to end was completed within two months, involving testing 12 sites by MCPC and outside professionals, and delivering a final MCPC memo to Lower Merion Township. Pattie Guttenplan spoke about the role of the Planning Commission in the project. She stated that we were tasked in testing the code, and leading the design charrette in order to receive public input.

The Design Charrette was scheduled as a full day event with attendees who were made up of outside professionals, planning commission staff and persons familiar with the Lower Merion code. The twelve selected sites were in eight different zoning districts and many were clustered within the Ardmore downtown area. The attendees were separated into groups and examined commercial, residential and institutional sites. Before the event, the Planning Commission created a Site Profile Sheet for each of the twelve testing sites and did some preliminary testing of the sites. The groups started with a blank site plan and basic design tools to work with. The goal of the exercise was to look for ways to maximize the site, similar to what a developer is expected to do. The Lower Merion staff was on hand to answer questions and observe, but not to contribute to the design work. Marley Bice spoke in detail about the Commercial Districts findings. Lower Merion has thirteen distinct commercial areas each with its own character and scale. As a result of this exercise Lower Merion Township made several revisions to the code before it was adopted that included frontage occupation, commercial ground floor requirements, and will also follow up with master planning at some of the commercial areas. Tamar Nativ spoke about the Residential testing highlights sites. Lower Merion was concerned that the new zoning code would put a strain on the affordable housing stock and they were also concerned about the Townhouse Design Standards. Lower Merion made some revisions based on these findings, which included downzoning a site of affordable housing, adding predominant setback standards as well as a row home requirement for street facing façade. In addition, Lower Merion Township acknowledged the need for master planning in order to refine setback provisions. The Planning Commission presented these conclusions to the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners.

VI. Fiscal Year 2021 Regional TIP Update Presenter: Matthew Edmond

Matthew Edmond presented a summary of the Regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the Fiscal Year 2021. The TIP is the Region’s Capital Budget for Federal and State Transportation Funds, covering highways, roads, and transit. The TIP spans a 12-year period but the first two years are the ones that are most important because it is updated every two years. This document is a budgeting tool and not a construction timetable and shows the available funding when they think it will be needed for the projects. Matthew Popek spoke about the anticipated changes to the Interstates section of the TIP which will be substantially increased for the 2032 TIP. Unfortunately we are anticipating steep reductions in NHPP Regional funding (which is used to fund arterials, collectors, and other local roads) in exchange for the increased Interstate

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investments. Not only will the region have fewer resources over time to invest in local road improvements, but interstate projects are chosen by PennDOT Central Office in Harrisburg, leaving the counties with less of a say in how transportation investments will be made in our region. Mr. Edmond presented an overview of the upcoming major projects planned for Montgomery County. The longtime major projects that we have been working on include the Lafayette St. extension project, the US 422 Valley Forge project, the US 202 – 600 Dekalb Pike project and the Us 202 – 500 Markley Street project. Montgomery County is budgeted to receive $488 million in roadway investment over the first four years of the TIP and $965 million over the next 12 years, all spread over 73 projects. Mr. Edmond provided a list of the significant major projects in Montgomery County over the course of the 12-year TIP that included I-76 Integrated Corridor Management; US 422 reconstruction in Lower Pottsgrove; construction of the new standalone PennDOT Traffic Management Center; US 202 in East Norriton; improvements to Ridge Pike in Plymouth and Whitemarsh Townships; construction of the PA 309 Connector Phases 2 and 3; the new Keim Street Bridge; and the replacement of the PA 611 bridge over SEPTA’s West Trenton line in Abington. The major SEPTA transit projects in in the TIP include the replacement of the Norristown High Speed Line’s Bridgeport viaduct; the Ardmore Transportation Center; the Conshohocken Parking Garage, Jenkintown Station ADA Upgrades; and the Willow Grove Station relocation.

VII. Cheltenham Township Planning Assistance Contract Presentation Presenter: Aaron Holly, Brian Olszak

Aaron Holly presented a summary of the Cheltenham Township Planning Assistance Contract. Cheltenham Township is located in the eastern part of the county and is the third most populous municipality in Montgomery County. Mr. Holly provided an overview of the demographic data including the population, median income, and median housing prices. He also displayed and spoke about the existing land use and zoning maps. The most common land use in Cheltenham is single family detached with a high prevalence of institutional land use. Institutional makes up about 16% of the townships land use which includes . Mr. Holly spoke about the zoning map which experienced recent changes to promote and implement economic development as well as promote commercial activity and sustainability efforts. During the previous contract, the work items included a Comprehensive SALDO update, assisting with implementing the township's Sustainability Plan, and ongoing flexible assistance. MCPC also provided support with the Elkins Estate TIF process. Brian Olszak spoke in detail about the Cheltenham SALDO update from the previous contract which included Sustainable Green Parking standards. Mr. Holly spoke about major land developments during the previous contract. It included a Wawa in Glenside that was controversial since it required a rezoning from a residential to a mixed-use district, as well as zoning text amendments to allow for convenience stores and the sale of gasoline. Another major development is improvements to The Westminster Theological Seminary which included proposals for new residence halls and a new library to take the place of the old library. The seminary project will include construction of a small segment of the Cresheim Trail that will help to connect the overall trail network of the county. Mr. Holly spoke about the new contract work items which includes an update to the Cheltenham Comprehensive Plan. The pandemic has delayed the start of the Comp Plan process. Other new work items include continued assistance with the implementation of the Sustainability Plan, Zoning Ordinance Amendments, SALDO revisions, and general flexible assistance.

VIII. Hatboro Borough Planning Assistance Contract Presentation Presenter: Chloe Mohr Deferred

IX. Director’s Report

1. Scott France and Maggie Dobbs introduced three interns who will be working with us. Shreeya Sharma has a bachelor’s degree of Architecture from Nepal Engineering College and a Master’s degree in International Planning and Sustainable development from the University of Westminster. Ms. Sharma has experience working in GIS and will be working with applied planning with graphics. Kelly Egan is a junior from Oberlin College majoring in Political Science. Ms. Egan has a background in studio art and in interested in learning the political process. Kathleen Martin is currently in the master’s

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program in City and Regional Planning at Temple University. She also working full time for Audubon Pennsylvania as a Program Coordinator. She has a background in City Forestry work in Philadelphia and New York.

2. Mr. France announced that we are looking to fill a Principal Planner in Transportation position as a result of Crystal’s retirement. The position has been advertised on the county website but we are also looking for additional places to advertise.

3. An update on the Restart Montco initiative was given. There were two new pages onto the website, Customer Convenience and Non-Profits. There is still traffic good traffic on the site and Outdoor Dining remains the most popular.

4. Mr. France spoke about a Civic Plus national survey on Municipal Government that talked about issue that have always been a priority. Identified as strong issues into the future are affordability, community and crisis communication, policing and systemic racism, public health, small business support and working from home.

5. The Planning Commission will again Survey municipalities similar to what we did earlier in the year.

6. Mr. France shared that Collegeville has developed an interactive web app that highlights its downtown and businesses. The website is CollegevilleDevelopment.org.

7. The DVRPC Regional Trails Program has a grant opportunity for trail development that adds or connects to the regional trail circuit. Applications are being accepted until early November.

8. Mr. France said that the St. Gabriel’s Hall in West Norriton is closing which is a 56 acre site. We have offered to assist West Norriton, as a contract community, with any needs as they move through this process.

9. DVRPC is currently working on their Work Program for fiscal year 2022. We presented three items Housing Attainability, Climate Change Vulnerability and Warehousing and Distribution.

10. Pattie Guttenplan and Scott France attended the APA Policy and Advocacy Conference. The virtual conference included conversations with direct representatives of your area. They spoke with Brian Fitzpatrick and representatives for Mary Gay Scanlon, Madeleine Dean, Pat Toomey and Senator Casey.

11. Scott France spoke about the upcoming planning events and highlighted that tomorrow the County Commissioners will be announcing the recipients of the County Transportation Grant Program. The Montgomery Awards will be after the next board meeting at 4:00 on November 18th. The PA APA Annual Conference is on October 18th and 19th and is available to all staff due to the reduce cost. Jon Lesher will be presenting to EAC’s this evening on sustainability efforts. Maggie Dobbs will be presenting to her alma mater, Rutgers about her career experiences as a Planner.

12. Veronica Harris is teaching a portion of a class for a Recycling Certification Program. She will be speaking about current legislation and current recycling issues.

13. Mr. France announced that on November 12th the SE section of the APA PA is hosting their annual event virtually. It is called Planning and the Challenges of 2020. Pattie Guttenplan helped to organize the event and features Commissioner, Valerie Arkoosh, DVRPC and other consultants.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:00.

The next Board meeting will be on November 18, 2020 at 2:00 PM.