MONTCO From Vision to Reality 2020 IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE MONTCO 2040: A SHARED VISION Montgomery County, Pennsylvania 2020 MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH, Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence, Jr., Vice Chair Joseph C. Gale, Commissioner PLANNING COMMISSION BOARD MEMBERS Steven Kline, Chair Dulcie F. Flaharty, Vice Chair Obed Arango Robert E. Blue, Jr. Jill Blumhardt David L. Cohen, AICP John J. Ernst, AIA Scott Exley Charles J. Tornetta John S. Cover, AICP, Interim Executive Director Montco 2040: a shared vision From Vision to Reality 2020 IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE MONTCO 2040: A SHARED VISION Montco 2040, the comprehensive plan for Montgomery County, was adopted in January 2015 as a working document to guide the county’s actions. A lot has changed in five years as we annually revisit our progress in implementing this plan. This report highlights major achievements that took place in 2019, and provides a number of implementation actions that we anticipate taking place in 2020. As always, many goals have been and will be implemented directly by the county, but many are implemented by the county’s partners, such as local municipalities, PennDOT, the Turnpike Commission, SEPTA, and other government agencies, nonprofit partners, and private developers. Prepared by Montgomery County Planning Commission 2020 Montgomery County, Pennsylvania www.montcopa.org/Montco2040 1 2020 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN THEMES Montco 2040: A Shared Vision is designed around three interrelated themes. Connected Communities Connected People want to be connected and part of a broader community. A key role for the county is Communities to help these connections occur beyond local municipal boundaries. Sustainable Places The county is full of wonderful neighborhoods and communities. These places need to be Sustainable Vibrant sustained and enhanced in a long-lasting and effective way. Places Economy Vibrant Economy A strong economy is critical for all places. With a vibrant economy, residents can earn and spend more, governments can make needed infrastructure improvements, and businesses can grow. 2 Montco 2040: a shared vision Connected Communities 9 Completed the rollout of the new voting system for the May GOAL Encourage collaboration and partnerships primary and November general elections. (VS) among governments, businesses, institutions, schools, higher education, and other stakeholders 9 Along with community partners, completed a robust data analysis of fetal and infant death records and developed 2019 ACHIEVEMENTS a Community Action Plan to improve birth outcomes in the county, with a special focus on addressing racial disparities 9 Completed 5 school district enrollment projection studies. in the Norristown area. (HHS) (PC) 9 Secured a $1.8M HUD grant to engage community partners 9 Maintained 36 municipal planning and 4 regional planning ACLAMO, Public Citizens for Children and Youth, and local contracts - with projects including comprehensive plan housing remediation businesses to support childhood lead writing, zoning ordinance rewrites, open space plan updates, poisoning prevention and healthy homes in the Pottstown and land use assumptions reports. Bridgeport is the and Lansdale areas. (HHS-OPH, HHS-HCD) planning commission’s newest contract community. (PC) 9 Worked with federal (CDC, FDA) and state health partners 9 Continued the implementation of the county’s GIS strategic to promote awareness and prevention of adverse health plan, including refinement and consolidation of countywide consequences of e-cigarettes and vaping, particularly among authoritative data layer features. Established an Open Data adolescents. (HHS-OPH, HHS-ODA, HHS-OCIE) Portal featuring online maps and data delivery under the county GIS manager’s initiative. (PC) 9 Worked with state health partners and long term care facilities within the county to support infection prevention 9 Completed year four of the Montco 2040 Implementation and control programs by providing information on emerging Grant program, with funding to 15 local projects. Projects infectious diseases. (HHS) from rounds one through three continue to be completed around the county. Demand for funding continues to 9 Partnered with local health agencies to develop much- be high. (PC) needed navigation services for residents living with HIV. HIV Navigation Services is a short-term case management 9 Continued renovations to One Montgomery Plaza and program linking HIV positive residents and high-risk HIV implementation of the campus planning efforts. (A&I) negative residents to services within the county that support 9 Pottstown and West Pottsgrove jointly adopted the Keystone HIV prevention and HIV care. (HHS) Employment and Economic Plan (KEEP) - the first adopted specific plan in the state. 3 2020 IMPLEMENTATION 9 Collaborated on a funding opportunity to provide risk reduction GOAL education and vaccination to individuals at high risk of Improve transportation quality and expand contracting Hepatitis A. Through the project, 50 educational options for county residents and workers sessions provided vaccines at 5 treatment centers. (HHS-OPH, HHS-ODA) 2019 ACHIEVEMENTS 9 Collaborated to provide education and outreach around opioid 9 Bridge renovation projects continued to move forward. Twenty- use disorder. (HHS-OPH, HHS-OSS, HHS-OVA) nine bridge projects are currently underway - in various stages of design, permitting, and construction. (A&I-RB) 9 Formed a Local Leadership Council to work in an integrated and collaborative way within the county’s local early learning 9 The City Avenue District, which straddles Philadelphia and service community. (HHS-ELRC) Lower Merion Township, implemented significant pedestrian safety improvements along City Avenue near St. Joseph’s 9 Partnered with local advocates to convene two Montco University. This includes speed feedback signs, traffic signal Interfaith Conferences to build support for a county-wide upgrades, and rumble strips along the road. Interfaith Coalition. This will support people providing a community outreach ministry by publicizing the resources 9 Adopted a complete streets policy, which commits the county available to their congregants and to build connections to to consider all modes of transportation in its construction assist with their ministry. (HHS) and improvement projects; it also established an ongoing working group of county departments to collaborate on ways to 9 Initiated the 2020 comprehensive plan update with detailed implement the policy. (PC) reviews of the county’s policy maps. (PC) 9 Amended the region’s Transportation Improvement Program 2020 IMPLEMENTATION (TIP) to include $300,000 for a vision study of portions of 6 county-owned roads and advertised for consultant proposals ■ Finalize and adopt the Multi-Regional Greenway and to move this ahead. Began the TIP update with our planning Stewardship Study and work with the 4 regional planning partners. (PC) groups to identify appropriate implementation projects. 9 (PC) Began final design and right-of-way acquisition on the Ridge Pike Improvement Project from Crescent Avenue to ■ Assist municipalities with their planning, trail building, Philadelphia. (PC) and transportation work. (PC) 9 PennDOT awarded funds from the state’s Automated Red ■ Transition countywide GIS data to a new cloud-based data Light Enforcement program for traffic and safety projects in portal and participate in the region’s data sharing effort. (PC) Perkiomen (a permanent traffic light at Route 29 and Bridge ■ Partner with Pottstown Middle School to implement a Road) and Conshohocken (for two rectangular rapid flashing “share table” in its cafeteria to help eliminate food waste. beacons on Fayette Street). (HHS-OCIE) 9 The county’s transportation grant program (CTP) used revenues ■ Adopt a limited update to the comprehensive plan’s policy from the $5 county vehicle registration fee to reallocate $1 maps, using feedback from municipalities, school districts, million this past year to local transportation projects. In 2019, and public engagement. (PC) 6 municipalities received funding: to extend a road diet in Upper Dublin, replace a bridge in Upper Hanover, upgrade an ■ The Interfaith Coalition will form a steering committee intersection in Whitemarsh, improve a pedestrian crossing in to further develop its mission, vision, core principles, Lansdale, improve pedestrian safety in Royersford, and install and goals. The county will continue its support and school zone signage in Springfield. (PC) involvement in the Interfaith Coalition’s work to include all faith traditions and to provide opportunities to build partnerships and collaborations among houses of worship and community services, and will pursue funding opportunities to help develop and support the work of the Interfaith Coalition. (HHS) 4 Montco 2040: a shared vision 2020 IMPLEMENTATION 9 Lansdale opened a portion of the Liberty Bell Trail. ■ Continue the county’s bridge reconstruction work. (A&I-RB) 9 Many communities used Montco 2040 grants to expand trails. Lower Gwynedd completed its Carriages Connection Trail to ■ Oversee a TIP-funded study of county-owned roads. (PC) expand its local trail network at Spring House. Worcester ■ Manage all design, right-of-way acquisition, and completed a trail connection from Defford Road to the Center construction activities for the Lafayette Street Extension Point Shoppes and ultimately expanded its Zacharias Creek Project and the Ridge Pike Improvement Project in Trail network. And Lower Salford completed