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The RRPDC is a regional planning agency serving
the Town of Ashland;
the City of Richmond; and
the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, and Powhatan.

Richmond Regional
Planning District Commission

9211 Forest Hill Avenue
Suite 200
Richmond, VA 23235

Directions to RRPDC

Phone:  804.323.2033
Fax:  804.323.2025

Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

RRPDC September Meeting Report

Partnership with Richmond Region Energy Alliance
Impact of Mixed Use and Mixed Income Development
Regional Opposition to Collective Bargaining Mandate

RAMPO September Meeting Report

Open Road Tolling on RMA Downtown Expressway
Regional Transportation Priority Projects Adopted
Dan Lysy Honored for 30 years of PDC and MPO Service

September PDC/MPO Meeting Report Flyer (PDF)

The Richmond Regional Planning District Commission (RRPDC) held its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on September 9, 2010. The next meeting of the RRPDC Board will be held on Thursday, October 14, beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the RRPDC Board Room.

The RRPDC Board took action to add regional energy coordination to the RRPDC Work Program and accept an invitation to have a representative sit on the board of the Richmond Region Energy Alliance (RREA). The Alliance is a recently-established nonprofit that seeks to reduce energy costs for consumers and stimulate the local economy by creating local jobs.

The RRPDC Board’s actions followed a presentation from Joe Lerch, the Director of Environmental Policy for the Virginia Municipal League. Mr. Lerch sits on the RREA board with representatives of Virginia Dominion Power, Capital One, Home Depot, Virginia Housing Development Authority, Virginia Municipal League, Chesterfield County, Henrico County, City of Richmond, Better Housing Coalition, and Elder Homes, as well as consultants and architects who specialize in energy efficiency.

The mission of the RREA is to “…sustain a regional framework that increases awareness, breaks down barriers and coordinates access to resources in order to drive mainstream action for energy savings.” The Alliance’s primary and initial focus is on reducing energy costs in the residential market by encouraging widespread adoption of efficiency measures that provide direct value to homeowners through cost savings.

The RRPDC will assist the RREA through data sharing, hosting regional meetings of sustainability managers, and facilitating the sharing of best practices across localities.
 

Laura Lafayette, CEO of the Richmond Association of Realtors, presented two studies recently released by the Partnership for Housing Affordability.

The first study, “Examining the Impact of Mixed Use / Mixed Income Housing Developments in the Richmond Region,” analyzes the impacts on adjacent single family developments. The study looked at 11 mixed-use or mixed-income projects in the Richmond Region and compared home prices, assessments, and crime rates from before and after the development. The results showed the impacts to nearby neighborhoods tended to be positive, which led to the conclusion that local jurisdictions would benefit by encouraging more mixed-use and mixed-income housing.

The second study, “Sustainable Communities – Building for the Future of the Greater Richmond Region,” explores the benefits that mixed-use development provides for local governments and their residents. Benefits to localities included lower infrastructure costs, reduced service costs for police and fire, and enhanced economic competitiveness. Benefits to residents included shorter commutes, diversity in transportation options, and reduced energy costs.
 

The RRPDC Board took action to oppose federal legislation that would force localities to provide collective bargaining rights to public safety employees.

In late July, Congress rejected an amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill that would have required states and their political subdivisions to provide public safety employees with collective bargaining rights. However, advocates are still pursuing the passage of a stand-alone bill known as the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act.

The Board’s opposition followed a recommendation of the Small and Large Jurisdictions Committees adopted during their joint meeting on August 26.

The Board directed the RRPDC Chair to send a letter to the Region’s federal delegation thanking them for not including the provision in the supplemental appropriations bill and notifying them of the RRPDC’s opposition to any future legislation that would require localities to provide public employees with collective bargaining rights.

For more information on proposed federal legislation, please see the National Association of Counties' fact sheet.
 

The Richmond Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (RAMPO) held its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on September 9, 2010. The next meeting of the RAMPO Board will be held on Thursday, October 14, beginning at approximately 2:45 p.m. after the completion of the RRPDC meeting in the RRPDC Board Room.

The RAMPO Board took action directing an analysis of the impact of the proposed addition of open road tolling on the westbound lanes of the Downtown Expressway (DTE).

David Caudill, Assistant Director of Operations for the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, presented details on plans to add three open road toll lanes for westbound traffic. However, the project will not include similar lanes for eastbound traffic due to space constraints.

The project will ease evening congestion because E-ZPass users (which make up nearly 50% of DTE drivers) will drive at 45 mph instead of the 10 mph for the current toll booths.

The MPO is required to act on the proposal as the project is considered “regionally significant” for air quality planning purposes. The Board directed staff to conduct an air quality conformity analysis and to proceed with conducting the amendment process for the 2031 Long-Range Transportation Plan Update and FY 09 – FY 12 Transportation Improvement Program.

The RAMPO Board adopted the 2010 Regional Transportation Priority Projects. The MPO considered the current fiscal situation of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which faces declining transportation revenues, and chose not to add any new projects to this year’s priorities.

While many projects on the 2009 list of priorities have progressed, many still have balances remaining past 2016. Given the state’s limited transportation revenues, including reductions to the Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP), the MPO felt it was more realistic to reaffirm its commitment to the priority projects requiring additional funding.

The list of regional priority projects is submitted to the Commonwealth Transportation Board as a tool to assist in reviewing and allocating state and federal transportation funds in the Six Year Improvement Program. The list also supports efforts by local governments and regional partners to obtain federal and state funds for these priority projects.

Transportation staff from the RRPDC are scheduling visits to upcoming meetings of the boards of supervisors and councils to increase local elected officials’ awareness of the RAMPO Regional Transportation Priority Projects and to initiate input for the MPO’s 2035 Long-Range Transportation Plan Update.

Regional Transportation
Priority Projects:

The RAMPO Board passed a resolution honoring RRPDC Director of Transportation Dan Lysy for over 30 years of service to the Richmond Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Mr. Lysy joined the RRPDC staff on July 1, 1980 and currently serves as MPO Secretary. Various members of the MPO and staff took the opportunity to share fond memories of Dan and express gratitude for his work.