The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC) Thursday reviewed nearly a dozen letters it plans on forwarding to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation as part of a 60-day public comment period ending Aug. 26 regarding the fed's proposal of implementing a new east coast nine states mega-region metropolitan planning organization which will serve in part to determine the current and future allocation of federal transportation dollars to the Lehigh Valley.
LVPC Executive Director Becky Bradley presented the correspondence to the board for their review and approval. The letters hail from local planning commissions such as the Berks, Lancaster, and Delaware Valley Regional planning commissions in addition to correspondence from local and national legislators stating their objections to planning coordination and reform for an area spanning from Boston to Washington, D.C.
The letters argue against mandating the Lehigh Valley stand alongside numerous other regions and compete with cities such as New York and Philadelphia for roadwork dollars which planners like Bradley feel sure the ABE area would fall short for consideration.
"Basically you have one transportation plan between Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York state, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.," Bradley remarked.
She explained that type of scenario would have the Lehigh Valley competing with New York City and would not be a fair formula. She said the end result would be less funding from the federal government which currently pays for 80 percent of the Lehigh Valley's transportation initiatives.
She added if this new formulation comes to fruition, it would not only affect future projects but current ones like the widening of Route 22 at Fullerton Avenue.
Bradley formed a coalition with PA State Rep. Michael Schlossberg (D-132) to fight the changes and the letters she assembled as part of a public comment period are the first step to stop the mega-region planning idea.
In other business, the commission announced it would be offering its Build LV report on area development including housing types, new institutional development, and quantifies commercial markets. The report will also demonstrate how land development activity both residential and commercial currently compares to previous years.
The event will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 7 at ArtsQuest at Steel Stacks in south Bethlehem.