{"id":15587,"date":"2019-06-27T12:49:33","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T17:49:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmampo.org\/?p=15587"},"modified":"2023-05-18T18:35:37","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T18:35:37","slug":"metropolitan-planning-briefing-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmampo.org\/metropolitan-planning-briefing-4\/","title":{"rendered":"METROPOLITAN PLANNING BRIEFING"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

METROPOLITAN PLANNING BRIEFING<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

June 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this briefing we give an overview of a recent workforce housing study<\/strong>, update you on water trails<\/strong>, introduce new staff<\/strong>, and highlight an upcoming speaker<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Transportation is a significant factor in the overall cost of living.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WORKFORCE HOUSING: Transportation is a key ingredient  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Des Moines Area MPO in April awarded more than $14 million to 18 transportation projects improving Greater Des Moines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greater Des Moines can further fuel its economic growth by\ninvesting in the right mix of housing options, in locations near jobs, with\nmultiple transportation options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is the high-level takeaway from a yearlong analysis of\nworkforce housing in the Greater Des Moines region, which found that the\ncurrent mix of housing falls short of meeting the needs of current and future\nworkforce. The results were presented by Capital Crossroads Director Nikki\nSyverson at the June meetings of the MPO Technical and Policy Committees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more you can read the announcement<\/a>,\nsee the presentation<\/a>\nto the MPO, or dive into the full\nreport<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MPO joined the Polk County Housing Trust Fund and the\nCities of Des Moines, Ankeny, Clive, Norwalk, Urbandale and West Des Moines on\nthe team that analyzed the data and engage local stakeholders for the study.\nThe process was guided by researchers at the Virginia Center for Housing\nResearch at Virginia Tech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The water trails plan will activate 150 miles of rivers and creeks in the region.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WATER TRAILS: Funding, BUILD Grant<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Policy Committee in June took two actions to advance the\nimplementation of Central\nIowa Water Trails<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, the Policy Committee voted to approve $550,000 to\nsupport the preliminary engineering and pre-permitting work for the three dam\nmitigations projects, which are essential to creating the centerpiece of the\nregional water trails network. The funding comes from unallocated Surface\nTransportation Block Grant funds, and it was requested to show regional public\nsupport for the project. Private fundraising is in its earliest stages, and has\nalready raised approximately $3.5 million. The preliminary engineering and\npre-permitting process can begin once fundraising reaches $5 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, the Policy Committee authorized MPO staff to submit\na BUILD grant<\/a> application\nfor $25 million for the water trails initiative. Staff have confirmed that the\nwater trails project is not only an eligible activity, but also stands to\nperform well on the primary criteria on which grants are judged \u2013 safety, state\nof good repair, economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability, and\nquality of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Started at the MPO, the water trails initiative has grown\ninto a top regional priority that is being implemented by a robust\npublic-private partnership, operating as the Capital Crossroads Central Iowa\nWater Trails Incubator that was announced in\nMay<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

NEW STAFF: Welcome Zhi Chen and Aspen Pflanz<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Des Moines Area MPO recently welcomed Zhi Chen as an associate planner and Aspen Pflanz as an intern. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MPO Associate Planner Zhi Chen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

MPO Associate Planner Zhi Chen works on\nthe Iowa Data Bike<\/a> project,\ndata collection and analyses, GIS programs, travel demand modeling, performance\nmeasures and reports, and land-use scenario planning models. He can be reached\nat zchen@dmampo.org<\/a> or 515-334-0075.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
MPO Intern Aspen Pflanz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

MPO Intern Aspen Pflanz is a graduate student at Iowa State\nUniversity in the Department of Community and Regional Planning. At the MPO,\nshe is gathering data, finalizing reports, editing maps and more. She can\nbe reached at apflanz@dmampo.org<\/a> or\n515-334-0075.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Speaker Katharine Burgess of the Urban Land Institute<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

NEXT SPEAKER: Katharine Burgess: Harvesting the Value of Water<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up in the Tomorrow Plan Speaker Series is Katharine\nBurgess of the Urban Land Institute. As the Vice President of Urban Resilience,\nshe leads research and advisory services related to urban resilience. She was\nthe primary author of Harvesting\nthe Value of Water: Stormwater, Green Infrastructure and Real Estate.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MORE INFORMATION\nand RSVP<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

METROPOLITAN PLANNING BRIEFING June 2019 In this briefing we give an overview of a recent workforce housing study, update you on water trails, introduce new staff, and highlight an upcoming speaker. WORKFORCE HOUSING: Transportation is a key ingredient  The Des… <\/p>\n

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