Read the latest news from the RPCGB
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RPCGB Awarded Grants to Assist Local Communities
EPA Brownfields: The RPCGB was awarded a $500,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant, which will allow RPCGB and its partners, Jefferson County, Walker County, and the City of Cordova to develop a regional brownfield inventory, complete environmental assessments, and develop site specific cleanup plans. The agency is working with PM Environmental group to conduct the project. To read more, click here.
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USDA Rural Development: The RPCGB was also granted a $250,000 cooperative agreement award through the USDA’s “Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge” program. This project will be used to conduct Economic Development Strategic Plans (EDSPs) for three communities - Dora, Nauvoo, and Parrish - in Walker County. These plans will evaluate current market conditions, assets, and gaps, conduct community engagement, and develop a specialized action plan for each municipality reflective other their unique strengths and opportunities.
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These plans will also tie in with the county’s outdoor recreation initiative, and a specific focus for these plans will be evaluating methods to leverage existing assets to establish an outdoor recreation industry and improve broadband connectivity within these areas. To learn more, click here.
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CEDS 2023-2028: 5-Year Update Complete
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The RPCGB completed the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) planning process in September 2022. The CEDS is a strategy-driven plan for regional economic growth and is developed every five years by the RPCGB staff and steering committees comprised of local officials, economic development representatives, and other regional stakeholders. This plan is designed to prioritize regional economic needs, support capacity building for local communities, and guide the economic prosperity and resiliency of the Greater Birmingham region. To read the plan, click here.
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Economic Development is Hiring Additional Staff
The RPCGB is currently seeking an additional staff member for the Economic Development Department. This position will be hired as either a Coordinator or Specialist, based on the level of experience of the selected candidate. Under the supervision of the Director of Economic Development, the Economic Development Coordinator/Specialist assists in the implementation of economic development programs and plans. This position is primarily responsible for data analysis and research, report development, and grant proposal development for the RPCGB and member governments. To learn more about the position and how to apply, click here.
For questions regarding the Economic Development department or its projects, please contact Jesslan Wilson, Director of Economic Development, at jwilson@rpcgb.org.
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There are multiple Community Planning projects underway!
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Project recently completed:
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Helena Comprehensive Plan –The consultant team led by MKSK and Sain Associates developed a new Comprehensive Plan for the City of Helena that was adopted on September 15. Visit www.HelenaComprehensivePlan.com to view and download the final plan.
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Shelby County Comprehensive Plan – The RPCGB is working with the Shelby County Development Services staff to develop a new countywide comprehensive plan to replace the 2004 Shelby County Comprehensive Plan. The new Plan will include ten guiding principles, a new Future Development Map, recommended modifications to the Shelby County Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations, and topical recommendations.
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Visit the project website at www.PlanShelbyAL.com to view the Draft Existing Conditions and Trends Report and learn about the new Future Development Map. The Draft Plan has been written and will be released to the public on January 18 and 19 at two public meetings.
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Birmingham Southern Area Framework Plan - Visit the project website at www.imaginebham.com/southernarea.html to learn more and view the Draft Plan. The final public meeting will be held in early 2023.
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Fultondale Comprehensive Plan – In January, the RPCGB planning team will be kicking off the project to develop Fultondale’s first Comprehensive Plan since 1988. Visit www.FultondaleForward.com to learn more.
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Plans being developed through On-Call Planning Assistance to support the RPCGB’s Building Communities Program:
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Moody Comprehensive Plan – The consultant team of Kimley-Horn and Associates and PlaceMakers LLC kicked off the planning effort in October. Visit the project website at www.MoodyattheCrossroads.com to learn more about the planning process and click here to download the Kickoff Phase summary report.
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Argo Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance – The consulting firm of Goodwyn Mills Cawood is in the process of developing the city’s first Comprehensive Plan and a new Zoning Ordinance. Visit the project website at www.ArgoAlive.com to view learn more and view the summary of public input findings.
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APPLE Feasibility Studies
Over the past few months the RPCGB has initiated the following feasibility studies under the Advanced Planning Programming and Logical Engineering (APPLE) program:
- US-31 Pedestrian Improvements, Access Management and Operations Study - Homewood
- Embracing Shades Creek – A Trail Study - Irondale
- New Road and Railroad Overpass Study - Chelsea
- Fultondale-Gardendale New Road Study - Jefferson County
- New Service Feasibility Study - BJCTA
For more information please contact Mike Kaczorowski: mkaczorowski@rpcgb.org or (205) 213-6889.
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Travel Demand Forecasting Model Enhancements
The RPCGB secured federal funds and hired a national expert to make improvements and enhancements to the Travel Demand Model used to forecast future traffic volumes in the metro area. The consultant recently completed the enhancements and the RPCGB is now utilizing the improved model to forecast travel demand for the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan.
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RPCGB Awarded an Areas of Persistent Poverty Grant
The RPCGB has been awarded $495,000 for an Areas of Persistent Poverty grant to study three transit areas and develop plans to improve transportation options and land use, particularly to connect people living in areas of persistent poverty to the city’s bus rapid-transit system. The study will assess the potential for transit-oriented development, accessibility improvements, and the enhancement of bus stops, as well as how to better use blighted, vacant, and underused properties.
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Vanpool Appreciation Month
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In August, CommuteSmart celebrated Vanpool Appreciation month, where we focused on our vanpoolers with contest giveaways and social media graphics. We had twenty-two vanpool members who were contest winners, and we delivered goody bags to our vanpool participants. If you know of someone who might benefit from vanpooling to work, please get in touch with 1-87-RIDEMATCH.
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CommuteSmart is excited to announce that the IRS Revenue Procedure 2022-38 will raise the qualified transportation fringe benefit monthly limitation from $280 in 2022 to $300 in 2023. This change will take effect on January 1, 2023. For more information, click here.
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Alabama Partners for Clean Air
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The Drive Electric Alabama EV Summit was held in September 2022 at the BJCC in Birmingham with close to 500 attendees. It featured discussions on electric vehicle initiatives in Alabama and provided crucial information on charging infrastructure. Targeted attendees included elected officials, representatives from major automotive manufacturers and suppliers, experts on EV charging and technology, representatives from electric utilities; and owners of businesses of all sizes. Summit activities included an appearance from Gov. Kay Ivey; panel discussions, vendor booths and seminars focused on state and federal grants available in Alabama to install EV charging infrastructure. A further recap of Gov. Kay Ivey kicking off the event can be found here.
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Heart of Alabama Rural Planning Organization
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The RPCGB assists rural communities with technical assistance and safety studies. It also assists with education of transportation processes and identification of issues and needs for future projects. To learn more about HARPO, click here.
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Rural planning funds have been approved to extend the Technical Assistance for Safety Project Planning (TASPP) project described in the "Transportation Planning" section above into the rural counties in HARPO. The project consultant and team will be reaching out to officials in Blount, Chilton, St. Clair, and Walker Counties to discuss the details of the study and solicit input on local safety needs. This work does not require matching funds from local governments.
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Thus far in 2022 Medicaid Waiver:
- Secured $20,000 in grant funds through the Lucille Besson Foundation to provide emergency assistance to members. These funds have been used to fulfill more than 100 emergent requests for our most at-risk aging population.
- The program has served 1,067 elderly or disabled individuals throughout the metropolitan area, saving approximately $75 million in funding.
To learn more about the Medicaid Waiver program, click here.
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