Grand Valley Metropolitan Council (GVMC) is an alliance of governmental
units in the Grand Rapids, Michigan metropolitan area that are appointed
to plan for the growth and development, improve the quality of the communities
life, and coordinate governmental services.
Latest Developments
GVMC Sponsoring 2011 Grand Rapids Bicycle Summit - Do you want a more bicycle-friendly community? Come to this year's "Inspiration to Action" Bike Summit on Fri, May 6 8a.m.-4:30p.m. at the GVSU Eberhard Center. To register visit www.bikegrandrapids.org
GVMC Hosting "Planning and Designing On-Street Bicycle Facilities" Workshop - Planners, civil engineers, landscape architects, and local officials are invited to attend a 5-hour professional development workshop led by Seattle-based bicycle planner Peter Lagerwey, AICP, who has taught over 200 training courses on planning and designing bicycle and pedestrian friendly streets. GVMC is coordinating registration - more details coming soon!
GVMC Helps Create Jobs With US EPA Brownfield Grant
In 2010, GVMC received a $400,000 Brownfield Assessment Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The purpose of the Grant is to inventory, assess, and promote the redevelopment of Brownfield properties along and near South Division Avenue, from downtown Grand Rapids to 68th street. This corridor contains the proposed Silver Line bus rapid transit route.
The EPA Brownfield Grant program is a mature, proven program that assists communities, property owners, businesses, and developers to acquire, redevelop, and safely re-use Brownfield properties. We are conducting the studies more efficiently by grouping properties. As of January, 2011 our consultant, NTH Consultants, Ltd has conducted Phase I and Phase II studies on approximately 50 sites. That work has facilitated redevelopment projects that are in progress.
This program complements the Brownfield programs of Wyoming, Kentwood and Wyoming. The work is guided by an advisory committee comprised of staff from Wyoming, Kentwood, Grand Rapids, Gaines, the Rapid, the Right Place, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Rapids Foundation.
The project will also create a gis layer on the REGIS public web site to aid development efforts. Click here for more...
METRO COUNCIL HOSTS A VERY SUCCESSFUL BREAKFAST MEETING WITH WEST MICHIGAN LEGISLATORS – A special meeting of the GVMC Legislative Committee on Monday January 24, 2011 enabled county and local officials in the Metro Council region to engage in frank and productive conversations with nine West Michigan lawmakers Click here to continue reading
GVMC 2011 Transportation Asset Program Pavement Condition Report - Continued under investment in the core transportation infrastructure combined with the loss of buying power for local municipalities has resulted in the worst pavement conditions in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area since the Grand Valley Metro Council (GVMC), the transportation metropolitan planning organization for the Grand Rapids metro area, started doing pavement management surveys 15 years ago. That is the conclusion of a detailed report on pavement conditions prepared by the staff of the GVMC, which also found that If this region continues down the path we are currently on the transportation infrastructure throughout Metro Grand Raids will suffer dire consequences. Click here for the executive summary and Click here (9.4 MB) for the full report.
2035 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) Comment Period and Public
Stakeholder Meetings - GVMC is currently developing the
2035
LRTP update and invites public comment on the draft document and on the Air Quality Conformity Analysis results. Please consider attending any of Draft Review meetings, scheduled between January 17-20, 2011.
For information about meeting times and locations or to view the
Draft 2035 LRTP document, visit the LRTP page or visit GVMC offices. Comments will be accepted through
Jan. 30, 2011. Please feel free to email
or call Andrea Dewey, Transportation Planner, at 616-776-7601 with comments or questions.
Transportation
Rally at the State Capital - Jamming the Three Levels
of the State Capitol Rotunda in Lansing on Tuesday May 4, 2010,
more than 400 transportation funding advocates called for legislative
action on a package of bills that would increase motor fuels
taxes to fund improvements to roads, bridges and public transportation
systems across the state. The groups – representing
a who’s who of transportation system users across Michigan
-- announced that over the last three months, they have
collected 5,000 signatures on a petition that urges lawmakers
to increase taxes gasoline and diesel fuel in order to restore
road, bridge and public transportation funding.
Advocates of increasing the gasoline tax had hoped to get legislation
(HB 5768, HB 5769 and HB 5770)out of the Michigan House before
spring this year, but the package has been stalled by the press
of other business and election year politics. That package would
raise the gasoline tax from 19 cents per gallon to 23 cents
with the tax then rising to 27 cents in 2013.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) said after
the rally that a gas tax hike vote is "not on our timeline"
before the election. That means transportation funding advocates,
including the Grand Valley Metro Council, must wait for a legislative
vote on a funding package until after the election in the post-November
Lame Duck legislative session.
Michigan is not raising enough transportation money from its
19-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax to meet a federal match requirement
in Fiscal Year 2011. The state is about $80 million short of
meeting the federal match requirement, and without it, Michigan
will lose $500 million in federal transportation improvement
funding next fiscal year and $2 billion over the next five.
House Transportation Committee Chair Rep. Pam Byrnes (D-Chelsea)
and Rep. Dick Ball (R-Laingsburg) have proposed legislation
increasing the gas tax four cents in 2010 and four more cents
in 2013. The 15-cent-a-gallon diesel tax would rise six cents
in 2010 and another six cents in 2013 under the package.
Draft 2011-14 TIP and 2035 LRTP Amendment Public
Meetings - The Grand Valley Metro Council will
be hosting two public meetings to seek comments on the Draft Fiscal
Year 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and an
amendment to the 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP):
Monday, May, 3, 2010
- 5:00 PMto encourage
public comment on the Draft TIP list of projects and deficient
road segments, and Tuesday, May 18, 2010
- 5:00 PM to encourage public comment
on the Air Quality Conformity Analysis results and Environmental
Justice review, and 2035 LRTP amendment.
Both meetings are at the GVMC Offices and are
open to the public. The public comment period concludes
June 1, 2010.
The TIP describes transportation priorities for investment
over the next 4 years in Kent and E. Ottawa Co. and the LRTP
describes investments for the next 25 years. Both the Draft
TIP and amendment to the LRTP require an air quality conformity
analysis.
GVMC
Federal Re-Certification Public Meeting - An opportunity
for you to talk directly with the Federal Highway Administration
and the Federal Transit Administration in an open public meeting
concerning your views on the transportation planning process in
the Grand Rapids area is scheduled for:
Time: 7:00pm
Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Place: Grand Valley Metropolitan Council Conference
Room
678 Front Avenue, Suite 200
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
To submit comments, for more details, or if you require
aid or special services to attend please click
here or call (616) 776-3876.
Public
Participation Plan (PPP) - Interested about getting involved
in the transportation planning
process? GVMC is seeking public comment on the MPO's
Public Participation Plan. This plan is the basic framework
for the GVMC transportation planning public involvement process
and is an update to the 2006 document. For more information
or to comment on the PPP, please contact Andrea
Dewey or call (616) 776-7601.
I-196 will be reconstructed
from the Grand River bridge easterly to Fuller Ave. beginning
April 12, 2010. For more project information or to read
about closures and detours, please visit the Michigan Dept.
of Transportation website here...
Long Range Transportation Plan Amendment
– GVMC is seeking input on proposed changes
to the 2035 Long
Range Transportation Plan and the resulting Air
Quality Conformity Analysis. A complete list
of projects and a revised Air
Quality Conformity Analysis are available by clicking the
hyperlinks. Please direct any comments by Feb. 12, 2010 to: GVMC,
Andrea Dewey, Transportation
Planner, 678 Front Ave NW, Suite 200, Grand Rapids, MI 49504,
(616) 776-7601 or Fax (616) 774-9292. Comments are also always
welcome at the regularly scheduled Policy
Committee meeting: Feb. 17, 2010 9:30-10:30 am at
the Kent County Road Commission, 1500 Scribner NW, Grand
Rapids.
Public
Notice of GVMC Grant Application - GVMC has prepared
an application for Federal Section 5304, Statewide Planning (Service
Development and New Technology Program) funds for fiscal year
2010. GVMC ensures that work and hiring relating to the study
will be done without regard to race, color, or national origin
in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The
application is available at our offices during regular business
hours or may be viewed by clicking here.
For more information or to submit comments, contact Andrea
Dewey, Transportation Planner, (616) 776-7601.
2035
Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) Update - GVMC is
updating our LRTP beginning with the collection of Socio-Economic
Data (pop and employment) projections for use in the transportation
model. GVMC transportation and planning staff will be holding
5 Subregional meetings to collect this data and facilitate cross-jurisdictional
planning. For more information about the meeting dates and
location click here
The
Grand Valley Metropolitan Council offices are moving on July 7,
2009, to the Riverview Building, 678 Front Ave. N.W., Suite 200,
Grand Rapids, MI 49504. Phone numbers, fax numbers and
e-mail addresses for all staff members will remain the same.
American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 for more information click
here.
Travel
Time Study - A travel time study was initiated in 2007
with an objective of providing travel time and speed data for
the travel demand model. A second objective of this study is to
provide congestion indicator for use in subsequent congestion
management process. GVMC will conduct travel time study every
2-3 years. To view the map click the links below. - Full Travel
Time Report - Off Peak Travel Time - Am Peak Travel
Time - PM Peak Travel
Time
Regional Transit in West Michigan? A study is underway
to examine the demand for new commuter and intercity bus services
connecting communities in Ottawa, Kent and Muskegon Counties.
You can help by taking a brief survey on-line at www.westmichigantransitsurvey.info
and be entered in a drawing to receive one of several $25 gift
cards.Metropolitan Development Blueprint Award
It’s time once again for showing off all the wonderful work being
done throughout the region. Applications are now being taken for
the Metropolitan Development Blueprint Award. The MDB Awarded
is given each year to worthy projects meeting our measures of
excellence in urban design, environmental design, regional collaboration,
effective regulatory solutions, public involvement and other planning,
development and community leadership efforts. For more information,
click here…
GVMC
Bicycle Lane Liability Workshop - Wednesday, Dec. 3 GVMC
hosted a presentation on pedestrian and bicycle roadway design.
Guest speakers included Josh DeBruyn, MDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian
Coordinator, Ronald W. Emery, Assist. Attorney General representing
MDOT, and Deirdre Thompson, MDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety
Engineer. To view their liability presentation click here...
GVMC Creates New, Regional Watershed Organization to Serve West Michigan - By unanimous vote, the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council has created the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW), a region-wide, collaborative association of counties, municipalities, businesses, educational institutions, philanthropic organizations and individuals dedicated to restoring, enhancing and protecting water quality in the Lower Grand River and its tributaries. more...
2007 Federally-Obligated Projects List - GVMC has released is 2007 Obligated Projects List which outlines all transportation projects which used Federal transportation funds in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area in 2007. more...
The Grand Valley Metropolitan Council has adopted, by unanimous vote, a major policy statement on State Budget and Taxation issues and has urged West Michigan to carefully consider the views of GVMC-member counties and communities as they work to solve the state's structural budget and economic problems. more...
GVMC Unveils Michigan's First Advanced Technology Tool to Analyze Pavement Conditions - Grand Valley Metropolitan Council's Mobile Pavement Management System (PaMS), a new advanced technology tool to gather data on pavement conditions and help local and state officials make better decisions about road repairs and reconstruction is now in service in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. more...
West Michigan Toolkit for Local Green Inventories - The
Local communities in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area wishing
to protect important natural features, now have another tool in
their tool box! GVMC and the Land Conservancy of West Michigan
have developed a new guideline entitled the “ West Michigan
Tool Kit for Local Green Inventories.”more......!!
Grand Valley Metropolitan Council
678 Front St NW, Suite 200
• Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504
Phone: (616) 77-METRO (776-3876)• Fax: (616) 774-9292
GVMC Board Meetings can be seen on GRTV Charter Communications Channel
24 the second Tuesday and Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Plus, starting
November 17th on Rogueview Community TV (RCTV) Charter Communications Channel
22 on Mondays at 11:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Transportation
Rally at the State Capital - Jamming the Three Levels
of the State Capitol Rotunda in Lansing on Tuesday May 4, 2010,
more than 400 transportation funding advocates called for legislative
action on a package of bills that would increase motor fuels
taxes to fund improvements to roads, bridges and public transportation
systems across the state. The groups – representing
a who’s who of transportation system users across Michigan
-- announced that over the last three months, they have
collected 5,000 signatures on a petition that urges lawmakers
to increase taxes gasoline and diesel fuel in order to restore
road, bridge and public transportation funding. 
GVMC Unveils Michigan's First Advanced Technology Tool to Analyze Pavement Conditions - Grand Valley Metropolitan Council's Mobile Pavement Management System (PaMS), a new advanced technology tool to gather data on pavement conditions and help local and state officials make better decisions about road repairs and reconstruction is now in service in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area.