[CTPP] RE: MPO's Areas with More Than One Urbanized Area

We have two separate urbanized areas within our MPO boundaries. This is not an easy issue for our region (Fredericksburg Area MPO: FAMPO) when it involves federal funding issues, while modeling the region is quite straightforward. Washington (DC-MD-VA) TMA urbanized area boundary which was out of our region in 1990 Census was expanded to a part of our region (north Stafford county) due to 2000 Census. This created two separate urbanized areas in FAMPO planning region: one is for the Stafford portion of Washington TMA and the other for Fredericksburg area. See the maps: http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/ua_washington.pdf http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/ua_fredericksburg.pdf Due to this change, in 2004, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) and the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) entered into a cooperative agreement which identifies the roles and responsibilities for cooperatively conducting the metropolitan planning and programming process. The agreement was entered into to resolve the matter of having a portion of the Washington TMA urbanized area boundary extend into the northern portion of Stafford County. FAMPO is a non-TMA, and the agreement commits FAMPO to be responsible for meeting the TMA responsibilities for planning and programming requirements within the Washington TMA Urbanized Area of Stafford County. The agreement also requires coordination between both organizations with respect to the development of the Congestion Management Process, the Unified Planning Work Program, and during federal certification reviews. Specifically, as it pertain to the coordination of planning activities, the agreement states that, " TPB and FAMPO will maintain coordinated, cooperative, and continuing planning processes. TPB and FAMPO shall coordinate their planning processes and produce required planning documents on the same cycle, as determined by TPB's current planning cycle." We recognized that some disconnect between the coordination and cooperation initiatives that were contained in the agreement and what was actually being practiced. Therefore, we are under the revision of the agreement. David J-H. LEE, Ph.D. Principal Planner Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization / George Washington Regional Commission (540) 373-2890 From: ctpp-news-bounces(a)chrispy.net [mailto:ctpp-news-bounces@chrispy.net] On Behalf Of Allen, Robert Sent: Friday, January 07, 2011 9:48 AM To: &#39;ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net&#39; Subject: [CTPP] RE: MPO's Areas with More Than One Urbanized Area I am aware of several MPOs in Texas that have more than one urbanized area under a single MPO. For example, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Galveston, and Austin all have a TMA and one or more smaller urbanized areas in the same MPO area. Midland-Odessa and Beaumont-Port Arthur each have more than one non-TMA and no TMA. The keys are the amount of travel interactivity among the urbanized areas, the reasonableness of having separate plans for transportation systems for the urbanized areas, and in the case of smaller urbanized areas, the feasibility of funding a separate planning organization. However, regardless of the objective rationales for integrating transportation systems planning among urbanized areas in the same metropolitan area, there are often political rivalries that must be carefully negotiated and all public decisions are ultimately made in a political context. Robert R. Allen, AICP Abilene MPO Transportation Planning Director 400 Oak St. #102, Abilene, TX 79602 Phone 325-676-6243 Fax 325-676-6398 From: ctpp-news-bounces(a)chrispy.net [mailto:ctpp-news-bounces@chrispy.net] On Behalf Of Smith, Robert Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2011 4:59 PM To: ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net Subject: [CTPP] MPO's Areas with More Than One Urbanized Area CTTP List Serv: I was wondering if there are any MPO's out there that have more than one urbanized area in your area and if so how is this handled? I am also seeking opinions of other MPO professionals about the pro's and con's of having two in one MPO area, especially if they are not contiguous to each other based on the urban area criteria. Thanks, Robert Robert E. Smith Jr. Senior Transportation Planner, MPO Administrator Planning and Development Department Transportation Planning Division Head City of Montgomery/MPO Intermodal Transportation Facility 495 Molton Street Montgomery, AL 36104 Phone: (334) 241-2249 Fax: (334) 241-2326 Email: rsmith@montgomeryal.gov<mailto:rsmith@montgomeryal.gov> City of Montgomery website: http://montgomeryal.gov/index.aspx?page=205 MPO website: http://www.montgomerympo.org