The Latest News from PA Chapter of APA…
Thanksgiving is almost here, and we’re grateful that there are so many dedicated planners across Pennsylvania working on important issues, like housing, transportation, the environment, community development, and economic development. Read on to learn more about how the conference went, who our award winners were, recaps of past events, upcoming opportunities for CM credits, and a fond farewell to our former newsletter editor, Brian O’Leary. Enjoy!
APA PA Conference Recap
Over 300 planners attended the conference in Erie, PA in October. We ask two planners—one newer planner and one certified planner—to share their experiences attending the conference. Here’s what they had to say.
“As a newer transportation planner, I look forward to attending the APA-PA conference every year. While I enjoyed all of the conference sessions, two sessions were particularly helpful in my professional development. The panel in the session “So… You Want to be a Planner” was incredibly lively and encouraged me to get excited about planning, as well as helping me better understand other fields of planning beyond transportation. I also found the session “AICP: Is This Certification for You?” to be very informative. The session taught me how the AICP certification could help with my professional growth and also provided insight into what to expect from the AICP exam. I appreciated the chance to network with other planners, attend a variety of workshops, and learn about successful projects happening in other parts of the state. Overall, the conference gave me a variety of tools that I can directly apply to my work moving forward.”
—Jonathan Shaw, Transportation Planning Manager, NEPA Alliance
“The Annual PA Chapter conference is a great opportunity to carve out time with colleagues to learn from one another and push our practice to the next level. This year’s conference was no exception. This year’s keynote speaker, Phil Myrick, shared poignant insights related to the hardscape and softscape of planning in the built environment — encouraging thoughtful, ecological, and inviting design which is so critical to activating public spaces and downtowns. We had the opportunity to meet with key leadership in DCED and hear the latest housing policy initiatives and priorities from the Shapiro Administration. Our team was proud to sponsor the APA PA conference and always looks forward to the rich content and valuable time with our Pennsylvania planning colleagues.”
—Amy Murdock, AICP, Senior Director of Planning, Altair Real Estate Services
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APA PA Annual Award Winners
On October 14, 2024, the American Planning Association Pennsylvania Chapter held its Annual Awards Luncheon in Erie, Pennsylvania, where over 320 attendees celebrated the esteemed award winners of this year’s highly competitive program. Read full press release.
- Award for a Plan: City of Erie Historic Preservation Plan
- Award for a Plan: Vision Zero: Hunting Park
- Award for a Project, Program or Practice: Allegheny Together
- Award for a Leader – Distinguished Service: Patty Elkis
Pennsylvania Land Use Law Update: Appellate Cases from 2023-2024
December 4 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
The webinar will provide Pennsylvania appellate cases will be presented in traditional lecture format as well as interactively with hypotheticals to demonstrate how a recent case decided the outcome. Cases will cover topics related to zoning (variances, special exceptions, and conditional uses) and subdivision & land development (plan approvals, modifications, challenges). Practice points distilled from each case will be emphasized. Speakers include Leah Eppinger and Charlie Suhr.
Deadline to register is Tuesday, December 3.
CM law credit is pending approval. You must attend the webinar live to earn CM credit.
If you’re interested in sponsoring a Webinar Wednesday or have a session for Webinar Wednesday, please contact us. Send your request to info@planningpa.org
Planning Webcast Series
Earn over 50 CM credits each year online – at no cost to members of participating organizations that support the Planning Webcast Series. Webcasts take place live on Fridays from 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET and are worth 1.5 CM credits (for live viewing only) unless otherwise noted. More information online.
PMPEI
The Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Education Institute will be offering courses online and in person. Please check the website for the most up to date schedule.
Opportunities for Giving
Each year the Chapter offers a scholarship to support individuals seeking funds for academic degree programs, internships, and professional development activities. If anyone would like to contribute to the Chapter’s Scholarship fund, donations can be made here. We accept all major credit cards, or you can send a check. Please make your check payable to “PA Chapter of APA Scholarship Fund” and mail it to P.O. Box 4680, Harrisburg PA 17111.
Pennsylvania Housing Action Plan Survey
On September 12, 2024, Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2024-03, directing the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), in collaboration with other agencies and stakeholders, to develop a comprehensive Housing Action Plan to help ease the burden of high housing costs in Pennsylvania. DCED has created a survey to help collect public input as part of the development of the Housing Action Plan. Please take the survey here (also available en Español), and share it with your colleagues, community, family, and friends.
Lehigh Valley/Berks Section Annual Holiday Party
By Craig Beavers, CFM, CZO
On Thursday, December 5th, the Lehigh Valley/Berks Section will have their Annual Holiday Party at 6:00 PM at HOPS Fogelsville Hotel. The Section will be ringing in the season with a holiday party and social get-together to celebrate 2024! Network and mingle with fellow planners from across our section and enjoy a free open bar and heavy appetizers. This event is free! Tickets are available online.
Southeast Section Annual Event
By Christina Arlt, AICP
The Southeast Section Annual Event took place on Thursday, November 7, 2024 at the Center for DesignPhiladelphia. The theme was The Future of Housing: Planning, Development, and Zoning Solutions in Southeast Pennsylvania. Leah Eppinger, AICP moderated the panel, which featured Vincent Reina from the University of Pennsylvania, Emily Dowdall from The Reinvestment Fund, Milton Pratt Jr. of the Michaels Development Company, and Rebecca Ross of Delaware County. They shared how planners can be part of the solution to the housing crisis, nationally and locally. It was a great opportunity for networking and socializing with planners, students, and other related professionals. View the entire album of photos from the event on Facebook. Listen to the housing-themed Spotify playlist. If you attended, you can log your CM credits here.
Southwest Section Events Recap
By Carrie Machuga, AICP
The Southwest Section held two events focused on community revitalization this year. In April, the section gathered in New Kensington to hear from major players working to revitalize the city. Representatives from Penn State – New Kensington, the City of New Kensington, Westmoreland County IDC, and local developers and community leaders spoke about the collaboration among all partners to revitalize downtown New Kensington, progress that has been made, lessons learned, and what is next to keep growing and revitalizing.
On October 2, the section presented the second of the two-part series. The event featured Jeff Siegler, Founder of Revitalize or Die. Jeff discussed Mt Lebanon’s comprehensive plan, including its foundational public engagement and input and future implementation planning. Attendees even had the opportunity to tour the commercial corridor, view their streetscape improvements, and hear about future placemaking efforts.
Happy Retirement to an APA PA Super Star!
By Amy Evans, AICP
Planners in the southeastern part of the state probably know Brian O’Leary from his almost 30 years at the Montgomery County Planning Commission, and most recently, his nine years as Executive Director of the Chester County Planning Commission.
Brian has also been an APA Pennsylvania mainstay, serving the Chapter in many different ways throughout his career. Brian is a long-time member of the Chapter Awards and Communications & Membership Committees, has held various offices within the Chapter Board and the Southeast Section, and served two terms as the President of APA Pennsylvania starting in 2012.
One of Brian’s more unsung contributions to the Chapter is his service as editor of the Chapter e-newsletter. For the past several years, Brian has diligently gathered materials for the e-newsletter, edited and proofed the articles of others, and penned the introduction that ties everything together, on top of his frequent article contributions.
As Brian told his Chester County colleagues, “In my retirement, I am looking forward to enjoying the fruits of everyone’s labor, including riding my bike on the Chester Valley Trail over the Downingtown Trestle, participating in 250th anniversary events, viewing new interpretive signage at historic sites, watching attainable housing being built, taking the Amtrak train to Phoenixville for a movie and the SEPTA train to Coatesville for lunch, buying cheese and produce at newly-preserved farms, and driving to Lancaster County on a widened and improved Route 30.”
On behalf of the entire APA Pennsylvania Chapter, we thank Brian for his commitment to the planning profession and wish him well in achieving his retirement goals. Congratulations, Brian!
Communication and Membership Committee
We are always looking for volunteers to contribute articles for our monthly E-News and LinkedIn page. It’s a great way to share your work and local news with a statewide audience! Authors are credited with a by line and tagging on social media, if applicable. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Amy Evans or Amy McKinney.
For additional Chapter News, check out our LinkedIn page, Facebook page, X feed, and website.