Dayton, OH – The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) was the recipient of the “Sustainable Community of the Year Award” presented by the Greater Dayton Partners for the Environment at their 2016 Celebration Banquet on October 5, 2016, held at the Vernot Ecological Center at Glen Helen in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
MVRPC was selected as the recipient due to the extensive work on developing both the Miami Valley Bike Plan Update 2015 and the 2016 Open Space Plan.
“The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission is honored to receive this award. One of MVRPC’s goals is to preserve and enhance our valuable ecosystem services that benefit our residents. Both of these projects coincide with this goal,” explained MVRPC’s Executive Director, Brian O. Martin, AICP.
Martin further explained, “Completing our Region’s bikeway network, by including bike-friendly amenities/facilities on roadways, will make cycling safer and even more popular. This plan outlined recommended improvements such as protected bike lanes, cycle tracks, and advanced intersection treatments, that make sharing the road more comfortable for cyclists and motorists. MVRPC is committed to assisting our member jurisdictions build a complete network for cyclists, and the Miami Valley Bike Plan Update 2015 serves as a guide for accomplishing this goal.”
The 2016 Open Space Plan includes an overview of past Open Space plans and reports, an assessment of the current Open Space inventory, and a visioning analysis for identification of priority locations for future conservation. It covers seven counties: Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Warren. Open Space is land that is constrained, in some way, from traditional residential and commercial development. These areas are places like parks and recreation facilities, public plazas, historic sites, agriculture and environmental easements.
“Throughout 2015, MVRPC partnered with Greater Dayton Partners for the Environment, and agencies across a seven-county area, to inventory, assess, and plan for the future of Open Space in the Miami Valley. Open Space preservation, including both natural area conservation and farmland preservation, is a tool for managing and shaping regional development to preserve both urban and rural character for future generations. With an average of 110 acres per 1000 residents, Open Spaces are vital to our quality of life here in the Miami Valley,” said Martin.
The Partners for the Environment is an alliance of environmental organizations, government and civic organizations, and public and private educational institutions. These organizations share the common goal of protecting, restoring, preserving, and promoting the environmental and agricultural resources of the Great Miami River and Little Miami River Watersheds, an 18-county region in southwest Ohio.
Established in 1964, the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission promotes collaboration among communities, stakeholders, and residents to advance regional priorities. MVRPC is a forum and resource where the Board of Directors identifies priorities and develops public policy and collaborative strategies to improve quality of life throughout the Miami Valley Region. MVRPC performs various regional planning activities, including air quality, water quality, transportation, land use, research and GIS. As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), MVRPC is responsible for transportation planning in Greene, Miami and Montgomery Counties and parts of northern Warren County. MVRPC's areawide water quality planning designation encompasses five (5) counties: Darke, Preble plus the three MPO counties.
For more information about the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, please contact Executive Director, Brian O. Martin, AICP, at 937.223.6323, or via email at bmartin@mvrpc.org
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Photo: Jeff Thomas, Warren Soil & Water Conservation District