VOICE Omaha » Beltway

Public Transportation Meeting – MAPA

robbnansel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:07:40 +0000

The Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) is reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) every 4 years. Part of this review process involves a public meeting where the community can voice it’s concerns about MAPA. The public meeting is next Monday March 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the MAPA offices, 2222 Cuming Street. This is a good chance for YOU to give feedback to MAPA.

While your at it, take a look at the MAPA Beltway Study and give them your feedback on that proposed project as well.

Here is the official notice.

PUBLIC NOTICE
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will be in Omaha March 15 and 16 for a federal certification review of the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA), which is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Omaha-Council Bluffs region. The review will cover MAPA’s transportation planning process and the effectiveness of that process.

A public input meeting has been scheduled for Monday evening, March 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the MAPA offices, 2222 Cuming Street in Omaha.

Major elements to be discussed include organization and management of the planning process, planning agreements and the cooperative process, planning factors, public involvement, project selection, and financial constraint. Products of the planning process – The Long Range Plan, TIP, and Unified Work program – will also be discussed.

If you are unable to attend this meeting and would like to comment, please send written comments to Paul Mullen, MAPA Executive Director at:

Metropolitan Area Planning Agency

2222 Cuming Street

Omaha, Nebraska 68102-4328

or e-mail paul_mullen@mapacog.org

PBS Documentary: Road to the Future

robbnansel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:17:07 +0000

This PBS documentary explores how other cities have dealt with, and continue to deal with, transportation planning and how their choices affect their cities. There is a lot of interesting information about Denver’s beltway and Portland’s mass transit, both of which are very relevant to the conversations happening in Omaha now.

Blueprint America: Road to the Future, an original documentary part of a PBS multi-platform series on the country’s aging and changing infrastructure, goes to three very different American cities — Denver, New York and Portland, and their surrounding suburbs — to look at each as an example of the challenges and possibilities the country faces as citizens, local and federal officials, and planners struggle to manage a growing America with innovative transportation and sustainable land use policies.

VOICE Public Meeting Rescheduled: January 26th at the Bemis Center

laboratoryrecords — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:10:18 +0000

Happy New Year! We are excited to announce that we’ve recovered from the holidays and have all the details for the rescheduled VOICE membership meeting in order and ready for public consumption. We’ll have a great lineup of panelists on hand at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts on Tuesday January 26, 2010 at 6:00 p.m.

Our panel discussion and meeting will focus on how Omaha’s urban design and development patterns affect our community’s equal opportunity and social mobility. You identified these two issues as the most important during our first membership meeting a few months ago. They are unquestionably linked, and our discussion will dig deeper into how the growth of our city is impacting those who are less fortunate.

Some of you may have seen The Reader’s December article focused on the beltway being proposed by MAPA. Such a project is a perfect example of the kinds of development patterns that need to be closely scrutinized. Such an investment will have long-lasting ramifications on our city.

During our membership meeting, we will learn more about the relationship between urban development and social mobility to ensure we’re all educated on the issue. We will then have a membership discussion about what action, if any, we as an organization should take as it relates to this issue. We hope you will attend to help ensure your voice is heard and we’re moving in the right direction.

VOICE PUBLIC MEETING
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
All Ages Welcome
6:00 PM Doors
6:30 Meeting

Featured Panelists:
- Rick Cunningham, City of Omaha Planning Director
- Connie Spellman, Executive Director, Omaha by Design
- Willie Barney, President, Empower Omaha
- Jamie Grayson-Berglund, Director of Community Development, Greater Omaha Chamber

See you there!