History
20th century
Regional Planning Federation of the Philadelphia Tri-State District
In 1928, the Regional Planning Federation of the Philadelphia Tri-State District, was formed as the first planning commission for theRegional Citizens Committee
In the mid-1970s, the Regional Citizens Committee (RCC) was formed as the result of a federal mandate; it was initially structured as three committees focusing on the issues of transportation, housing, and the environment. In 1980, the three committees were merged into one and since that time the RCC has functioned as an advisory committee to the Board. In 1984, the RCC Chair was given a seat at the Board table in an advisory capacity. The RCC was structured to fulfill three goals: *To identify those members of key regional organizations who could convey the message heard at RCC meetings to other individuals, thus building a grassroots consensus for DVRPC initiatives; *To review ongoing DVRPC activities and program and provide input on public policy within the purview of DVRPC; and *To work cooperatively with the Board and staff to implement the public participation requirements mandated by federal transportation legislation. The RCC was originally composed of citizen members, advocates for special interests, and regional organizations. DVRPC was subsequently designated as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for its nine-county planning region in southeastern21st century
In February 2011, DVRPC unveiled "Eating Here: Greater Philadelphia’s Food System Plan" and announced $500,000 in implementation grants at an event at Reading Terminal Market. Attendees included over 100 regional policy makers, farmers, preservation experts, hunger advocates, and small business owners. The Plan is the result of a two-year collaborative effort to provide recommendations to increase the security and economic, social, and environmental benefits of the regional food system. DVRPC also announced $500,000 in grants, made possible with funding from the William Penn Foundation. DVRPC Board Chair and Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel presented "Plate of Distinction" Awards to seven local organizations already working to achieve the recommendations laid out in the plan. These organizations are: *The Common Market *Fair Food *Greensgrow Farms *Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) *Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) *SHARE Food Programs *Weavers Way Community Programs. On July 19, 2011, the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records (OOR) determined that DVRPC was covered under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) of 2008 and was therefore required to provide access to public records in its possession. In response to several requests for information from the Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition (PA-TEC), DVRPC previously argued that it was exempt from the state law, as it was a multi-state agency that did not perform any essential function, despite being funded almost entirely by taxpayers. The OOR overruled DVRPC's assessment, stating that the RTKL eliminated the requirement than an entity perform an essential governmental function in order to be considered an agency. The OOR had further determined that members of PA-TEC, despite repeated attempts to obtain information from DVRPC, had not engaged in disruptive behavior, which the DVRPC stated had “a chilling effect” on citizen participation because they "involve e-mails exchanged with leaders of the RCC, who aren't employees of the commission." The OOR ordered the DVRPC to comply with PA-TEC's request and release all documents the group has requested; DVPRC initially waived its right to appeal the decision in Commonwealth court. The ruling had serious consequences concerning the workings of the DVRPC. Documents produced by the DVRPC were presumed public, resulting in the commission only able to refuse the release documents under certain narrow exceptions spelled out in the RTKL. PlanPhilly.com called the decision "a landmark ruling." The DVRPC eventually appealed the ruling to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, which overturned the OOR decision on October 3, 2012, on the basis that the planning organization "is not a 'commonwealth agency' under the Law because it does not perform an essential governmental function." In February 2011, RCC President John Pawson was instructed by the DVRPC Executive Committee to step down; he died the following February. On March 8, 2011, members of the RCC were notified by Committee Chairwoman Aissia Richardson that voting rights for members were being revoked on the Action Task Force subcommittee, which votes and comments on transportation projects (Transportation Improvement Program IPAction Items), and had been redistributed to selected members chosen by the RCC executive committee and unknown DVRPC employees. A records request under Pennsylvania State Law by PA-TEC revealed that the reassignment of voting rights was undocumented and done out of public view. This occurred after months of RCC deliberations over SEPTA parking garage projects, commuter rail expansion, and prioritization of transportation funding. Despite several attempts, including a formal right-to-know request, DVRPC did not produce any records documenting the suspension and redistribution of voting rights at the RCC's Action Task Force, or alterations to the federally mandated Public Participation Plan. On May 17, 2011, the meeting opened with Aissia Richardson reading a statement about diversity, Nazi concentration camps, and insisting her name be spelled and pronounced correctly each and every time she was addressed (demanding repeatedly "say my name, say it for the record!"). This was followed with a series of personal attacks against members of PA-TEC by vice chairman Jim Richardson, telling one member "go screw yourself!" and another "the next time this comes up in ''any'' context, you and I are gonna talk about it on the sidewalk!" Former RCC member Tom McHugh later commented at the January 27, 2012 DVRPC Board Meeting that PA-TEC members were "villainized by the executive committee." In November 2011, the DVRPC disbanded the RCC and replaced it with a citizens group. Membership was composed of appointees chosen by member counties and others selected by DVRPC staff.Organization and leadership
In April 2006, Barry Seymour was selected by the DVRPC Board as the new executive director, replacing John Coscia, who had been the executive director since 1982. In December 2022, Ariella Maron was selected by the DVRPC Board as the new executive director, replacing Barry Seymour, who had been the exectutive director since 2006. DVRPC produces a long range plan every four years. The current long range plan is titled ''Connections, the Long-Range Plan for a Sustainable Future''. DVRPC currently employs approximately 120 full-time staff.Counties served
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