A series of community meetings on Lehigh Valley population, work force, transportation and food supply continue through December.
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Envision Lehigh Valley is asking for public input on its Comprehensive Plan for the Lehigh Valley 2030.
Envision LV wants Lehigh Valley residents to have less commute and more community.
Members of Envision Lehigh Valley met with residents and participating organizations last week at the Fowler Family Southside Center in Bethlehem for input on the Comprehensive Plan for the Lehigh Valley 2030 and a sustainable communities plan.
“We don’t want to be considered a suburb of Philadelphia or New York City. We’d like to be recognized as a vibrant regional community,” said Rachel M. Bradshaw, director of Renew LV.
The group previously hosted a similar meeting at SteelStacks in July.
Connecting the economy, environment and community of the Lehigh Valley creates this sustainability. Envision LV plans to develop five specific plans by the end of the three-year grant in 2014: a Regional Sustainable Economic Development Plan, a Lehigh Valley Regional Affordable Housing Plan, a Jobs/Housing Balance Study, Climate and Energy Conservation Plan, and Fresh Food Access Plan.
Residents and organizations have a chance to come together toward a common goal, according to Bradshaw. While the strengths of the Lehigh Valley include a strong work force and natural resources, she said the community needs a more connected and concrete plan for its future.
The Lehigh Valley Research Consortium has analyzed more than 300 surveys, said director Michelle Deegan. The survey is available on the Envision LV website, which launched its new layout Thursday.
“There are continual loops for people to get involved in this,” Deegan said.
Economic development is of the most interest to the community, according to Deegan. The Lehigh Valley population is expected to grow by 33 percent by 2030, but the amount of open space has decreased by 22 percent since 1975.
Bradshaw said she intends to take a close look at upcoming meetings at ways to shorten workers’ commutes by creating more jobs in the area. With an 8.8 percent unemployment rate in the Lehigh Valley, young educated residents need a reason to stay, she said.
The increasing population requires more fresh food for a healthy community. Meanwhile, the average age of farmers in the Lehigh Valley has increased to 57.4 years.
Ellen Larmer, director of the Community Action Development Corp. of Bethlehem, has seen a trend toward organic food consumption. The farmers market at Lehigh University and the garden on top of Broughal Middle School show signs of a communal need for and interest in fresh food. The grant for Envision LV, she said, involves the Buy Fresh, Buy Local movement.
“That really supports micro-businesses and the mom-and-pop shops,” Larmer said.
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POPULATION BOOM
The Lehigh Valley is expected to grow by 188,700 people, or 72,000 households, by 2030.
Source: Envision LV
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GET INVOLVED
Envision LV meetings are scheduled for November and December.
- 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at the Forks Township Community Center
- 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 26 at the Mountainville Little League in Allentown
- 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 27 at the East Side Youth Center in Allentown
- 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at the West End Youth Center in Allentown
- 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Easton Area Community Center
- 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 11 at Southern Lehigh High School
- 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Goodwill Fire Co. No. 1 in Heidelberg Township
For more information, visit envisionlehighvalley.org.