Transportation Planning

As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Rogue Valley MPO and Middle Rogue MPO, RVCOG is responsible for coordinating the development of the region’s transportation plans and processes. This responsibility includes providing technical modeling of the transportation system to local governments; facilitating the interaction of federal, state, and local agencies regarding transportation issues; management of regional conformity with federal air quality standards; preparation of financial analysis and project programming; and providing opportunities for public involvement.

Specifically, the MPOs are responsible for 4 primary federally-mandated tasks:

Regional Transportation Plan

(long range)

Addresses the region’s projects, programs and policies for the next 20 years
Transportation Improvement Program

(short-range)

Biennial 4-year program for highway and transit improvements to be built
Air Quality Conformity Determination Required for every RTP and TIP to show that the MPO is within the emissions budget as determined in the State Implementation Plan
Unified Planning Work Program The comprehensive one-year planning program that describes and coordinates the individual transportation planning activities of member agencies

 

For more information about the MPOs:

Middle Rogue MPO

Rogue Valley MPO

Land Use Planning

The program staffs current planning and long-range planning projects for the local governments in Jackson and Josephine Counties. Examples of services the program provides include developing planning or zoning ordinance amendments, coordinating periodic review, and managing special studies.

Regional Problem Solving

Collaborative regional problem solving, enacted by the Oregon legislature in 1996, established a process through which local governments may seek to solve regional problems through a cooperative process. As part of the this process, existing land use regulations are examined in relation to the regional problems of the area. After collaboration with state agencies that would be affected by any changes proposed by the community and local government, amendments may be made to comprehensive plans and land use regulations aimed at solving identified problems. Such solutions as may be found can be approved even if they do not meet the literal terms of administrative rules, so long as they conform, on the whole, with the statewide planning process. Visit the Jackson County Development Services Regional Problem Solving Plan page for more information.