Michigan Planner e-dition

Michigan Association of Planning

January 2012

Greetings!

Happy New Year!

The Michigan Chapter of the American Planning Association is excited to deliver to your in-box the January 2012 Michigan Planner E-dition.

This issue of the Michigan Planner E-dition highights not only upcoming educational events like TB3 and SI, and also the debut of a new series authored specifically for the E-dition, to help you keep your zoning codes relevant in this changing world. Check out this month's featured article and watch for future installments of MAP's new 2012 Zoning Series in the E-dition.

As always, we encourage you to share this information with other community staff and officials. Simply forward this email or print the articles, and pass these valuable resources along.

Thank you for your continued committment to the Michigan Association of Planning and these land use publications. Enjoy!

Featured Article | 2012 Zoning Series

Keeping Zoning Relevant:

Reimagining Development Regulations in a Changing World

By: Jim Breuckman, AICP

Manager of Planning, City of Rochester Hills

Streamlining. Expediting. Removing barriers. These terms have been used in connection with nearly every zoning ordinance update or amendment I have written or been involved in over the past 10 years. It is clear that there is a pervasive sense that zoning is somehow failing us by either preventing us from building the kind of communities that we want, or it is standing in the way of economic development and progress. This is the first article in a new series that will examine how zoning can be reformed to promote lively, vital, relevant and successful communities.

READ MORE...

Officially Yours

Reflections on the Master Planning Process

By: Bruce Ogilvie, MCP

Chair, City of Frankfort Planning Commission

Serious master planning takes time and preparation. In 2007, Frankfort faced the opportunity to plan. The challenge: How to use a volunteer planning commission without professional leadership or consultancy, to move from inertia to action.

Sign up now for MAP's second

Planning Commissioner's TOOLKIT webinar

for MEMBERS-ONLY

Thursday, January 19, 2012

noon to 1pm

Focusing on how to conduct effective meetings, MAP's Executive Director Andrea Brown, AICP, and Amy Chesnut, AICP of McKenna Associates, will cover what Planning Commissioner's need to know to keep meeting minutes and records, make motions and deliberate.

Learn the best way to maintain order, enforce procedures, and handle conflicts of interest and disputes in your community's meetings.

This hour long webinar also offers Q&A opportunities to address individual questions and concerns.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

This webinar series is free to members and is part 2 of a 4-part training program. Look for the other training modules in 2012.

This webinar is based on the Planning Commissioner's TOOLKIT publication, which contains additional foundational tools and best practices and is available for purchase. While the TOOLKIT is one of MAP's most popular publications it is not necessary to purchase the publication to gain valuable knowledge in the webinar.

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Do you want more information on a particular planning basic or hot trend? Let us know. We are always happy to take requests for article topics and value the opportunity to give members resources they need. E-mail lcarlson@planningmi.org with ideas and submissions.

In This Issue

2012 Zoning Series

Officially Yours

Planning Commissioner's TOOLKIT webinar

ZBA ZONE

ZBA ZONE

What is a ZBA?

A Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) is a quasi-judicial body authorized to hear and decide matters as required by the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act and the municipality's zoning ordinance.

ZBA's provide an opportunity for appeals and interpretations at the local level.

All actions of the ZBA are application driven. Decisions of the ZBA are final. A party aggrieved by a decision made by the ZBA may appeal to the circuit court in accordance with the procedures established by the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act.