The Mayor and Village Clerk of Steger and the newly appointed members of the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals participated in a Plan Commissioner training session with representatives of the Village of Crete, Village of South Chicago Heights and Crete Township. The session was in the Steger Village Hall on August 28, 2017.

The session was co-sponsored by the APA-IL, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), and the Chaddick Institute at DePaul University. Trainers were Bob Sullivan, FAICP and Laurie Marston, FAICP. Since it was a small group of ten, the session covered the typical topics in an informal discussion format. Among the numerous questions asked by participants were:

• How do you regulate home occupations or regulatesigns on commercial vehicles?

• Should single family homes be non-conforming in a commercial district?

• What is the best way to review zoning requests from religious institutions?

• How can the downtown zoning district encourage mixed use development?

• What are the best means to maintain community character?

At the conclusion of each session the commissioners are asked to complete an anonymous evaluation form. The commissioners described the most helpful topics as:

• Responsibilities of a commissioner

• Reasons to approve or deny a variation or special use

• Open Meetings Act

• Ex parte

• Conflict of interest

• Resources for commissioners

PHOTOS ABOVE: Bob Sullivan, FAICP presents at the Village of Steger on August 28, 2017. Photos by Laurie Marston, FAICP, DePaul University, Chaddick Institute, APA-IL Plan Commissioner Training Faculty.

Interested in our plan commissioner training for your officials?

We're offering a training session at our upcoming 2017 APA-IL State Conference in Naperville. All commissioners, boards, elected officials, and staff are welcome to attend! For more information on this opportunity, please visit: http://www.ilapa.org/2017-apail-state-conference

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