On August 22nd Michael Blue, FAICP of Teska Associates and Dan Ungerleider, AICP the Community Development Director from the Village of Clarendon Hills, presented a Plan Commission Training Workshop in Beach Park, IL. The training was attended by 16 members of the Beach Park Plan Commission / Zoning Board, Village Trustees and staff.
The commissioners and trustees represented a range of tenure on the Commission or Board, as well as having lived in the community for a varied number of years. In fact, several members of the group had been involved in the Village’s incorporation in 1989. The evening was much more of a discussion than a presentation, with the participants raising many very good questions about incorporating the comprehensive plan into development deliberations, testimony, and findings of fact. These questions, in turn, led to a number of very thoughtful conversations.
Part of the training that each community is offered includes special topics. Communities can custom-build their training around particular issues they are facing, At the Village's request, discussions regarding Transit Oriented Development (TOD), site plan review, and sustainability were added to the traditional curriculum delivered by faculty.
The evening's in-depth questions and discussions illustrated the Village's well established process for development approval and commission meetings. One of the plan commissioner training goals is to provide an opportunity for officials to look at the big picture of what they do and the significance it has to the communities in which they live. Evaluation forms completed by the participants indicated they enjoyed the workshop and especially looking at the big picture. Attendees felt that they learned new concepts and tips related to their responsibilities.
PHOTOS ABOVE: Dan Ungerleider, AICP the Community Development Director from the Village of Clarendon Hills presents to the Village of Beach Park Plan Commission / Zoning Board, Village Trustees, and staff on August 22, 2017. Photos by Michael Blue, FAICP, Teska Associates, APA-IL Planning Officials Development Officer.
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