The 118th Plan Commissioner Training session was held at the Village of Hazel Crest on April 21, 2020. All COVID mitigation rules were followed for this first in-person training in over a year. Our thanks to Hazel Crest's Elliot Eldridge,
Director of Inspectional Services, and Dante Sawyer, Village Manager, for all their efforts in bringing this
session together.
The twenty-three attendees included members of the Village Planning and Zoning Commission, as well
as members of other commissions, staff, elected officials and a couple residents considering being on
the Planning and Zoning Commission (the session is a great way to let potential commissioners
understand what will be expected of them and to help them get off on the right foot). The session
highlighted and had good discussion on all aspects of the workshop: history of planning and how it can
be of benefit to the community, making use of planning tools like the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning
Ordinance, management of hearings, and effectively applying special use and variation standards. The
best parts of the session (from the trainer’s perspective) were thoughtful questions raised by those in
attendance and the group conversations that followed.
Michael Blue, FAICP and Emily Egan, AICP were the trainers for the session.
Since the program began in 2011, the APA Illinois Chapter and the Chaddick Institute at DePaul
University have provided over 100 training sessions.
Want to know how we can customize training for your officials?
Visit the Plan Commissioner Training website and contact the APA-IL Planning Officials Development Officer, Michael Blue, FAICP at podo@ilapa.org
Photo: Michael Blue, FAICP