APA-IL and DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute recently co-sponsored the 88th Plan Commission training workshop. The Village of Oak Park hosted the session on June 21, 2018. Michael Blue, FAICP and Courtney Kashima, AICP were the trainers.
Twenty people attended the session, including five members of the Zoning Board of Appeals, three members of the Plan Commission, four members of the Historic Preservation Commission, four members of the Community Design Commission and four staff members attended the session.
This was the third training session for Oak Park, with the others in 2012 and 2014. The chapter has found typical reasons that municipalities request a subsequent workshop include the appointment of several new commission members, whenever a refresher is needed, or after the combining of the Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.
The group asked questions about: running hearings, roles in the process, the LaSalle factors and conflicts of interest. Among the most helpful topics the commissioners listed on the anonymous evaluation forms were: the process of a hearing, communication with the public, variations – hardship, conflict of interest and ethics.
Want to know how to get 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
Plan Commissioner Training Offered at the 2018 APA-IL State Conference!
It's back! Plan commissioners work hard reading packets, reviewing cases, conducting public hearings, and considering policy matters; but they rarely get the chance to sit back and look at the big picture of what they do and the significance it has to the communities in which they live. That will be the focus of this all-day track on September 27, 2018. All planning officials, boards, and commissions are welcome. Professional planners are welcome to attend both the morning and afternoon sessions. Planners will likely find the afternoon session, which includes a mock hearing and best practices for public hearings, the most useful.
For more information please visit the 2018 State Conference website.
Photo credit: "Laura Gale House (Frank Lloyd Wright) - Oak Park - Chicago IL" by Esther Westerveld is licensed under CC BY 2.0