Our program focuses on the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to serve effectively on a local land use commission. The day-long training is offered in locations across Connecticut, allowing commissioners statewide the opportunity to participate. The Academy Basic Training is considered the state’s official program for basic land use education for local commissioners. Every commissioner completing the Academy receives a certificate of recognition.
The Land Use Academy is a one-day educational event. It includes the three courses below.
Workshop Focus - to provide a basic understanding of legal principals and procedures that must be adhered to so that legal challenges to decisions or other actions are minimized.
Workshop Focus- to give land use commissioners an overview of the source of their authority, their role in relation to other land use commissions, current land use issues they should consider, and their responsibility to be fair and unbiased in their decision making. The group exercise encourages interactive group decision making.
Workshop Focus - assist commissioners to develop basic plan reading skills through a review of plans actually submitted to a local commission. Municipal staff planners have told us that one of the biggest challenges facing their commissioners is figuring out hydrology of a site. For this workshop we use understanding hydrology and low impact development as way of developing basic plan reading skills. This workshop goes beyond the basics in a way that is understandable and relevant.
