In-Person - Basic Training for New Commissioners
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
This training is most helpful to newly appointed or elected Land Use Commissioners. It will cover three (3) general commissioner training hours under the CGS 8-4c (Fair and Affordable Housing hour will NOT be covered).
Following topics will be covered:
- Legal Basis for Land Use Regulations
- Types of power of Land Use Commissions
- Types of application: Zone Change and Regulation Amendments v. Special Permit v. Site Plan v. Variances
- Meeting decorum and responsibilities / Fundamental Fairness
Complimentary breakfast included. Cost $45.
In-Person - CLEAR Maps: Fundamentals of Site Plan Review and Using CT ECO Map Viewers
Presented by: Emily Wilson and Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
This training is most helpful to newly appointed or elected Land Use Commissioners. It will cover 2.5 general commissioner training hours under the CGS 8-4c (Fair and Affordable Housing hour will NOT be covered).
Description:
The first session will focus on “Fundamentals of Site Plan Reading.” This training is recommended for Land Use Commissioners with no prior experience in site plan reading. The class will assist commissioners in developing essential plan reading skills, including the comprehension of scale, topography, hydrology, and stormwater. The session will utilize practical exercises involving real-world site plans, enabling participants to translate plan information into practical ground-level observations.
The second session will introduce and demonstrate CT ECO (https://cteco.uconn.edu/), an interactive online map viewer. The Advanced Map Viewer will be the primary focus of this demonstration. The presentation will guide participants through locating parcels or areas of interest and highlighting relevant data layers. It will also provide hands-on guidance on utilizing the viewers effectively.
Complimentary breakfast included. Cost $30
CLEAR Land Use Commissioner Advanced Training
Date: October 19, 2024
Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Registration and breakfast begin at 8:30 a.m.)
Location: UConn Middlesex County Extension Center, 1066 Saybrook Road, Haddam, CT 06438
The UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) will be running an all-day Land Use Academy – Advanced Training. The full four (4) credits of the required CGS Sec. 8-4c training will be provided through this event. Advanced Training topics of Bias, Predisposition, and Conflicts will be presented by Richard P. Roberts, Halloran & Sage, Advanced Training topics on Running a Meeting and Making a Decision will be presented by Kenneth Slater, Jr., of Halloran & Sage, and Mark Branse, of Halloran & Sage, will present a session on Fair and Affordable Housing Policies which will cover one (1) credit on Fair and Affordable Housing Policies as required by the State Statute.
Topics covered:
General commissioner training hours: 3
Fair & Affordable Housing training hours: 1
Workshop Recordings and Slides:
Running a Meeting and Making a Decision:
Bias, Predisposition, and Conflict of Interest:
Fair and Affordable Housing:
Land Use and Real Property Markets - What Government Officials Need to Understand
October 10, 2024, 12PM EST
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
- The Role of Land Use Planning and Zoning Regulations (a brief overview)
- Real Estate Asset Classes (a brief overview of commercial asset classes and CT context)
- Understanding Market Dynamics (demographics, socioeconomic, psychographics, and trends)
- Site Selection (understanding the site selection process and site selection considerations)
- Market and Financial Feasibility (a brief overview)
- Markets and Land Use (the symbiotic relationship between markets, land use, and zoning)
- General Commissioner training hours: 0
- Fair & Affordable Housing training hours: 0
How Light-Touch Density and Live Local Urban Villages Can Supply Housing Abundance to Connecticut
July 16, 2024, 2PM EST
Presented by: Edward Pinto, AEI Housing Center
- Topics Covered: Affordable & Fair Housing
- General commissioner training hours: TBD
- Fair & Affordable Housing training hours: 1
Land Use Academy Basic Training Webinar for ZBA Members
May 20, 2024
Presented by: Michael Zizka, Halloran Sage
- Commissioner Conduct and Conflicts
- Bias and Pre-determination; Ex-parte Communications; Freedom of Information (FOI)
- How to deal with applicants’ and public testimony; Statutory standards for variances, including hardship; Differences among ZBA functions: variances, appeals, and other possible matters
- If you would like to order the book "What's Legally Required" 8th Edition by Michael A. Zizka in advance of the meeting, please visit s.uconn.edu/zizkabook.
Land Use Academy Basic Training Webinar Series: 3/21/24 - 10/17/24
Land Use Academy 2024 Basic Training Webinar Series Session 8
December 19, 2024
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Fundamentals of Site Plan Reading - Part 1
Part 2 Coming Soon
Land Use Academy 2024 Basic Training Webinar Series Session 7
October 17, 2024
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Timeline will progress based on interest and questions:
- Representation by Commission Members
- Social Media
- FOIA
Land Use Academy 2024 Basic Training Webinar Series Session 6
September 19, 2024
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Timeline will progress based on interest and questions:
- Conflict of Interest
- Bias and Predisposition
Land Use Academy 2024 Basic Training Webinar Series Session 5
July 18, 2024
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Timeline will progress based on interest and questions:
- Public Hearings
Land Use Academy 2024 Basic Training Webinar Series Session 4
June 20, 2024
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
- Alternates
- Sitewalks
Land Use Academy 2024 Basic Training Webinar Series Session 3
May 16, 2024
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
- Running a Meeting
- Responsibilities / Fundamental Fairness
Land Use Academy 2024 Basic Training Webinar Series Session 2
April 18, 2024
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
- Types of Power of Land Use Commissions
- Zone Change and Regulation Amendments v. Special Permit v. Site Plan
Land Use Academy 2024 Basic Training Webinar Series Session 1
MARCH 21, 2024
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
- Legal Basis for Land Use Regulations
- Commissioner Training Requirements for members of Planning, Zoning, ZBA, Inland Wetlands and Watercourse and Aquifer Protection Commissions
Virtual Advanced Land Use Academy Training: 2/2/2023 - 2/16/2023
In February 2023 we offered a VIRTUAL version of our “Advanced Training” for land use commissioners over Zoom. The training was offered over three consecutive Thursdays in February. All sessions were 1.5 hours long.
If a land use commissioner attended or watches the recordings of all 3 sessions they could meet most of their training requirement for the year, at least theoretically – it is ultimately up to each town to determine whether the statutory requirements are met.
2020: Legal Requirements & Procedures, Roles & Responsibilities
This class provides a basic understanding of legal principals and procedures that must be adhered to so that legal challenges to decisions or other actions are minimized. Gives 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. This sessions is interactive using “clickers” and case studies.
Includes:
Legal Basis for Land Use Regulation, Roles of Commissions, Public Hearing and Timeframes, Important Issues to Consider, Conflicts, Bias and Pre-determination, Running a Meeting, FOI, Ex-Parte Communications, Hypothetical Case Study Review
Materials:
This training refers to handouts that are typically used in the in-person training (access these handouts). You should download the hypothetical case study, The Town of East Northport, CT, before starting these online training modules.
2020: Fundamentals of Reading Plans
A version of Fundamentals of Reading Plans is now online.
Assists commissioners with developing plan reading skills including understanding scale, topography, hydrology and stormwater. It goes beyond the basics in a way that is understandable and relevant. This session is hands on using plans from real projects. Participants learn to translate what is on the plans to what it will look like on the ground.
Includes:
- Review of the difference between a plan and a map.
- Review of basic map reading techniques-wetlands, legends, scale, topography, water flow, etc.
- Hands on exercise: the participants will use the skills learned in the beginning of the session to plan a hiking trail that contains specific features like crossing streams at a specific elevation, avoiding wetlands, crossing hilltops and hits the high and low point on the property.
Materials:
For citation purposes: University of Connecticut’s Center for Land Use Education and Research. (March 09, 2024). Advanced Training. https://clear.uconn.edu/lua/advanced.