December 19, 2024
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Fundamentals of Site Plan Reading
Presentation Recording and Slides Coming Soon.
December 12, 2024, 1-1:30 PM ET
Hosts: UConn CLEAR
Speakers: Sarah Hurley, CT GIS Office
This 30-minute webinar introduces a housing mapping and data application that the GIS Office (within CT OPM) has created in partnership with the CT Department of Housing (DOHG) and the CT Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) for use by governments, non-profits, planners, and interested stakeholders.Called the CT Housing Data Hub, this site uses a variety of maps and charts to show the current state of housing, housing programs, rent burden, and permitting across the 169 towns of CT. This resource allows users to understand housing trends over almost 20 years of time and get information about their local municipalities with linked maps, data, and charts. Please join us to learn more about this useful resource.
October 24, 2024, 1-1:30 PM ET
Hosts: UConn CLEAR
Speakers: Ashley Benitez, GIS Coordinator, and Leah Hodges, GIS Analyst, CT GIS Office
October 17, 2024
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Timeline will progress based on interest and questions:
- Representation by Commission Members
- Social Media
October 10, 2024, 1-1:30 PM ET
Hosts: UConn CLEAR
Speakers: Alfredo Herrera, Geographic Information Officer & Emily Wilson, Extension Educator, UConn CLEAR
Recorded October 10, 2024
Presented by: Donald Poland, AICP
Hosted 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: 1
Fair & Affordable Housing training hours: 0
September 26th, 2024 2 PM EST
Hosted By: Owen Placido, CT Sea Grant; Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
The UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) and Connecticut Sea Grant present this webinar about the Climate Corps program – where undergraduate students learn from extension professionals and apply that knowledge to climate adaptation projects with municipal or community partners throughout the region. We will hear from former students about their experience in the program, and a community partner from the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed will speak about how working with the Climate Corps has benefitted their organization. Learn more about our program and how we could partner with your organization!
September 25th, 2024 1PM EST
Presenters: Judy Huynh, Rebuild by Design
Hosted By: Juliana Barrett, CT Sea Grant & UConn CLEAR
As extreme weather continues to impact the U.S., Rebuild by Design has launched the Atlas of Accountability, a mapping tool designed to help communities and policymakers understand their localized climate-fueled exposure to extreme weather disasters. Building on Rebuild by Design’s 2022 report, “Atlas of Disaster,” this tool analyzes county-level extreme weather disaster declarations and post-disaster federal assistance. The analysis highlights the urgency of bipartisan cooperation and the need to unite across the urban-rural divide. Notably, 91% of congressional districts include a county that received a major disaster declaration for extreme weather between 2011 and 2023, with $106.4 billion in federal post-disaster assistance from FEMA and HUD CDBG-DR.
Speaker Bio:
Judy Huynh is a Project Manager at Rebuild by Design. She holds a Master of Urban Planning from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and specializes in using mapping tools like GIS and Mapbox to transform complex climate data into clear, understandable information. Her work focuses on researching climate adaptation policies and resilient infrastructure projects, ensuring equitable solutions that prioritize vulnerable communities.
Presentation recording and slides coming soon.
September 19, 2024
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Timeline will progress based on interest and questions:
- FOIA
- Conflict of Interest
- Bias and Predisposition
Part 1: Introducing the CT GIS Office, and
Part 2: All About Image Services
September 12, 2024, 1-2 PM ET
Hosts: UConn CLEAR
Speakers: Alfredo Herrera, Geographic Information Officer & Carl Zimmerman, GIS Coordinator, CT GIS Office, CT OPM & Emily Wilson, Extension Educator, UConn CLEAR
After introducing the webinar series, the first part of this two-part webinar will be about the role of the CT GIS Office (GISO), how it was formed and functions, what services and guidance it provides, and how it works with partners across the state. Specifically, the CT GIS Office coordinates geospatial data acquisition and creation, provides standards and training, and supports analytic capabilities for GIS users.
The second part of the webinar will be a technical discussion about image services and describe how they are different from map and features services. We will describe how to find and connect to them, what functions are available, and how online and desktop GIS software (ArcGIS Pro and QGIS) handles them. The focus will be on the soon-to-be-released 2023 statewide aerial imagery.
July 18th, 2024 12:00PM
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Topics Covered:
- Public Hearings
Commissioner Training Hours: 0.5
July 16th, 2024 2:00PM
Presented by: Edward Pinto, AEI Housing Center
Topics Covered:
- Affordable & Fair Housing
General commissioner training hours: TBD
Fair & Affordable Housing training hours: 1
June 26th, 2024 1:00-2:00PM
Presented by: Shelby Larubina and Jason Krumholz, CT NERR; Cary Chadwick, UConn CLEAR
The newly designated Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve encompasses ~52,000 acres of upland, marsh, sandy beach, rocky shoreline and open water habitats in Southeastern CT. One of our first efforts in habitat mapping aimed to quantify the spatial distribution and variety of invasive plants in our upland properties and initiate planning for an ongoing program of invasives removal and habitat restoration. With the support of a GIS specialist and experienced botanist, students and staff new to plant identification utilized a FREE mobile mapping app to record data and photographs in the field. This rapid assessment approach effectively sampled over 150 sites across two State Parks over two months. Results reveal patterns of invasion and inform priorities for future eradication or control, with an eye toward the broader use of the approach as a rapid survey protocol of terrestrial invasive plants.
CT NERR Invasive Plant Field Form – Epicollect Project Definition Directions
This Epicollect5 project definition can be used create your own version of the CT NERR Epicollect form. To download, click to access the Project Definition file, select File > Save As and save the file to your computer. Then, follow these instructions to import the project definition file into Epicollect5.
June 20th, 2024 12:00PM
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Topics Covered:
- Alternates
- Sitewalks
Commissioner Training Hours: 0.5
May 29th, 2024 1:00-2:00PM
Presented by: Owen Placido, UConn CLEAR and Deborah Abibou, Connecticut Sea Grant
Continued changes to the climate around the world and in Connecticut are inevitable – the consequences of these changes, or climate impacts, are being experienced by Connecticut residents today and will continue to evolve in the coming decades. While it is not possible to say for certain what it will be like to live here in the future, we know that precipitation patterns will change dramatically, temperatures will get warmer, there will be significant changes to our coastline as sea levels rise, and the challenges of climate change will be experienced differently by different communities. A new tool from the Long Island Sound Study, the Long Island Sound Resilience Resource Hub website, will also be highlighted. This website can help communities in NY and CT learn, plan, and implement climate resilient strategies by providing information, case studies, and funding opportunities.
May 20th, 2024 12:00PM
Presented by: Michael Zizka, Halloran Sage
Topics Covered:
- 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.
May 16th, 2024 12:00PM
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Topics Covered:
- Running a Meeting
- Responsibilities / Fundamental Fairness
Commissioner Training Hours: 0.5
April 18th, 2024 12:00PM
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Topics Covered:
- Types of Power of Land Use Commissions
- Zone Change and Regulation Amendments v. Special Permit v. Site Plan
Commissioner Training Hours: 0.5
April 17th, 2023 1:00-2:00PM
Presented by: Juliana Barrett and Chet Arnold; UConn CLEAR Emeritus
In this presentation by Juliana Barrett and Chet Arnold we will explore what riparian buffers are and why they are a critical component of both our coastal and inland communities. Riparian buffers play a critical role in water quality and watershed protection, provide wildlife habitat, and assist with climate resilience. Because of the transitional nature of riparian buffers (wet to dry), these areas allow for a variety of non-traditional landscaping choices and designs that still allow for water access and water viewsheds.
March 21st, 2024 12:00PM
Presented by: Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR
Topics Covered:
- Legal Basis for Land Use Regulations
- Commissioner Training Requirements for members of Planning, Zoning, ZBA, Inland Wetlands and Watercourse and Aquifer Protection Commissions
Commissioner Training Hours: 0.5