Training and Educational Programs
5th Thursday Dinners
Planning and zoning appeals boards across the County meet on almost every day of the week throughout the month. Many offered training sessions conflict with one or more scheduled meetings or hearings. However, BRPC has found that no board meets on the 5th Thursday of a month. Each time a 5th Thursday occurs, BRPC sponsors a dinner/training session aimed at planning boards, zoning appeals boards and building inspectors (although everyone is welcome!) Past session topics have included: exempt uses under zoning, special permit decisions, and a primer on updating zoning. The dinners are a great way to learn more about zoning and planning topics, and are also a fun social event!
NEXT TRAINING WORKSHOPS:
CPTC Workshop - Writing Reasonable & Defensible Decisions - Oct 27, 2011 @ 7pm
CPTC Workshop - Special Permits & Variances - Dec 1, 2011 @ 7pm
click here for details
Land Use Memorandum Series
The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission has reinstituted its Land Use Memorandum Series. Our goal is to provide our communities with timely, useful and relevant material that will help educate and empower our local and regional land use decision makers.
The FCC Shotclock Rule Fouls up the Special Permit Timelines set forth in M.G.L. c. 40A s.9
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Education Online
The Lincoln Institute is currently offering the online course: Planning Fundamentals . This course is designed as an introductory planning course for members of planning boards, planning commissions, zoning boards, conservation boards, and other related planning positions. Register at www.lincolneducationonline.org.
U.S. EPA Smart Growth Policy Database
The US EPA lists a collection of policies enacted in municipalities throughout the country which work to promote the principles of Smart Growth. The database can be browsed by objective, by policy, or by the state in which the policy was enacted. The database can be visited at http://cfpub.epa.gov/sgpdb/browse.cfm