Fall Planning and Zoning Conference, The Mountain Club on Loon, Lincoln, NH - October 13, 2007

Welcome/Invitation from OEP Director Amy Ignatius
Conference Agenda
Speaker List
Attendees List

Basics For Planning and Zoning Board Members

H. Bernard Waugh, Jr., Esquire - Gardner, Fulton and Waugh, Lebanon, NH

This session will cover topics relevant to planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment including rules of procedure, conflict of interest, the right-to-know law, conducting public hearings and meetings, and the inter-relationship between both boards. It is important for all boards to know the parameters of their jurisdiction and the opportunities they have to work with the "other" board to provide a smooth and efficient process.

• "Arranging Your Furniture" - Operational Basics For Local Land Use Boards

Start Your Own Local Energy Committee

Eric Steltzer, Regional Planner - Rockingham Planning Commission
Clay Mitchell, Esquire, Principal - Green Power Management

Has your town adopted the NH Climate Change resolution at the last town meeting? Do you want to organize an energy committee in your community? If you and other board members are ready to go to work on reducing emissions and helping your town be more energy efficient, this is the session you need to attend.

Affordable Housing: Reality, Law, and Opportunity

Benjamin Frost, AICP, Housing Awareness Coordinator - New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority

Every town and city in the state has a chance to ‘do the right thing’ by providing opportunities for the creation of affordable housing. But why is it the right thing? Ben Frost will talk about myths and facts, obligations and opportunities, and practical measures that each community can undertake to address this statewide issue. He will present various options available to you, such as inclusionary zoning and other regulatory approaches, protecting long-term affordability, and funding sources available to help, such as New Hampshire Housing’s new inclusionary zoning grant program.

• Affordable Housing: Reality, Law, and Opportunity

10:45 - 12:15 Concurrent Sessions

Planning Board Roles and Responsibilities

Benjamin Frost, AICP, Housing Awareness Coordinator - New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority
Clay Mitchell, Esquire, Principal - Green Power Management

Planning, subdivisions, and site plans -- do you have trouble keeping it all straight? This session is designed with you in mind. Join Ben and Clay for a review of the relationship between zoning, subdivision, and site plan review and last, but certainly not least, the master plan. Learn the fundamentals of these basic tools of the planning process and how you can become a more effective board member.

• Planning Board Basics Roles and Responsibilities

Roles of the Zoning Board of Adjustment

Susan Slack, Attorney at Law

Need help figuring out your duties as a ZBA board member? This session will cover the major responsibilities of a ZBA -- administrative appeals, special exceptions, and variances -- and understanding the distinctions between the different types of appeals and guidelines to follow in decision-making. Learn about the role of the ZBA and its relationship to the planning board and their duties.

• Zoning Board of Adjustment Roles and Responsibilities

The Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act - Looking to the Future

Arlene Allen, Shoreland Protection Outreach Coordinator - NH Department of Environmental Services

In the spring of 2007, the NH legislature enacted sweeping changes to the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA). Those changes take effect on April 1, 2008 and will be the focus of this presentation.

The ZBA Decision Making Process

Paul Sanderson, Esquire - Local Government Center

You've notified abutters, held the public hearing, heard hours of testimony, and now it's time to make a decision. What do you do? Do you have to decide right then and there? What if you only have 4 members present? Can you include conditions? Do you vote on each of the criteria separately? Do you have to vote on anything at all? If these and other questions have plagued your board, this is the session for you. Come and hear Paul Sanderson from the Local Government Center sort it all out for you.

• The ZBA Decision Making Process

Community Grants - From Planning to Implementation

Jennifer Czysz, Senior Planner - Office of Energy and Planning
Beverly Mason, Conway Area Director - USDA, Rural Development

Is your community looking for grants to assist in your planning and community development efforts? Jennifer Czysz will present OEP’s Housing and Conservation Planning Program - a new grant fund designed to assist municipalities through the planning process from initial housing and natural resource data collection to zoning updates. Bill Konrad will then present several grant programs through the USDA Rural Development Program that can assist with actual implementation of the master plan vision.

Engaging the Public in Decision-Making: The Why’s and How’s

Michele Gagne, Training and Planning Coordinator - UNH Cooperative Extension
Charlie French, Community and Economic Development Specialist - UNH Cooperative Extension

This interactive workshop will give you ideas and strategies about how to engage citizens as active participants in the planning decisions to be made in your community. We will provide you with specific tools and answer questions to help you get the best and most effective use of your efforts with the public, including garnering information for Master Plan visioning and implementation as well as informing them about upcoming decisions to be made by local officials.

• Public Participation in Community Decision-Making

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