Module SP2: First Planning Commission Meeting
This module covers what you need to know before your first planning commission meeting. Local Planning Commissioners are often called upon to make important decisions to guide the growth and development of their communities. Issues surrounding land use planning and regulation, and the tools and techniques available within Michigan to address them, have become increasingly complex. Learn the basics of what you need before your first meeting. Register Online Now!
There are five units in this series.
Introducing the Planning Official
This unit is a short introduction to your role as a planning official or commissioner. It will introduce you to your duties and responsibilities as a planning official as well as the groups with which you will be working.
Planning Official Ethics 101
In this unit, we will introduce why ethics are a concern of any public official. We look at how ethics governs planning official’s duties and actions. By the end of this unit, you will have a basic understanding of ethical responsibilities when dealing with conflicts of interest.
What is a Comprehensive Plan?
Before you create any document or plan, you need to know its purpose and the components required to complete the document. This unit reviews the components of a comprehensive plan created through the planning process. It examines the purpose and the basic information of each component.
Zoning 101: How Does Zoning Work?
Before jumping into zoning procedures, it is necessary that you know the basics of zoning, what zoning tools are available, and how they can be used to their best advantage. This unit introduces zoning from the vantage point of how its operation is similar to our federal government. With legislative, administrative, and quasi-judicial functions, they provide a check and balance for each other. This unit will also look at the roles different bodies and people perform.
The Site Plan
In this unit, you will learn about the nature and use of a site plan and how it relates to the requirements of the zoning ordinance. The unit covers the definition of a site plan, site plan requirements, and the process of conducting a thorough site plan review. The site plan is often the last step in the review process prior to having the development actually under construction. The plan, once approved, is what the public will see once the project is completed; and once the plan is approved, the community is committed to seeing it through.
