Community Outreach Program
Responsible Staff: Tara Bamford
Purpose
The Community Outreach Program was developed to give the planning boards of the region a forum for asking questions about land use decisions and regulations and to learn more about the practices of planning and sound planning tools and techniques. The goal is to empower the planning boards by providing them with the best resources for doing their job in planning for the future of their communities.
Description
The Community Outreach Program’s Initial Phase is comprised of five components which are described below:
1. Community Planning Committee - Through the Community Outreach Program, we have established a new standing committee of North Country Council which is made up of representatives from our member towns’ planning boards. The Community Planning Committee meets on a quarterly basis to discuss issues in planning and receive guidance on land use decisions. The committee will participate in round table discussions, view resource videos, presentations, and work with each other to foster sound planning in the region.
2. Planning Board Workshops - In addition to creating a committee, NCC also wanted to offer extensive planning board training open to all planning board members of member communities. The topic matters for these workshops come from areas of interest or concern that were expressed through the Community Planning Committee. The workshops are chosen by the planning boards, for the planning boards. We will host an average of three to four workshops a year and may host subregional workshops if the topic and materials warrant it.
3. Planning Resource Information Packets - The workshops are intended to provide detailed training on planning topics that are on the forefront of what our member communities are currently having to manage. The Planning Resource Information Packets are periodic informational bulletins for planning boards dealing with land use law, broad planning topics, and new techniques and tools that our communities should be informed about. Topics range from affordable housing, standards of town meetings, and open space developments, just to name a few. Information packets will be sent out a minimum of four times a year.
4. Planning Lending Library - NCC has always been a resource to communities for demographic information, sample ordinances, and educational literature. However, the American Planning Association and other national planning organizations have a very large supply of resources that are available to their members at a discounted rate. Several NCC staff members are members of these organizations and we have committed to purchasing new books and videos every month to build our resource library. NCC has developed lending library policies much like those of a public library, where a town can borrow materials for a specified length of time and return them back to NCC. Resources purchased include literature on Master Plans, model subdivision regulations, site plan review, zoning definitions, water resource protection, and many more. NCC has also purchased several CD-ROM presentations from national planning conferences which can be viewed.
5. Planning Board Visitations - North Country Council’s planning region is fairly large, comprising fifty-one individual communities. The Community Planning Committee, Planning Board Workshops, and Resource Cards are an attempt to work with the region as a whole on planning issues and provide appropriate planning tools a town can use. However, it is important that NCC visit each town individually to discuss specific issues related to that community. Through the Outreach Program, NCC will be responding to requests for planning board visitations. The community planners on staff will visit the planning board, discuss planning issues and concerns in the community, and will work on putting together a resource packet for that community which answers pertinent questions related to their specific issues. NCC staff will provide recommendations and direction to the planning board so they can proceed with confidence to better plan for their community.
Timeframe
The Community Outreach Program is an on-going service NCC provides. There will be four quarterly meetings of the Community Planning Committee, three to four Planning Board Workshops, a minimum of four Planning Resource Information Packets and several planning resources and literature purchased per year. A planning board visit typically lasts one hour and staff will work a minimum of two to three hours pulling together a corresponding resource packet for the community upon conclusion of their visit.
Related Services & Programs
The Community Outreach Program is unique in that it ties to almost every program and service NCC has to offer. Through the program, communities will learn which services and programs are most appropriate for them to proceed and take advantage of for their individual needs. There are a few services, however, which relate to the Community Outreach Program that can be considered as the basics for planning. These are recommended as a good start for our communities who are faced with changing landscapes, development pressures, new growth trends, or economic challenges. They are as follows:
Master Plan Update and Development - The Master Plan is the visioning document for a community. Through the Community Outreach Program, planning boards will discover tools and techniques that are appropriate for them to use to better plan for their communities. The first step before implementing new regulatory and planning tools is to revisit the community’s Master Plan. The Master Plan should correspond with any changes the community makes to regulations, maps, or decision documents about the future of the town. All visions and ideas for the future of the community must be stated in the town’s Master Plan.
Ordinances- Whether a zoning ordinance with specific zoning districts or an open space ordinance with detailed regulations for a type of development, the planning board will learn the appropriate regulations needed for their town through the Outreach Program. If a town updates their Master Plan, they must review and update their regulations. These documents must correlate. North Country Council, whether through planning board visitations or general technical assistance, will help communities decide what regulations may be appropriate for the town in order to implement the vision of the Master Plan.
Subdivision and Site Plan Regulations - Whereas zoning regulations and specific ordinances detail land uses in particular areas of a town and the location of development on parcels of land, subdivision and site plan regulations allow a planning board to work with a developer on the overall feel and design of a development. Subdivision and site plan regulations allow the planning board to implement the vision of the Housing and Community Character sections of the Master Plan. Planning board members will learn of different techniques and language for these regulations through the Community Outreach Program.