2023 PAAZO Fall Seminar - Virtual Class - 11/7/23

In this virtual PAAZO Fall Seminar, learn from experts on a wide variety of topics pertinent to your duties as a municipal Zoning official. Specific agenda items will be updated when finalized.

Qualifies for 5 PMGA Planning/Zoning Points

Qualifies for 5 CZO credits

Agenda:                      

9:00 AM         Welcome and Introduction

                      Kathy Kronicz, PAAZO Manager and Training Coordinator, PSATS                      

9:00 AM         Presenting Zoning Information in the Digital Realm

                      Michael Peter, Business Development Manager, General Code

General Code is a municipal codifier serving over 4,000 customers in 49 states, including 750 active customers in PA. Nearly all those communities that we serve in Pennsylvania codify their Zoning ordinance as part of their comprehensive municipal Code. For decades, this was standard practice, but not so anymore in the digital age. Municipalities are taking advantage of digital development tools to go well beyond standard text-based, Euclidean Zoning ordinances, to produce what we call graphically rich Zoning ordinances. In our session, we will explain this trend and show examples of how communities in Pennsylvania have taken advantage of new technology to make their Zoning Code more accessible. 

10:00 AM      Break           

10:10 AM       Hot Topics in Zoning

                      Laura Ludwig, Group Manager, Planning & Design, HRG

We will explore emerging zoning trends related to short-term rentals, tiny homes, accessory dwelling units, backyard chickens, apiaries, ghost kitchens, food trucks, outdoor dining, pop-up events, curbside pickup lanes, cryptocurrency, and much more!  

This session will also discuss the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. We’ll discuss examples of how different communities throughout the commonwealth have addressed these topics through their zoning ordinance rewrites or amendments.  

11:10 AM       Break

11:20 AM       Multi-Municipal Zoning

                      Laura Ludwig, Group Manager, Planning & Design, HRG, and Lori Morgan, Community Planner, HRB

Since the passage of Acts 67 and 68 in 2000, multi-municipal planning in PA has been on the rise. However, multi-municipal zoning has been slower to catch on. In the spring of 2020, the boroughs of Fallston and New Brighton and the townships of Daugherty and Pulaski set out to do both. Following the development of their joint comprehensive plan, HRG stepped in to assist with the creation and adoption of a multi-municipal zoning ordinance for the four municipalities, the first in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

From vastly different lot sizes to varying sanitary sewer access, the communities represent an array of rural and urban character.  Though they had a long history of shared services and intergovernmental cooperation, they each had their own development patterns and needs. Drafting an ordinance that would maintain the distinct identity of each community required unique – but MPC-compliant – solutions. Before the ordinance could be adopted, a multi-municipal planning commission had to be formed, but this was an unknown for everyone involved. We’ll share the research our team conducted, best practices we learned, and the process we followed from drafting the ordinance through implementation.

12:20 PM       Lunch

1:20 PM        Planned Residential Developments

                     Alexis Wheeler and Alan Shuckrow, Esquires, Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky 

2:20 PM         Break

2:30 PM         Review of Recent Zoning-Related Court Decisions and Legislation

                      Scott E. Coburn, Esquire, PSATS

This session will get you caught up on all the recent activity in the Pennsylvania and federal courts that you need to know. We will also discuss new laws and legislative efforts that impact you as a zoning officer.

3:30 PM         Adjournment

Date:

               November 7, 2023

Time:

                9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Registration Fee:

                Member* -  $ 125.00

                Non-Member –  $ 175.00

             *PSATS Member = Registrant has paid current annual membership dues to PSATS or one of its professional associations (e.g., Township Emergency Management Association, Township Engineers Association, Township Planners Association, Township Solicitors Association, or the Pa. Assoc. of Zoning Officials).

CANCELLATIONS/REFUNDS / NO SHOW POLICY:

Cancellations must be in writing, and can be sent to us by email to cancellations@psats.org; by fax to (717) 763-9732; or by mail to PSATS Education Program, 4855 Woodland Drive, Enola, PA, 17025. Refunds will be determined by the sent date of the notice.
Refunds for cancelling a webinar at any time will be subject to a $10 processing fee. 
For classes, (in-person and virtual), refunds for a cancellation sent to us between 10 and 2 business days before the class you are registered for will be subject to a $20 processing fee. Those who cancel within two business days of the class you are registered for, or do not attend, forfeit the full registration fee which, if unpaid, will be invoiced.

ACCESSIBILITY & OTHER NEEDS:

If you require alternate format, sign language, or have other needs, please contact PSATS directly (717) 763-0930, x-159.