Joel S. Russell, Esq., is a land use planning consultant and attorney based in Northampton, Massachusetts.
His practice is national in scope, focusing on smart growth, land conservation, consensus building, and drafting land use regulations to implement plans. Russell has written all or part of fifty zoning codes.
You’re at the final hearing on a comp plan amendment your commission has been working on for over a year. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, opposition erupts as rumors spread about what they are about to do to us. How you can minimize the chances of this happening.
Dimensional standards, which regulate building setbacks and height, lot coverage, and similar matters, have a significant effect on shaping the “streetscape” — something that’s not always considered.
Land trusts provide an important resource for communities concerned about preserving open space and natural resources. How planning commissions and land trusts can work cooperatively.
Too frequently communities plunge into an exhaustive comprehensive planning process without first completing a much quicker “diagnostic study.” Joel Russell explores what’s involved in doing a diagnostic study, and how it can better focus long-range planning efforts.
Land use attorney and consultant Joel Russell examines the failings of conventional zoning, and explores a way of incorporating greater flexibility into local zoning.
