Is Your Municipality Prepared to Handle Controversial Zoning Decisions?
Preparing in advance is very helpful in successfully navigating controversial zoning requests. Some pointers from attorney Ron Richards.
Land Use Law
An understanding of basic land use law principles is essential to the job of the planner — and planning commissioner.
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Most Recent Articles
A Quick Look at Downzoning
Attorney Daniel Shapiro provides a brief overview of downzoning, examining some of the pluses and minuses, and noting some legal issues to keep an eye out for.
Vested Rights
What happens when a developer files for a building permit or submits a subdivision application — and the local government then changes its ordinance in a way that would prohibit the project as proposed? A look at the complex issue of “vested rights.”
Hitting the Restart Button
With the start of an economic recovery in much of the country, developers in many communities face the question of how to restart projects that have lied fallow or failed as a result of the great recession. A look at some of the legal issues involved.
Understanding Spot Zoning
Do you know it when you see it? A look at how to spot “spot zoning” situations, and consideration of the importance of the comprehensive plan in evaluating spot zoning.
Nonconformities: Dealing With Uses, Part 2
If your community wants a more flexible approach to nonconformities, there are several ways to accommodate them, as Mark White discusses in the second part of his article.
Nonconformities: Dealing With Uses, Part 1
Attorney and planner Mark White provides an overview of how communities can best deal with nonconforming uses, in the first of a two-part article.
Open Meeting Laws – Part 2: Avoiding Open Meeting Law Violations
Attorney Alan C. Weinstein provides an overview of how to avoid violating Open Meetings laws — including situations that are particularly troublesome: meetings in executive session, site-visits, “informal” meetings with staff, and electronic communications.
Open Meeting Laws – Part 1: An Overview
An introduction to the goals and structure of open meeting laws — including a look at the key question: what constitutes a “meeting”?
Urban Growth Boundaries
One of the most remarkable aspects of Oregon planning law is the “urban growth boundary” (UGB). A look at how it works.
No Certification, No Money: The Revival of Civil Rights Obligations in HUD Funding Programs
Recent legal developments have again put a spotlight on exclusionary zoning practices.
I is for Inclusionary
By the early 20th century, newly adopted land use zoning controls not only physically separated industrial, commercial, and residential zones, but also by distinguished between single-family and multi-family residential zones. It was not until 1970s that the movement toward inclusionary housing began to emerge.
J is for Justice
The Supreme Court decision of the 20th century that had the greatest impact on planned community development was the 1926 Euclid v. Ambler ruling. It opened the door for communities across the country to engage in zoning and use it as the primary tool for plan implementation.
