Conference Program
SUNDAY APRIL 16TH
2:00 – 5:00 PM: Registration Desk Opens
5:00 – 6:00 PM: Welcome Reception/Trivia Contest – Gallery Area
MONDAY APRIL 17th:
7:30 – 8:30 AM: Breakfast Buffet and Registration Desk Opens – Gallery Area
8:00 – 8:30 AM: Annual Membership Meeting – Saratoga Ballroom
8:30 – 8:45 AM: Break
8:45 – 9:30 AM: Welcome and Keynote Address – Saratoga Ballroom
Speakers: Basil Seggos, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
9:30 – 9:45 AM: Morning Snack Break
9:45 – 11:00 AM:
High Rock Room – Code and Zoning Enforcement – The Basics of Criminal and Civil Enforcement, and Key Traps to Avoid – CM, CEU
The focus of the program is to present and analyze the legal basics of enforcement and the legal and other forms needed to go from complaints and investigations, to notices and enforcement proceedings, all while staying within the bounds of the law. This includes staying within the proper
scope of municipal jurisdiction, and complying with basic constitutional due process requirements, such as the duty to provide.
Speaker: Guy Krogh, Esq., Attorney at Thaler & Thaler, P.C.
Alabama Room – Introduction to Planning, Zoning and Land Use
This presentation will offer a general overview of planning and zoning concepts, including; the comprehensive plan, zoning districts, rezoning, spot zoning, grandfathering, subdivisions, site plans, use and area variances, county approval, and enforcement.
Speaker: Don Young, Esq. Attorney and Owner of Law Practice at Donald A.
Young
Travers Room – Local Planning for Climate Action and Resilience – CM
This session will highlight the planning tools and programs that local governments can use to build climate resilience into government and community operations and to act in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The session will include a brief background on the most recent climate science and NYS policies regarding climate change. The presenters will discuss methods
for determining how climate-friendly your community is and how vulnerable it is to climate-related risks. Measures to become more resilient and more sustainable will be discussed including planning for climate-friendly settlement patterns and infrastructure, instituting sustainable local
regulatory policies, and instituting changes to government operations. State and Federal programs that provide funding sources and assistance will also be discussed including DEC’s Climate Smart Communities, NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities and FEMA’s Community Rating System.
Speaker: Maximilian Stach, AICP, Partner, Nelson, Pope & Voorhis;
Adrianna Beltrani, AICP, Senior Environmental Planner
11:15 – 12:30 PM:
Travers Room – Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) – Connecting Students to Planning and Civic Engagement – CM
FLIP is an innovative summer program that connects high school students to the field of urban planning, and to the opportunities and issues that shape the Capital Region and its communities. Through immersive hands-on experiences and face-to-face dialogue with community leaders from around the region, students explore and gain a deeper understanding of planning topics ranging from design, sustainability, agriculture, transportation, equity, and environmental protection. All this while also having some summer fun! Come hear details about the FLIP
program, the many partnerships that contribute to its success, and some takeaways on how you can create a FLIP or similar program for your own region.
Speakers: Kate Maynard, Planning and Economic Development Director for
CDRPC;
Adrienne Snow, Coordinator of the Clean Technologies & Sustainable Industries
Early College High School;
John Balet, Teacher for Clean Technologies & Sustainable Industries Early
College High School
Alabama Room – New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative – CM
The New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative and the newly released New York Forward (NYF) program represent cornerstones of the State's economic development program. The DRI and NYF program are both designed to apply a novel bottom-up approach to revitalizing downtowns and village/hamlet centers throughout the state. This presentation will provide an
overview of the DRI and NYF, discuss the planning process, and share case studies from successful DRI communities. Presentation slides will be made available and there will be ample times for questions.
Speaker: Danny Lapin, AICP, Revitalization Specialist with the New York State
Department of State Office of Planning, Development, and Community
Infrastructure
High Rock Room – SEQRA – CM
Ethical issues arise more frequently in planning and zoning decision-making than many realize. This presentation will include discussion of ethical legal requirements, conflicts of interest, recusal, site inspections and other related issues.
Speaker: Mark Schachner, Esq., Senior Principal Attorney at Miller, Mannix,
Schachner & Hafner, LLC
12:30 – 1:45 PM: Awards Luncheon
2:00 – 3:15 PM:
High Rock Room – Code Enforcement Complaints – CEU
This session will provide an overview of how complaints against code officials and/or the municipality that employees have are processed and handled in the Department of State Oversight Unit.
Speaker: Ron Stark, Code Compliance Specialist 2 with the New York State
Department of State Oversight Unit
Alabama Room – Climate Resiliency: Data, Strategies, and Funding Sources
Using the Albany County Climate Resiliency Plan as a case study, this presentation will describe the datasets used to assess flood risk, heat vulnerability, and social vulnerability down to the parcel-level. To illustrate how the data can be used to inform municipal decision-making, several
proposed projects identified as part of the planning process will be described and used to convey best practices related to climate resiliency (e.g., green infrastructure, open space acquisition and preservation in flood prone areas). The presentation will also highlight several state and federal funding sources available to support climate resiliency work.
Speaker: Elizabeth Podowski King, PLA, AICP, Licensed Landscape Architect and Certified Planner at Bergmann
Travers Room – Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DSWPP): Locally Led, State- Supported Source Water Protection – CM
In 2021, DEC and DOH announced the new Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2). The goal of the program is for municipalities to create community-specific drinking water protection plans in a way that strengthens relationships, fosters collaboration, and engages stakeholders so that public drinking water sources are protected now and into the future. The
state is seeking communities to work with a technical assistance provider, free of charge, to develop and initiate implementation of their drinking water source protection program. This presentation will go over the free technical assistance available, where to apply, resources available, and highlight communities that have gone through this process.
Speakers: Lindsey Drew, New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation, Bureau of Water Resource Management;
Noreen Gallagher, New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Water Supply Protection
3:15 – 3:30 PM: Afternoon Snack Break Sponsored by SLR International Corporation
3:30 – 5:00 PM
High Rock Room – Getting to Complete Streets Implementation – CM
Complete Streets can be implemented in rural, suburban, and urban places. Learn how to communicate about Complete Streets, try-out demonstration projects, and implement Complete Streets in different land use contexts. This session will highlight best practices and lessons learned to make your implementation of Complete Streets successful.
Speaker: Katherine Ember, AICP, Founding Principal, Planning4Places, LLC
Travers Room – Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Comprehensive Plans and Zoning – CM
This session will introduce comprehensive planning in NYS – why it’s important, what it is, and how to prepare one. We’ll walk through the various elements of a comprehensive plan and share common pitfalls, as well as opportunities for making sure your planning process is successful. As
many comprehensive plans lead to zoning updates, we will also share various approaches for preparing a new or updated zoning code that aligns with the comprehensive plan vision. We will explore best practices, trends and basic parameters to consider when embarking on a zoning code project.
Speaker: Kimberly Baptiste, AICP, Certified Planner at Bergmann;
Molly Gaudioso, AICP, Planning and Zoning Specialist at Bergmann
Alabama Room – Use of Accessory Dwellings to Respond to Changing Housing Needs – CM
The national housing shortage has led to a spike in home prices, particularly in high-demand urban and suburban areas. To increase the supply of housing, policymakers are turning to innovative solutions to provide a mix of housing options to respond to demand, changing family needs and smaller households. For local governments, accessory dwelling units (“ADUs”) can be
a relatively inexpensive solution to create low-cost housing units that add to the diversity of housing types in the locality. ADUs are separate dwelling units with a private kitchen, bath, bedroom(s) and living space that are either attached or detached to an existing home on a single lot, including garage apartments, basement apartments, in-law suites and attic apartments. This
presentation will include a discussion of the pros and cons of ADUs, policy considerations to regulate ADUs, and proposed State legislation concerning accessory dwelling units.
Speakers: Jennifer Gray, Partner at Keane & Beane, P.C.;
Drew Gamils, Associate at Keane & Beane, P.C.
TUESDAY APRIL 18th
7:30 – 8:30 AM: Breakfast Buffet and Registration Desk Opens
8:30 – 9:45 AM:
High Rock Room – Tiny House, Big Questions: Regulating Tiny Homes in Your Jurisdiction – CM
While tiny houses have been around for years, recent trends in downsizing and “going off of the grid,” as well as a lack of affordable housing, has caused the popularity of tiny houses to skyrocket. With increased popularity comes many questions at the local level, including how to regulate these “structures” that don’t quite fit the definition of a typical structure, recreational vehicle or mobile home. This course will provide an overview of the current laws governing tiny homes in New York, as well as the regulatory options available at the local level.
Speaker: Katie Hodgdon, Counsel to the Association of Towns of the State of New York
Alabama Room – Local Leaders Toolkit for Attracting Housing Investment – CM
The housing crisis has reached generational levels across the United States. Here in New York, local leaders struggle to attract the quality and quantity of investment to ensure great neighborhoods, sustainable local government finance, and preservation/enhancement of quality of life in your community. This presentation will provide a series of strategies and tactics necessary to attract investors and developers to meet your housing goals, and ensure
sustainable growth.
Speakers: Matt Horn, Director of Local Services, Michael N’dolo, Director of
Economic Development, MRB Group.
Travers Room – Land Use and Planning Case Law Update – CM
An examination of recent NYS court cases concerning land use and planning involving challenges to the issuance or denial of special use permits, site plan approvals and use and area variances as well as rezoning and comprehensive plan amendments. These cases will be examined and discussed with the goal of determining what useful information they provide to land use and planning boards to assist the boards in future decision making. These cases often involve challenges based on alleged procedural deficiencies, for example, failure to refer an application to the County Planning Board or Department and failure to follow the procedures set forth for public hearings and notices, as well as in connection with the State Environmental Quality Review Act.
Speakers: Terresa Bakner, Esq., Partner at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP;
Melissa Cherubino, Esq., Associate at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP
9:45 – 10:00 AM: Morning Snack Break
10:00 – 11:15 AM:
Travers Room – Reading and Interpreting Site Plans – CM
This introductory session will provide attendees with the basics on the information of level of detail to be expected for concept, preliminary and final site plans. Participants will learn how to assess natural features of a property and read and review a set of site plans consisting of subdivision, site, utility, grading and erosion control plans.
Speaker: Peter Vars, President of BME Associates
Alabama Room – BORIS (buy online and return in-store) Consumer Habits and Potential Impacts on Zoning and Planning Within Communities – CM
The pandemic changed consumer habits regarding purchasing. An example of this is with Kohls, Whole Foods and Amazon, where you purchase an item via Amazon and return through Kohls or Whole Foods. The parking demand required for these practices is vastly different than that with traditional big box stores and should be addressed in a local plan.
Speaker: Derik Kane, AICP, Senior Planner and Project Manager at LaBella
Associates
High Rock Room – Sign Regulation – CM
The regulation of signs isn’t just a zoning issue— when regulating signage, municipalities must be careful not to violate free speech. This course reveals what municipalities may and may not regulate in commercial or non-commercial signage and explores how signage can be regulated for community aesthetics. The session also addresses the drafting of a sign control law; the content of local sign control regulations; regulating billboards and other off-premises signs; and eliminating nonconforming or undesirable signs.
Speakers: Christopher Eastman, Manager of Local Government Training program at the New York State Department of State;
Patricia Burke, Local Government Specialist at the New York State Department of State