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GOVERNOR SIGNS NEW PLANNING ENABLING ACT. On March 13th Governor Granholm signed SB 206 into law as PA 33 of 2008. This act is the Michigan Planning Enabling Act. It repeals the Municipal Planning Act, the Township Planning Act and the County Planning Acts as of September 1, 2008. A comprehensive training program and new Michigan Planning Guidebook will be presented at 29 new training programs beginning May 27 and running to June 26th. Dates and locations of programs are listed below. To register, go to: http://pzcenter.msu.edu/registerMPEAtraining2008.php Alpena, Alpena Community College, Granum Theater, 665 Johnson St., Wednesday, May 28th (trainer Mary Ann Heidemann) Ann Arbor, Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, Building A, 5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd., Tuesday, June 3rd (trainer Mark Wyckoff) Attica, Lapeer County Ed. Tech Center, 690 N. Lake Pleasant, Thursday, June 5th (trainer Mary Ann Heidemann) Benton Harbor, Lake Michigan Comm. College, Mendel Center, 2755 E. Napier Ave., Wednesday, June 11th (trainer Brad Neumann) Big Rapids, Holiday Inn, 1005 Perry Avenue, Tuesday, June 3rd (trainer Kurt Schindler) Charlevoix, Charlevoix Public Library, 220 W. Clinton Street, Wednesday, June 25th (trainer Kurt Schindler) Clinton Township, MSU Extn Assembly Room, Entrance E, 21885 Dunham Rd., Wednesday, May 28th (trainer Mark Wyckoff) Dearborn, Henry Ford Community College, L14 Auditorium, 5101 Evergreen Road, Tuesday, June 24th (trainer Mark Wyckoff) East Lansing, Kellogg Center, Auditorium, 55 S. Harrison Rd., Thursday, June 5th (trainer Mark Wyckoff) East Tawas, Tawas Bay Beach Resort, 300 E. Bay Street, Tuesday, June 10th (trainer Mary Ann Heidemann) Gladstone, Terrace Bay Resort & Conv. Center, 7146 P Road, Monday, June 9th (trainer Kurt Schindler) Farmington Hills, Oakland Com. College, Orchard Ridge Campus, Bldg. J, 27055 Orchard Lake Road, Monday, June 9th (trainer Mark Wyckoff) Frankenmuth, Bavarian Inn Lodge Conference Center, 1 Covered Bridge Lane, Thursday, May 29th (trainer Mark Wyckoff) Gaylord, University Center, M-Tech, 80 Livingston Blvd., Tuesday, June 3rd (trainer Mary Ann Heidemann) Grand Rapids, Grand Inn & Conference Center, 3221 Plainfield Ave., NE, Wednesday, June 4th (trainer Mark Wyckoff) Houghton, Michigan Tech Univ., Noblet Forestry Building, 1400 Townsend Drive, Wednesday, June 11th (trainer Kurt Schindler) Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Room 8570, 6767 West O Avenue, Tuesday, June 10th (trainer Mark Wyckoff) Manistee, Ramsdell Theater Ballroom, 101 Maple Street, Tuesday, May 27th (trainer Kurt Schindler) Marquette, NMU, The Don H. Bottum University Center, 1401 Presque Isle Ave., Tuesday, June 10th (trainer Kurt Schindler) Marshall, Calhoun County ISD, 17111 G Drive North, Thursday, June 26th (trainer Mark Wyckoff) Monroe, Monroe Co. ISD, 1101 Raisenville Road, Thursday, June 12th (trainer Jasneet Sharma) Mount Pleasant, Comfort Inn, 2424 S. Mission, Wednesday, June 25th (trainer Mary Ann Heidemann) Muskegon, Muskegon Community College, Stevenson Center, 221 S. Quarterline Road, Monday, June 2nd (trainer Kurt Schindler) Newberry, Americas Best Value Inn, 12956 State Highway M-28, Thursday, June 12th (trainer Mary Ann Heidemann) Roscommon, Kirtland Community College, Center for the Performing Arts, 10775 N. Saint Helen Road, Tuesday, May 27th (trainer Mary Ann Heidemann) Peck (S of Sandusky), Sanilac County Career Center, 175 E. Aitken Road, Wednesday, June 4th (trainer Mary Ann Heidemann) St. Ignace, Little Bear East Arena and Community Center, 275 Marquette St., Wednesday, June 11th (trainer Mary Ann Heidemann) Traverse City, Hagerty Center at NMC, 715 E. Front Street, Wednesday May 28th (trainer Kurt Schindler) Watersmeet, Lac Vieux Desert Tribal Conference Center, 5384 U.S. Highway 45 N, Thursday, June 12th (trainer Kurt Schindler) Note: Michigan State University reserves the right to substitute trainers as may be necessary. MZEA AMENDED Governor Granholm signed PA 12 of 2008 on Friday, February 29th. This Act amends the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act and is immediately effective. CALL FOR EMPLOYERS. Urban Planning Career Fair on March 22, 2008 at MSU Need a well-educated young planning professional to fill a job opening? Looking for quality paid and unpaid interns? The first annual MSU Urban Planning Career Fair provides an efficient and effective way to interview a pool of fifty talented undergraduate and graduate planning students. For more information or to confirm your attendance please contact Michael Forsyth at 517-375-1208 or forsythm@msu.edu. 25 YEAR LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN. On June 26,2007, the Michigan Department of Transportation announced the release of the state's 2005-2030 long-range transportation plan. The plan was two-years in the making and is based on an unprecedented amount of public input and guidance from Michigan business, government and customer stakeholders. More than 3,000 people attended the public workshops and 2,600 submitted an on-line questionnaire, while another 3,300 households participated in a telephone survey to share their vision for Michigan's transportation future. The report is available online at www.michigan.gov/slrp For more information, contact Bill Shreck, MDOT Director of Communications, 517-335-3084. JOBS AVAILABLE Advertising Rates for JOBS AVAILABLE (planning & zoning related) In the Planning & Zoning News magazine PZN subscribers: FREE Non-subscribers: $100.00 for up to 20 lines/44 characters per line. $2.50 for each additional line. To place an ad, contact: Carolyn Freebury, Managing Director Planning & Zoning News 715 N. Cedar Street, Suite 2 Lansing, MI 48906-5275 Ph: 517/886-0555 Email: freebury@pznews.net LOCAL GOVERNMENT MASTER PLANS AND ZONING ORDINANCES. The Planning and Zoning Center at MSU website now offers an extensive compilation of web links to over 500 local government master plans and zoning ordinances from across Michigan and the United States. Local planning officials are encouraged to reference existing land use policies and regulations when creating, updating or amending community plans and ordinances. View the Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance Library at http://www.pzcenter.msu.edu/MPZOlibrary.htm. (posted 5/11/07) NEW AND UPDATED WEBSITES. Check out the new and updated websites for the Planning & Zoning News and Planning & Zoning Center at MSU. (none of the following web addresses are case sensitive) www.PZNews.net This updated website replaces the old www.PZCenter.com website. It includes information on Planning & Zoning News, its staff, how to subscribe, jobs available, an extensive calendar of upcoming events, an index to back issues (through 2001—we are working to bring it up to the present), and a list of links to other websites. www.PZCenter.MSU.edu This new website explains the research and outreach initiatives of the Planning & Zoning Center at MSU, as well as introduces its staff, its publications and includes extensive links to useful resources. It also has an extensive FAQ section with answers to hundreds of frequently asked questions. It has links to many other websites. www.LandPolicy.MSU.edu This substantially updated website explains the purpose and activities of the Land Policy Institute at MSU. It includes downloadable recent research reports, policy briefs, fact sheets, and brochures on a growing list of land policy research. Information on MSU faculty researchers and links to many other sites are found here. You can sign up for the free “This Week at LPI” eNewsletter as well. Each of these sites has a “hot topics” category, so you will want to bookmark them and visit them often. Each will be fully functional by February 19th. (2/20) SMART GROWTH READINESS ASSESSMENT TOOL. Announcing the new Smart Growth Readiness Assessment Tool, developed for Michigan communities. The Smart Growth Readiness Assessment Tool (SGRAT) is a set of online assessments for scoring how well a community is prepared to develop according to Smart Growth principles. The assessments provide communities with a baseline score, and can be used to measure progress. SGRAT also provides extensive resources for communities interested in growing smart, including case studies of Michigan communities successfully following Smart Growth principles. The assessment will be of most interest to planning commissioners, local elected officials, local government administrators, community planners, real estate professionals, developers, design professionals, and concerned citizens. You can learn more about the tool and register to take the assessment at: www.landpolicy.msu.edu/sgrat. (2/20/07) If you have questions regarding usage of this website or would like to report troubles, please send them via email to Control Room Technologies.