Planning in Oregon: Building Successful Communities

This workshop helps local governments perform land use planning in a knowledgeable, competent and legal manner, resulting in effective decisions.

Topics include:

• The history of planning in Oregon; participants will develop a good understanding of planning including the roles of the state and the roles of local governments. Participants will come to understand the fundamentals of the Oregon system, the values and structures that underpin it, and how local jurisdictions fit in to the larger whole while still meeting community values and needs.
• Fundamental principles of long-range and current planning; the various elements of planning, why they exist, and how they relate to each other
• The Comprehensive Plan, zoning and subdivision ordinance, and how they work
• Types of planning applications; knowing a zone change from a variance
• How decisions are made; what’s important and what’s not; the role of the staff, planning commission and city council; and the definition of quasi-judicial
• Applications; paperwork, process, protocol, and avoiding pandemonium
• Procedures, decorum and protocol for public hearings and working with citizens
• The ethical framework for conducting the planning process and making decisions
• Creating an effective and respected planning process resulting in legally and politically sound decisions (hint: it ain’t easy); learn the relevant legal framework for planning and decision-making

The class is approximately seven hours in length with time given for lunch and breaks.

The workshop leader, John Morgan, has been teaching this class for over 15 years in communities all over Oregon with great success. John is a principal in the MorganCPS Group, providing long-range and current planning services and public administration assistance to many agencies and jurisdictions. They currently serve or recently served as the contract city planners for Garibaldi, Manzanita, Nehalem, Aumsville, Millersburg, Yamhill, Troutdale, West Linn, Cascade Locks, Sweet Home, and several other cities. John is a graduate of Willamette University and has more than 50 years of experience in Oregon planning and city management.