Current Issue

Summer 2008

How Big is Your Community's Carbon Footprint?
This article looks at tools and processes you can use in order to determine your community's carbon footprint.

The Fair Housing Act and Local Planning
The federal Fair Housing Act was originally enacted in 1968 to address congressional concerns over racial discrimination in the sale and rental of housing, and it included a provision that has been applied to racial discrimination in zoning. In 1988, the act was amended with provisions addressing discrimination in the sale and rental of housing against handicapped persons or based on "familial status." Both provisions have been applied in the zoning context.

Both Advisor and Decision Maker: Fairfield Planning Commission
The recent slowdown in California's housing market has allowed the Fairfield Planning Commission to catch its breath and focus on the longer term needs of the city.

Keeping the Planning Commission Legal
In any given month, planning commissions consider issues involving comprehensive plan amendments, sign control, placement of cell towers, the permitting of an adult use, approval of a place of worship, and other issues impacting the community they serve. Planning commission decisions implement local laws and affect property rights and the quality of life, so it is essential that commissioners understand the legal aspects of their volunteer jobs. This article highlights some of the major legal issues that planning commissioners should recognize and, to the extent practical, understand.

Resource Finder: Carbon Footprint Reduction
Reducing the environmental impact of your community starts with your commission.

Commissioner's Voice
Planning commissioners must make decisions based upon the ordinances and guidelines set for the municipalities they represent.

Planning and Spanish Settlement
The Spanish brought the most formal and uniform standards for town planning of all colonial settlers in North America. Spanish colonies stretched from Florida to California and hundreds of towns were built on common principles dating to 1513. These principles were codified into a "rulebook" called the Laws of the Indies in 1573. Remarkably, evidence of these towns is still visible.