Training Opportunities

As of August 27, 2009

The Commission's planning staff coordinates a variety of training seminars and workshops for Cape town planners and citizen-staffed town boards involved in land use planning and regulation.

Several times a year, the Commission works with the statewide Citizen Planner Training Collaborative (CPTC) to sponsor workshops on Cape Cod. For more information about CPTC workshops on Cape Cod, contact Chief Planner Sharon Rooney at the Cape Cod Commission.

Commission staff are also available to make presentations about land-use planning to civic organizations on request. Examples include:

Introduction to the Cape Cod Commission
This presentation provides an overview of the organization and activities of the Cape Cod Commission, the planning and land use regulatory agency serving Barnstable County since 1990.
Length: About 25 minutes
Suitable audience: General public
Speaker: Cape Cod Commission staff members
Growth Management on Cape Cod: From Vision to Action
This presentation provides an overview of the Cape Cod Commission Act and regional growth management tools, including the Regional Policy Plan (RPP), reviews of Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs), Districts of Critical Planning Concern (DCPCs), and Local Comprehensive Plans (LCPs). It also describes how growth policy on Cape Cod is adapted over time.
Length: About 25 minutes
Suitable audience: General public, local officials, other planning agencies, students
Speaker: Sharon Rooney, Cape Cod Commission Chief Planner
The District of Critical Planning Concern
This presentation explains how Cape Cod towns can use the District of Critical Planning Concern (DCPC) designation as a planning tool to protect valuable resources and implement more effective local growth management policies.
Length: About 15 minutes
Suitable audience: General public, local officials, policy makers
Speaker: Sharon Rooney, Cape Cod Commission Chief Planner, and other staff members
Cape Cod Commission's Regulatory Process
This presentation provides an overview of the regulatory process followed by the Cape Cod Commission for Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs).
Length: About 25 minutes
Suitable audience: Local officials, interested policy makers, general public
Speaker: Sharon Rooney, Cape Cod Commission Chief Planner
DRI Mitigation: Better Development for Cape Cod
This presentation focuses on the benefits of the Cape Cod Commission's Development of Regional Impact (DRI) mitigation program. Mitigation may take the form of on- or off-site physical improvements or cash contributions provided by a developer to offset impacts from the development.
Length: About 35 minutes
Suitable audience: Local officials, interested policy makers, general public
Speaker: Cape Cod Commission staff members
MMR Joint Land Use Study
This presentation describes a cooperative land use planning effort between military officials on the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) and the four Upper Cape communities (Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, and Sandwich) to minimize land use conflicts from existing and potential land use surrounding the MMR. Key issues addressed in the report included the conflicts posed by wireless communications towers and Chapter 40B residential developments.
Length: About 20 minutes
Suitable audience: Planning boards, general public
Speaker: Sharon Rooney, Cape Cod Commission Chief Planner
Exploring Cape Cod's Maritime History in its Buildings and Landscapes
This talk outlines Cape Cod's development history, linking it to specific architectural styles and building patterns, in an effort to teach people what our surrounding architecture can tell us about our past.
Length: About 45 minutes
Suitable audience: General public
Speaker: Sarah Korjeff, Planner/Historic Preservation Specialist
New Styles, New Patterns: How Late 19th Century Architecture Changed the Cape Landscape
This talk is about Victorian architecture and development patterns on Cape Cod and how they made a dramatic impact on the Cape Cod landscape.
Length: About 1 hour
Suitable audience: General public
Speaker: Sarah Korjeff, Planner/Historic Preservation Specialist
Reading Your House's History without Opening a Book
This talk explains what you can learn about a building by looking at its architectural style, location, construction techniques, and additions and alterations.
Length: About 45 minutes
Suitable audience: General public interested in history and old buildings
Speaker: Sarah Korjeff, Planner/Historic Preservation Specialist
Chapter 40B: Overview and the Cape Cod Commission's Role
This presentation covers the basics of the Chapter 40B permitting process including the application requirements, Zoning Board of Appeals review criteria, and the decision appeals process. It also covers the impact and role of Chapter 40B developments on affordable housing creation on the Cape and also the Cape Cod Commission's role is in the 40B process.
Length: About 15 minutes
Suitable audience: Zoning and planning boards, housing partnerships, interested citizens
Speaker: Paul Ruchinskas, Cape Cod Commission Affordable Housing Specialist
Regional Transportation Plan for Cape Cod
This presentation describes the regional planning process to identify transportation-related issues and recommend improvements to the transportation infrastructure of Cape Cod.
Length: About 30 minutes
Suitable audience: General public
Speaker: Cape Cod Commission Transportation Program staff members
Public Transportation Planning on Cape Cod
This presentation reviews recent planning processes for transit services on Cape Cod and current activities and improvements.
Length: About 20 minutes
Suitable audience: General public
Speaker: Clay Schofield, P.E., Cape Cod Commission Transportation Engineer

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