Georgia Historic Preservation Division Launches New HPC/CLG Listserv

The Georgia Historic Preservation Division (HPD) recently launched a community listserv for Historic Preservation Commissions (HPCs) and Certified Local Governments (CLGs) throughout the state.

This listserv, hosted through Google Groups, functions as an open forum for discussions related to specific issues facing HPCs and CLGs. The outreach effort will help HPD disseminate HPC/CLG related information and provide technical assistance to the more than 100 HPC/CLG communities statewide. While open to all, it is geared especially toward HPC/CLG commission members and staff, planners, local government employees, and volunteers.

To join the group, please send an email requesting membership to Marcy Breffle, CLG Program Intern, at marcy.breffle@dnr.state.ga.us. You will receive an email asking you to accept an invitation to join. Please contact Marcy via email or phone (404-657-5208) with any questions.

Atlanta TOD Collaborative Members to Speak at 2013 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference

Come see members of the Atlanta TOD Collaborative speak at this year’s New Partners for Smart Growth Conference on February 7-9, 2013 in Kansas City, MO. Members will present and engage with attendees at these exciting sessions:

Partnerships That Deliver Thriving Communities
Thursday, February 7   |   8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Land Banking: Pathways Toward Sustainable Urban, Suburban and Rural Land Reclamation
Thursday, February 7   |   10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Quadruple Bottom Line: Equity and Sustainability Through Social Enterprise and Workforce Initiatives
Friday, February 8   |   10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

High Impact Regional Strategies to Implement Smart Growth – An Interactive Implementation Workshop
Friday, February 8   |   3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

For more information and to register for the conference, visit http://www.newpartners.org. Early-bird registration ends today, Thursday, January 24.

The Atlanta TOD Collaborative is an eight-member partnership of non-profits and government agencies aimed at removing barriers to, and advancing incentives for, equitable transit-oriented development (TOD) in the Atlanta region, while increasing public understanding and awareness around the benefits of TOD. For more information, visit www.atlantaregional.com/tod-collaborative.

Georgia Organics Conference on Feb. 22-23 to Feature Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Make plans now to attend the 16th annual Georgia Organics Conference, set for Feb. 22-23 at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park.

This year’s conference is entitled “Farm Rx: A Prescription for Better Health.” Attendees will have the chance to participate in a wide array of workshops, educational sessions and farm tours — and hear a keynote address by CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Georgia Organics is a member supported, non-profit organization connecting organic food from Georgia farms to Georgia families. For more information, visit http://georgiaorganics.org/about-us/.

Next Regional Historic Preservation Forum: Feb. 21

Mark your calendar on Thursday, February 21, 2013  from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. for the second Regional Historic Preservation Forum.  This forum will be co-hosted by the Georgia Historic Preservation Division and the Atlanta Regional Commission.  The discussion will focus on Historic Preservation Tax Credits, including some basic information on the program, as well as some newly accessible data on the impact of the program in the Atlanta region.

The Forum will be held at The Marianna/Wrecking Bar (292 Moreland Avenue NE, Atlanta Georgia 30307).  Formerly a private residence, a church and a retail store, The Marianna is a recent tax credit rehabilitation project that provides an excellent first hand example of the success of the program.

This program is FREE and open to the public.  Please share this information (and the flyer) with your colleagues and others who may be interested.  More details and an agenda will be distributed closer to the event date.

Please direct questions to Allison Duncan at the Atlanta Regional Commission (aduncan@atlantaregional.com), and please RSVP to Carole Moore (Carole.Moore@dnr.state.ga.us).

Planning and Zoning Board Member Training: Feb 20 at UGA Carl Vinson Institute in Athens

UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute Of Government is offering a Planning and Zoning Board Member Training on Wednesday, February 20 in Athens, Ga.

The training session is designed for appointed planning commissioners, zoning board of appeals and variance board members and other local government review boards, commissions and authorities that make land use decisions and recommendations.

Topics covered in the training:

• Responsibilities of the planning commission
• Requirements of the zoning procedures law
• Comprehensive planning
• Variances, rezonings, special use permits
• Growth Trends
• And more…

Previous participants in this training said:

I have gained very valuable insight and love the instructor’s approach.

This course has given me a lot to think about in how to handle zoning issues.

This training has made a confusing topic much more understandable.

 

Registration: $95 per person

Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Location: Fanning Institute, 1240 S. Lumpkin St., Athens, GA

 

For more information and to register, visit http://www.cviog.uga.edu/planning-and-zoning-training.

South Metro Development Outlook Set for Feb. 20

Registration is now open for the upcoming South Metro Development Outlook conference, scheduled for Wednesday, February 20, 7:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m., at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, Ga.

Join other professionals to learn about economic development, planning, infrastructure, and related issues facing Clayton, Coweta, Douglas, Fayette, Henry, South Fulton and Spalding Counties, as well as the City of Atlanta.

For more information and registration, visit http://southmetrooutlook.com/.

Center for Community Progress Foreclosure Workshop: Jan. 24

The national Center for Community Progress will conduct a workshop on mitigating the effects of foreclosure for AHAND and G-STAND next Thursday, January 24.

The Center for Community Progress is the nation’s preeminent organization addressing issues of vacant properties – both the prevention of abandonment and adaptive reuse. Its staff in Flint, Mich., Washington D.C., and New Orleans, La. provide advocacy, technical assistance and organizational development services to governments and advocates throughout the nation. Community Progress helps neighborhoods, cities, counties and states forge and implement effective strategies to prevent and reuse vacant properties. Frank Alexander, law professor at Emory University, was one of the Center’s founding members.

The workshop is open to anyone concerned about mitigating the devastating effects of foreclosures, but is especially geared toward nonprofit housing developers (including CDCs) and governmental housing and community development agencies. This event will provide a unique opportunity for low-cost, local training usually only available nationally.

This workshop (see agenda and bios here) is also one of three scheduled for the first quarter of this year. This handout gives a description of the three-seminar series. Anyone interested may register online at www.ahand.org for one seminar or all three. By registering for all three now, registrants can receive a substantial discount.

Early Registration for New Partners Conference Extended to Jan. 24

Early registration for the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference in Kansas City, MO, Feb. 7-9, has been extended through Thursday, Jan. 24.

Register today and avoid the $50 late fee. Don’t miss the half-day, pre-conference Equitable Development Workshop on Feb. 6. Visit www.newpartners.org for more details.

The Marriott Downtown is now sold out.For more lodging options, visit http://www.newpartners.org/plan-your-trip/hotel-accommodations-and-rates/

Register by January 18 for New Partners for Smart Growth Conference

Registration remains open for the 12th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference, February 7-9 in Kansas City.

The conference promises a series of thought-provoking sessions, nationally acclaimed speakers, networking opportunities, and tours of projects, communities and neighborhoods throughout the greater Kansas City region.

Prospective attendees have until January 18 to register at the pre-conference rate and avoid a $50 late fee. In addition, an exclusive attendee lodging rate is available at the Marriott Kansas City Downtown until January 14.

For more information, conference registration and links to lodging, visit http://www.newpartners.org.

Health Impact Assessment Training Next Wednesday, January 9

The Georgia Health Policy Center invites you to attend a one-day training on Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for local government and public health agencies in the Atlanta area. The training will prepare participants to work towards completing the Atlanta Regional Commission PLAN 2040 Excellence Standard regarding HIA and connect public health and planning collaborators to create healthy places.

Key Information:

• Date:
  Wednesday, January 9, 2013
  8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (lunch provided)
• Location:
  Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University
  14 Marietta St., 7th Floor
  Atlanta, GA 30303
• Registration:
  Please fill out the online registration form.
• AICP Credit: Pending

Additional Information:

HIA is a tool used to increase the consideration of health in planning and other important policy decisions. HIA supports Atlanta Regional Commission’s PLAN 2040 goal of encouraging healthy communities and the corresponding local performance standards for fostering a healthy, educated, well-trained, safe, and secure population. Interest in HIA as a planning tool has been growing rapidly in Georgia, as local communities seek to address challenges such as childhood obesity, traffic safety, or the needs of elderly citizens.

Who should attend:

• This training is targeted toward Metro Atlanta local governments wishing to qualify for planning excellence standard 2.G: ‘Develop a process to conduct health impacts assessments (HIA) to evaluate government plans or programs (such as comprehensive plans or transportation plans), large-scale developments (including DRIs), and other related projects that may impact community health.’
• Jurisdictions and regional agencies outside of the Atlanta region that are interested in HIA as a tool to build healthy, lifelong communities and livability into their comprehensive planning process.
• Georgia public health districts in the Atlanta region.

Directions: See directions to the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, parking information, etc.

Questions: Contact Michelle Rushing at mmarcus2@gsu.edu or (404) 413-0282.

More about HIA:

HIA is defined as a combination of procedures, methods, and tools by which a policy, program, or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the distribution of those effects within the population*. Using the established process and methods, the GHPC facilitates HIA training sessions, engages in HIA for communities, and makes recommendations based on the findings. Our staff members serve in leadership positions in the field of HIA including the revision of the Minimum Elements and Practice Standards for Health Impact Assessment and the development of a new Society of Practitioners of Health Impact Assessment (SOPHIA), the first professional association for HIA practitioners in North America.

Read more about the GHPC’s work in the field of HIA.

The GHPC, housed within Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, provides evidence-based research, program development, and policy guidance. We work locally, statewide, and nationally to improve health status at the community level.