City Officials Telephone Seminars

Fair Housing Act Design and Construction Requirements BenefitsThis live audio conference will provide an overview of the design and construction requirements of the Fair Housing Act. We will focus on specific building types that are required to comply, safe harbors and practical application of the design and construction requirements. The presenters have worked with residential builders across the country providing plan and construction reviews. In  more...

What's that Smell? Sewer System Overflow Prevention and Management BenefitsThis live audio conference will provide a systematic overview of the technical, management and regulatory issues regarding collection system overflows, both dry weather and wet weather as well as both combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and separate sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). Information will be provided to help you understand and analyze overflow problems and provide guidance in  more...

What's that Smell? Sewer System Overflow Prevention and Management BenefitsThis live audio conference will provide a systematic overview of the technical, management and regulatory issues regarding collection system overflows, both dry weather and wet weather as well as both combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and separate sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). Information will be provided to help you understand and analyze overflow problems and provide guidance in  more...

Form-Based Zoning: An Alternative to Traditional Ordinances BenefitsThis live audio conference will provide a basic understanding of form-based codes: how they are different, how they can be applied and how they can help implement more sustainable communities. Lessons learned and steps toward beginning the process will provide you with a clear path toward a successful form-based code. Legal and practical considerations associated with adopting form-based  more...

Alternative and Controversial Land Use Regulations Benefits(Problem) Sometimes, we ask that zoning do more than it was intended to do, as when we force on zoning the job of business regulation. Whether a convicted felon should ever run a massage parlor or not is simply not a subject for zoning. Sometimes, local governments don't live up to the expectations and the needs of their sovereigns - the federal and state governments. When that happens,  more...

Bikeway Design Principles, Planning, and Best Practices BenefitsBicycling is gaining popularity in the United States as a recreational activity and a utilitarian mode of transportation. By expanding their bikeway networks, cities throughout the US have increased bicycle ridership and broadened the transportation options available in their community. However, significant barriers to bicycling keep many could-be riders off of their bikes. Additionally,  more...

Competitive Public Bidding and Public Contract Code in Florida BenefitsIn today's difficult economic times, more and more companies are looking to the government for opportunities to grow their businesses. While competing for government contracts presents expanded opportunities for success, participation in such procurements is governed by rules, laws and case law precedent not generally applicable in the private sector. This teleconference helps you  more...

Land Use Law Update BenefitsIn today's world, land use laws are pervasive and they must be addressed as part of nearly every undertaking. Knowing your rights and obligations - and securing necessary approvals in a timely manner - are critical steps to the ultimate success of any development or activity. A review of several key land use issues relating to federal land use laws, alternative energy and the ever-evolving  more...

Land Development Right Transfer Issues and Complexities BenefitsMany communities use transferable development rights to preserve environmental areas, farmland, historic landmarks and open space. TDR uses development rather than taxation to pay for permanent protection of these and other threatened resources. Working though the zoning code, TDR helps implement the preservation as well as the development goals of a community's land use plans. When TDR  more...

Real Estate and Land Valuation in Depressed Markets BenefitsThis teleconference will guide professionals depending upon reliable estimates of market value to identify viable and reliable market data using methods available in the market but not commonly applied during active real estate markets. The teleconference will explain underlying valuation theory for these alternative applications using relevant information during the current real estate  more...

California Wetlands: New Issues and Regulations Affecting Land Use Planning BenefitsWetlands have gained a special stature due to their significance to land use planning and development in California. Impacts to wetlands invite the involvement of a myriad of federal, state and local agencies, and their accompanying regulations. Permit processing is complex and time consuming, and many policies are inconsistent. Failure to understand these layered regulations can lead  more...

Perpetual Pavement Design and Sustainability BenefitsEnvironmental sustainability in road construction is becoming increasingly important as the public demands more sustainable practices and economic considerations make sustainable solutions more attractive. Asphalt pavements are widely recognized as being sustainable because they can be recycled easily and effectively, but an even more sustainable practice is to ensure the long life of a  more...

Planning and Zoning Techniques for Open Space Preservation BenefitsOpen space generates intense interest and support among citizens and elected officials as a key to making our communities livable and sustainable. Actually implementing a successful open space strategy is complex. Open space planning and implementation must take into account the regional context, community vision and ultimate function of the open space areas. The costs and means of  more...

Development Challenges for Small Commercial Sites BenefitsDevelopment constraints are present in all building construction projects, with small site commercial development presenting unique challenges in regards to matching the existing character of the area, conformity with local zoning, land use and environmental regulations, and if all approvals and permitting are ultimately obtained, construction-related challenges and end-user occupancy  more...

Access Management Design and Development BenefitsAccess management is a critical element of every private and public roadway or site development project. As a transportation engineer and/or planner, understanding the basics of access design and access development is crucial in delivering a successful project to your client. Driveway access to a site can have positive or negative consequences on the amount of potential business a retail  more...

Affordable Housing: Finance and Development, How to Maximize the Available Resources BenefitsToday's housing market has been severely impacted by the subprime mortgage crisis and a downturn in the general economy. As a result, finding capital and equity to build affordable housing has become more and more difficult as investors sit this one out while the market stabilizes. This teleconference will highlight the issues, problems, causes, recent trends, what can be done and what is  more...

Automated Meter Reading and Advanced Metering Infrastructure: A Guide for Municipal Water and Energy Utilities BenefitsCan you make a sound business case for AMR/AMI? What does it take to have a successful advanced metering system project? Advanced metering systems are evolving to meet municipal needs for efficient customer service, infrastructure management and conservation. But, acquiring and successfully integrating automatic meter reading/advanced metering infrastructure presents unique challenges to  more...

Practical Transportation Design and Solutions: Concepts and Implementation BenefitsDue to the increasing age of our nation's transportation infrastructure, in conjunction with the increasing demand for travel, the need for ongoing road preservation, safety and mobility projects has continually increased. However, the long term availability of funds for such improvements continues to diminish. Typical planning and design approaches may prioritize projects at the planning  more...

Performance Evaluation and Rehabilitation of Constructed Bridges BenefitsThe deterioration of constructed bridges is one of the most critical problems facing the infrastructure of the United States. According to a recent survey (ASCE 2005), an overall grade of D has been given to our infrastructure systems. Typical sources of bridge deterioration include increased live load, environmental attack and physical damage such as collision of heavy trucks. This  more...

Low Quality Asphalt: How to Avoid Problems Down the Road BenefitsLow quality asphalt is a facility owner's or manager's nightmare. How to turn it into a high quality asset can be a difficult question. That's what this teleconference is about. Reconstruction of asphalt pavements, whether a roadway, commercial parking lot or large distribution center, can be time consuming and very expensive. Costs associated with loss of use can easily exceed costs of  more...

Zoning Variances: Nonconforming Uses and Structures BenefitsThis teleconference will be useful in determining how to devise and apply nonconforming development and land use regulations, how to review evidence documenting nonconforming development and uses, and how to determine whether a nonconforming development or use has been terminated, abandoned or modified. Learning Objectives - You will be able to report and document a nonconforming use. -  more...

Infill Development Fundamentals BenefitsOver the past decade, a variety of forces have operated to create a trend toward more infill development and less development of greenfields or agricultural land. But infill development poses a unique set of challenges compared to more traditional development on vacant land. This teleconference will summarize the principal differences between infill development and greenfield development,  more...

A Guide to Hybrid Coding BenefitsMany communities across the country are showing new interest in using zoning regulation to better realize a desired building form. Zoning codes have always contained the basic bulk relationships that create the three-dimensional building envelope, such as minimum lot area, lot coverage restrictions, required setbacks and maximum height, but additional design-oriented elements to better  more...

Prequalification in Government Construction Contracts BenefitsWhat is the difference between prequalification and traditional post-bid responsibility determinations, and how do you address them in different types of contracts? This teleconference will discuss how to recognize and deal with prequalification requirements in federal contracts. State and local government procurements such as the Model Procurement Code, entities under federal grant  more...

Real Estate Market Studies: Critical Decision Tool or Superfluous Information? nMost significant real estate projects are required to pass the market study hurdle during due diligence. What factors impact the applicability, reliability and timeliness of these market studies? This teleconference will help real estate professionals identify the best providers of market studies, formulate a scope of work to suit the needs of the assignment, assist the consultant without  more...

Roundabouts: Planning, Design Principles and Current Practices nAlthough roundabouts have proven safety and operational benefits, proper planning and engineering design is essential for roundabouts to function correctly. This brief, yet practical, teleconference is your opportunity to better understand modern roundabouts and their installation, learn specific design skills and current practices, and apply roundabout design principles to projects in your  more...

Green Contracting: the Federal Government's Procurement Policies nMany federal contractors will have questions regarding the effective implementation of the OFPP policy and will further be concerned as to whether its costs will impact their competitiveness or ability to perform economically. Additionally, the monitoring and reporting that the government will require will have an impact on time and costs and one wonders if contractual sanctions will be imposed  more...

Sustainable Development and Land Use: The Future is Here and it is Green nBuilding green was for years entirely voluntary. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® program and other high performance building rating systems are not legislated by any governmental entity and they are not designed to be mandatory. But thanks to an explosion of state legislation and local ordinances across the country, green building methods and requirements have now been given the force of  more...