 VOLUME XX, ISSUE 5 MAY 2007
|
|
|
|
NEWS FROM PHILADELPHIA!
This year's National APA Conference in Philadelphia was a good one, with over eighty registered attendees from Washington and a total attendance of over 6,000 people. Robert Kennedy, Jr. kicked off the conference with a thought-provoking opening keynote address. A wide range of sessions and mobile workshops were offered. After attending several sessions, it became clear to me that Washington State is actually leading the pack in so many different aspects of planning. It is easy for us to lose sight of that fact sometimes, when we're doing our working, day-to-day, "in the trenches". Talking to planners from other part of the country, however, reminded me of how appreciative we all should be for the Growth Management Act and our state's pro-planning stance. Thank you to Paula Reeves and Kent Anderson, who represented Washington State at the annual Delegates Assembly in Philadelphia. They were involved in discussion about several APA policy issues, including global warming, air quality, and food systems. The Washington Chapter held an informal get-together at "McGillan's Old Ale House," which is said to be Philadelphia's oldest Irish pub (which I can believe, since it was established in 1860). Lots of Washingtonians and friends showed up, and a good time was had by all. Many thanks should be given to Paula Reeves, the organizer of this successful event. A big piece of news from the National APA Conference in Philadelphia is that the AICP Commission formally voted to adopt a Certification Maintenance program. In summary, this program will require, within each two-year period, AICP certified planners to engage in at least 32 credits of eligible professional development activities. All 32 credits are to be earned from APA, APA-sponsored, PAB graduate degree courses or registered providers. A minimum of 1.5 credits will be on the topic of ethics and the topic of current planning law. The program will officially start in January, 2008, although continuing education credits earned starting on April 14, 2007, may be applied to the first reporting period. As most of you know, this step was not without controversy. The AICP Commission released two drafts for review and comment over the past few months, which generated a lot of responses expressing strong feelings on both sides of the issue. This new program will also put more pressure on our Chapter's "Professional Development" and "Continuing Education" committees and our geographically-based Sections to provide more training opportunities for planners throughout Washington State. More information on the Certification Maintenance program will be forthcoming from the AICP Commission and in future issues of this newsletter. More details may be found at www.planning.org/certification/maintenance.htm. As I mentioned in the December edition of this newsletter, National APA is putting the finishing touches on a new "National Branding" program, which is meant to strengthen the identity and link between National APA and the chapters. This effort is similar to what the American Institute of Architects did a few years ago. Even though all of the details haven’t been finalized yet, Joe Tovar and I learned in Philadelphia that this Branding program will result in, at a minimum, a change to our official State Chapter logo for use in our stationary/publications and a standardized “masthead” for our newsletter. You may preview the new standardized logo design by going to the New Mexico Chapter’s website - www.nmapa.org (they agreed to participate in an APA pilot program). While I don’t believe that this effort will add much value to larger state chapters (like California, Virginia, and Washington), it is a mandatory program and will likely be of benefit to small and medium-sized chapters. It appears that National will phase in this program over the next one to two years, with financial assistance provided to pay for the switchover. On a final note from Philadelphia, it seems that National APA is getting serious about taking a proactive approach to property rights initiatives at the state level. Joe Tovar and I, along with planners from Alaska, Arizona, California, and Georgia, served this spring on an APA Property Fairness Advocacy Task Force. This Task Force issued a report that included background information and a set of specific recommendations for National APA action. The report was accepted by the APA Board of Directors, with APA staff to work on implementation of the recommendations and to report back to the Board at its upcoming Summer meeting. Stay tuned. Last fall, National APA established a new high school essay contest, with the topic of "Expanding Housing Choice and Affordability through Planning." I am pleased to announce that Allison Parker, of Clark College, Vancouver, Washington, was one of ten students nationally to receive an honorable mention for her essay. Way to go, Allison! The biennial FAICP Nomination process is now open, with nomination forms and all related materials due by October 23, 2007 (more information may be found at www.planning.org/faicp/faicp.htm). In past years, the Washington Chapter has formed an ad hoc committee to review nominations from Washington State candidates and then pass its recommendations on to the National Nominations Committee; I expect that the Chapter will follow the same procedure this year. More details about our process will be provided shortly. The FAICP nomination process is a long and detailed one, so if you are considering nominating someone, I would suggest that you start soon. That’s it for now. Keep on planning! 
LEGISLATIVE SESSION NEARS END
Before the 2007 legislative session started, members of the WA-APA legislative committee discussed what shadow Initiative 933 would cast – would land use stakeholders attempt to address the issues raised by the initiative or would the initiative’s defeat support a status quo approach? Now, days after the 2007 session adjourned, I submit it was a bit of both. Initiative 933 used the eminent domain issue as a rallying point, mentioning it while not actually attempting to change the existing law. Rather, its main thrust concerned regulatory “takings,” focusing on the impact of regulations on property values. Many saw the initiative as a product of the uproar caused by the adoption of critical area ordinances, particularly as applied to pre-existing agriculture practices, which may be why the Farm Bureau was the main proponent. The image of the family farm being regulated into bankruptcy was a powerful message even in urban Seattle. Consequently, as the 2007 session started, bills were crafted and introduced that purported to protect small family farms. Several passed, such as:
None of these bills enumerated above are major policy changes, but do show a legislative sympathy. Stronger measures, like legislation to prohibit the use of critical area ordinances to stop pre-existing agricultural practices – the issue that energized many I-933 proponents - were also proposed. The Speaker of the House took special interest in this issue - particularly after several farmers who opposed I-933 came to discuss their support for these bills. The environmental community, which opposed the initial versions of these bills (HB 2212 and SB 5248), started to discuss possible alternatives with the Farm Bureau. In the last days of the session, a new version of HB 5248 was passed and sent to the Governor. This last version prohibits counties and cities from adopting or amending critical area ordinances as applied to agricultural activities (as defined in the bill) for three years during which the Ruckelshaus Center will study the issue and attempt to mediate stakeholder consensus. A report that makes statutory recommendations must be submitted to the legislature by September 1, 2009. Other attempts to pass legislation impacting I-933 issues met with mixed success. HB 1458 addressed the condemnation notice issue highlighted by a Sound Transit condemnation where the affected party did not get actual notice of a hearing. It was Governor and Attorney General request legislation and passed overwhelmingly. However, HB 2016 died in the final hours of the session. HB 2016 would have addressed the Kelo issue by restricting eminent domain from being used solely for economic development purposes – something the Washington Constitution already prohibits. The bill also increased the amount allowed for costs associated with responding to a condemnation proceedings, required that the jurisdiction seek other reasonable alternatives before using eminent domain, and set forth the right of first refusal of the property owner to buy back the land within seven years of the condemnation if the land is no longer needed. Consequently, while the pre-I-933 status quo was essentially maintained, there were numerous attempts to deal with the frustration that generated the initiative. Whether these attempts are successful remains to be seen. It would be a mistake to assume that this session was solely about I-933 fallout. This session was also about major environmental concerns. At this writing, the following bills are on their way to the Governor and are expected to be signed into law.
544 bills passed the 2007 session. Those cited above are just a few that are of particular interest to WA-APA. If you have any questions about these or other bills from this session, please contact the WA-APA legislative committee or myself, the chapter lobbyist. It has been a pleasure representing you and the chapter this year. Thanks.
AICP EXAM PREP SESSION A SUCCESS
Thirty one people spent a rainy day learning how to be better prepared to take the AICP Exam. The session was held at the South Seattle Community College in late March. Many thanks to the fabulous planners who donated their time to teach the class. The instructors included:
Michael Hubner (Quantitative Methods, GIS) was unable to attend, but provided a handout material in his absence. Also, many thanks to our underwriters who helped to support this event through monetary and material donations. This year’s sponsors included:
The Exam is scheduled for May 7-21 and we wish our chapter members taking the exam all the best! AICP COMMISSION APPROVES CERTIFICATION MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
At the April 2007 APA National Conference in Philadelphia, the AICP Commission approved a plan for Certification Maintenance (CM) of the AICP credential. This decision culminates more than a decade of discussion about whether or not continuing education should be mandatory for AICP members. The highlights of the CM program are listed below (all AICP members are encouraged to read the program details www.planning.org/certification/maintenance.htm on the APA/AICP website, and other related updates on the Chapter website www.washington-apa.org/career/aicp.shtml.
The initial credit-accrual period began on April 14, 2007 (when the AICP Commission voted on the CM Program), and extend through the first official period between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. Keep Paper Logs as Back-up! Between April 14, 2007, and the time the CM online logging system is launched (August 2007), AICP members should keep a paper log of their educational activities. The records to be kept must include: course name, date, location, sponsoring organization, faculty and number of credits offered. Since not all details of the program are finalized yet, it may be a good idea to retain any physical “proof” of attendance at the education session (registration verification, nametag, etc.) The criteria in Section 3 www.planning.org/certification/maintenance.htm of the CM Program will be used to determine if you will receive credit retroactively, at which time you will be able to log the credits online. Obtaining Outstanding CDP Credits - IMPORTANT The existing voluntary CDP program ended on April 13, 2007; however, members may submit their credits until Tuesday, May 22, 2007. Once the CPD log is taken offline, the ability to add courses to individual online CPD logs will no longer be available. NOTE: Requests for approval of courses completed prior to April 14, 2007, will not be accepted after May 10th, 2007. APA/AICP has not uploaded many of the programs that have been approved for credit by the WA-Professional Development Officer. At this point, make your request for credit directly to APA/AICP national. CDP Certificates Honored for CM Requirements Certified planners holding valid CPD certificates will be exempt from CM requirements through the end of the calendar year in which the certificate expiration date occurs or until December 31, 2009 – whichever comes first. The two-year CM reporting cycle for said planner would begin on January 1st of the following year, but no later than January 1, 2010. Starting on January 1, 2010, everyone will be responsible for upholding Certification Maintenance requirements. More information on this is available on the Chapter website www.washington-apa.org/career/aicp.shtml. What Qualifies for CM Credit?
Certain activities do not qualify for credit, such as time spent in APA-related business meetings, mentoring, volunteer activities, or teaching for a salary, fee, or honorarium. Who is a Registered Provider? Educational providers, including APA and its components, will be required to register with APA/AICP in order to become qualified professional development providers. This means that the providers and all their eligible educational offerings will be reviewed and, upon approval, will be entered into the online directory of approved CM credits that all members may access. These courses will also be entered into the APA/AICP online educational calendar so that all members may become aware of these approved programs. Fees to be charged and other details of how providers become registered have not been determined yet. Criteria to be used in evaluating educational offerings are listed in Section 3.4 www.planning.org/certification/maintenance.htm of the CM Plan. Who are Your Continuing Education Providers? One of the concerns about a mandatory CM program has centered on the availability and cost of approved training. Since approved training will only be available through registered providers, it becomes necessary to make sure we have adequate trainers registered to meet the varied training needs of our chapter members. This is where I need your help. Please send me the names of the organizations/agencies/vendors that you turn to for training, whether for a fee or not. Please include contact information, the types of training they offer (e.g., conferences, day-long sessions, lunch speakers, etc.), and the types of topical areas they address (e.g., land use, transportation, management, environmental, whatever). Please email me your list, and I will contact these agencies and explore whether they might consider being registered providers once the program requirements are known. We want to ensure that Chapter members have the broadest range of appropriate continuing education options as possible.
APA ANNOUNCES WINNER OF HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST CHICAGO — Sarah Schewe, a high school senior from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, was selected as the overall winner in the American Planning Association's 2006-2007 High School Essay Contest. Her essay, "Affordable Housing Plan for Eden Prairie, Minn.," detailed why a hypothetical piece of vacant property in her town should be used for a new housing development. Schewe's proposed development included a mix of market-rate and affordable multi-family housing units, a co-op day care and preservation of existing wetlands. Schewe's essay was selected from more than 200 submissions. She is a senior at The Blake School in Minneapolis. As the overall winner, Schewe receives a $5,000 scholarship to the university or college of her choice, a one-year subscription to APA's Planning magazine, and a $100 gift certificate to APA's PlanningBooks.com store. Additionally, Schewe can attend one of APA's National Planning Conferences for free. "Sarah demonstrated knowledge of her community's overall planning goals and created a proposal that not only fit within Eden Prairie's comprehensive plan, but addressed a growing need within her community in a creative and intelligent manner," said Paul Farmer, FAICP, Executive Director and CEO of the American Planning Association. "Our judges were very impressed by the thought and creativity students brought to this topic." Ten students received honorable mentions for their essays and each will receive a one-year subscription to APA's Planning magazine and a $100 gift certificate to APA's Planningbooks.com store. Students receiving honorable mentions are:
The essays were judged by a panel of planning and education professionals on research and analysis, creativity and quality of the development proposal, and writing quality and organization.
OPEN SPACE SEATTLE 2100 WINS PRESTIGIOUS HONOR AWARD FROM THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS In recognition of the extraordinary community visions for a future infrastructure network for the City of Seattle, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has awarded an Honor Award in Analysis and Planning to Open Space Seattle 2100 (OSS 2100). The collaborative vision for Seattle's next century of green infrastructure that was developed during the Green Futures charrette is currently finding inroads at all levels of the City government and is inspiring communities across the nation by the example provided by Seattle's citizens. "This recognition shows that the community-driven, watershed-based green infrastructure planning process has extraordinary relevance as we face climate change, increasing densification and declining human and ecological health," said Open Space Seattle 2100 co-director Nancy Rottle. Added OSS 2100 co-director, Brice Maryman, "Defining an open space future for Seattle is fundamental for making Seattle a magnet city for accepting growth into our community. This plan takes the first steps in defining a comprehensive green infrastructure vision for our city and the resources of development to make that vision a reality." Open Space Seattle 2100 was convened to develop a comprehensive vision for Seattle's green infrastructure network over the next 100 years that will complement the city's predicted growth and density, and to build the broad constituency required to implement this vision. As a coalition of urban leadership, OSS 2100 wanted to spur the public discourse and initiate a planning process to engage citizens in collaborative visioning of Seattle's future open space network. The University of Washington's Department of Landscape Architecture joined with leaders and citizens from civic, environmental, professional, neighborhood and community groups to create plans for connected open space that will serve residents, businesses, and our natural systems for the coming century. Those visions reached from the city limits to the downtown core, creating a comprehensive network of parks, civic spaces, streets, trails, shorelines, and urban forests that link neighborhoods to one another, create ecological conduits from the city's ridgelines to its shorelines, and ensure a wealth of green spaces for all citizens to enjoy. This work could not have been done without the extraordinary support of the Seattle community, which was eager to help define a new vision of open space. Open Space Seattle 2100 co-directors, Nancy Rottle and Brice Maryman, would like to especially thank all of the community partners who made the process possible. Open Space Seattle 2100 is particularly indebted to the University of Washington's Department of Landscape Architecture, the Urban Land Institute and the City of Seattle for their invaluable support. Special recognition and deep appreciation go to the University of Washington students whose dedication and hard-work made development of the community visions possible. Additional thanks go to: the American Society of Landscape Architects and its Washington State Chapter; GGLO; Ann Lennartz; Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks; Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects; Mithun; Anchor Environmental LLC; Weisman Design Group; The Berger Partnership; Groundswell Northwest; Magnusson Klemencic Associates; IBI Group; Mr. KookHyun Moon + Professor Ki-Ho Kim; Hough Beck and Baird; Swift and Company Landscape Architects; Seattle Parks Foundation; Seattle Department of Planning and Development; Seattle Parks Department; Sustainable Ballard; Hartson Photography; Mayor's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs; SVR Design; and Johnson Braund Design Group, Inc.
REMINDER Last year the board approved a new chapter-only group membership opportunity. This membership is available to planning commissions, city councils and commissions, tribal councils, and board members of non-profit organizations and other professional associations. Up to 10 members may be included in a group membership. The group rate is $150 and is administered by the chapter office. To obtain a group membership form or learn more about the benefits of this membership, contact Anna Nelson, AICP, Membership Committee chair, at (206) 382-9540 or anelson@buckgordon.com.
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Have a project you want to highlight for planners across the state? An issue you think more planners need information on? Planning Northwest is always looking to highlight projects and research of our members. If you are interested in having an article published feel free to contact the editor. The deadline for the newsletter is the first of every month, preceding the publication month. Please submit all newsletter articles to newsletter@washington-apa.org. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|