Whether you are new to city planning or just need a refresher on what exactly an unnecessary hardship is, you will come away from this workshop with a framework for tackling common land use and zoning issues in your community. Adapted from ISU Extension & Outreach’s long-running Introduction to Planning and Zoning for Local Officials workshop, this session presents the powers and duties of the major actors in municipal land use, what a comprehensive plan is, and how best to use it to advance your city’s goals, and concludes with a description of common points of contention – i.e. variances and conditional use permitting – and some best practices for handling them.

• Luke Seaberg