Our mission: "To promote sound planning, land use and zoning practice in New York State so that orderly growth and development may occur balanced with necessary resource conservation."
NEW! Free Online Training for NYPF Members Only
The NYPF is pleased to announce that members may now access training modules via this Web site. If you are a member of a municipal board, you can fulfill your four-hour training requirement without leaving your desk – at NO CHARGE for NYPF members.
NYPF members can register for access to the members only section by clicking here or by using the navigation choice on your left.
If you are not a member, click here to find out how to join and take advantage of the benefits of NYPF membership.
In addition to the online training modules, the NYPF is enhancing the “members only” section of this Web site to contain documents and models and other pertinent information vital to the performance and education of the membership. Please let us know what you’d like to see by contacting Tom Bodden at
Planning and Zoning Summer Schools
Save the date: Annual conference is Oct. 12-14
This year's NYPF Planning and Zoning Conference, our 70th annual, returns to the Saratoga Hotel & Conference Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. on Oct. 12-14, 2008.
On tap are more than two dozen informative sessions for planning board and ZBA members, elected officials, planners, code enforcement officers and attorneys. For more information, contact Lael Locke at llocke@nypf.org or 518-270-9855.
The keynote speaker this year will be Main Street advocate Stacy Mitchell. Click here for her bio.
For more information, see:
* 2008 conference registration form
* Conference preliminary schedule
Request for Proposals to Complete Three Farmland Protection Plans with Towns in Ulster County
The New York Planning Federation seeks proposals from qualified parties to provide professional planning services to complete three farmland protection plans for the towns of Shawangunk, Marbletown and New Paltz in Ulster County.
The three projects are entering their second quarter of completion. The contracts and the entire scope of services will remain as a contract between the towns and the NYPF. The successful respondent will have a separate contract with the NYPF for the professional planning portion of the work. Overall administration and communication will remain the responsibility of the NYPF.
Please refer to the contracts and status reports to determine the work that remains:
Shawangunk contract
Shawangunk status
Marbletown contract
Marbletown status
New Paltz contract
New Paltz status
The projects are currently on hiatus and will resume in early October.
Proposals must be received via email (tbodden@nypf.org) AND postal mail by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, 2008. Please include: 1) Your proposed scope of work; 2) Your cost estimate to complete all three plans; 3) A brief statement of your qualifications and 4) References
Please address all questions to:
Thomas Bodden, Executive Director
New York Planning Federation
440 3rd Ave.
Watervliet, NY 12189
518-270-9855 (work); 518-270-9857 (Fax); 518-573-4176 (cell)
Questions must be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, 2008
Applications sought for farmland protection grants
The state Department of Agriculture and Markets is seeking grants applications for Farmland Protection Implementation Projects.
Eligible applicants include counties with state-approved agricultural and farmland protection plans and other municipalities that have adopted a local farmland protection plan.
Municipalities must include a current letter from their county agricultural and farmland protection board endorsing the proposed project for which State cost-share funding is requested. The cost-share ratio has been established at a maximum of 75 percent State and 25 percent local.
Proposals are due Sept. 15, 2008. For more information, see www.agmkt.state.ny.us
Wind Energy Toolkit
New York State has some of the highest potential for wind energy development of any state in the nation. Yet many local officials feel unprepared to evaluate proposed wind energy facilities that are increasingly coming before them. The Toolkit is designed to offer information on the various aspects of wind energy development to help municipalities decide how, where and whether wind energy facilities should be sited.
The Toolkit consists of a series of short, topical papers, three of which were prepared by the New York Planning Federation for NYSERDA, including Wind Energy Development and the Comprehensive Plan, Government Agencies’ Role in the Approval Process and Wind Energy Model Ordinance Options. These three papers are especially geared to answering the kinds of questions local officials are likely to have about planning and zoning for wind energy development.
NYSERDA’s website also provides a link to NYSERDA’s wind map, illustrating the areas within the State which have the greatest potential for wind energy development. See the winter edition of Planning News for the full article.
Online Education Courses for Planners
The Bloustein Online Continuing Education for Planners program at Rutgers University provides a variety of professional development courses to those in the field of urban, regional, city and community planning.
14 AICP Continuing Professional Development credits can be received for each four-week online course. The New York Planning Federation members receive a 10% discount off the $250 course fee.
BOCEP courses are taught by professionals from the East Coast and around the country. You can learn more about the program as well as future courses at http://policy.rutgers.edu/bocep/bocep.html.
Discussion list
We've created an electronic forum that allows members to share ideas and seek advice on issues regarding planning, zoning and main street development. Your participation involves using a simple tool - e-mail.
Join the conversation today by signing up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nypf and get plugged into what the experts are talking about!
Updated Guide
NYPF has updated the popular "The Short Course: A Basic Guide for Planning Boards and Zoning Boards of Appeals in NYS." It contains many updates that you'll want to be aware of. The guide, now in its 7th printing, has proven to be a valuable resource for local governments. To purchase this guide, visit our bookstore.
Land Use Training & Certification School
The New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal Land Use Training Program for Local Government Officials is an online training program designed to teach the basics of New York land use law. The program is made available to governmental officials, planning and zoning board members, municipal risk managers and others for noncommercial purposes. The program has nine tutorials and a glossary with links to definitions and various New York State statutes.
The program is produced by the Pace University Land Use Law Center and the New York Planning Federation. It is made available through the New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal, which is owned by the 530 New York Municipalities it insures.
You can download the program free from NYMIR or the zip file (1.6 meg) from NYPF.
New York Planning Federation
440 3rd Ave.
Watervliet, NY 12189
518-270-9855
fax: 518-270-9857
e-mail: nypf@nypf.org
