2025 Western Mass. Conference
CPTC Brings its Training to Western Mass.
The CPTC Western Mass. Conference will be held on October 4, 2025 from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm at Greenfield Community College, One College Drive, Greenfield, MA 01301. The cost is $50. Registration is required. Payment, cancellation and other policies.
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Workshops and Schedule
8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Check-In and Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 9:15 a.m. General Opening/Welcome
9:30 – 11:00 a.m. Early Morning Session
1 – Roles and Responsibilities of Planning and Zoning Boards (MIIA)
Join us if you are a new Board member or building inspector. This program will launch you into your role as a local official, introduce you to the functions of the two boards and the main tools of planning and zoning. This session will also include an introductory discussion of the Open Meeting, Public Records, and the Conflict-of-Interest Laws.
- Speaker: Bob Mitchell FAICP, Consultant
2 – Site Plan Review (MIIA) CM | 1.5
The Zoning Act does not contain any provisions for the review of site plans, however the process can be a very effective tool for a board to review the details, aesthetics and impacts of a potential project. This course explains the legal issues when using site plan review; the difference between site plan approval and special permits; the review process; the types of conditions a board may impose; the reasons for disapproval; the appeal process and the types of information a municipality can require to be shown on a site plan. Additional material will be presented on how to incorporate site plan review into your zoning bylaw or ordinance.
- Speaker: Supriya Kelkar AICP LEED AP ND, Senior Planner/ Urban Designer, Innes Associates Ltd.
11:15 – 12:30 p.m. Late Morning Session
3 – Planning with Community Support (MIIA) CM | 1.5
The course describes how to conduct a planning process, with an emphasis on a comprehensive or master plan that will ultimately have the support of the community. A variety of public participation strategies will be examined, including plan implementation processes. The course will cover how to design the community engagement process.
- Speaker: Judi Barrett, Owner, Barrett Planning Group LLC
4 – Reasonable and Defensible Decisions (MIIA)
This course covers some key points that will assist boards in making clear and defensible decisions and why that is important. It describes criteria that should be contained in local zoning provisions and how they relate to the drafting of the decision and the conditions a board may impose when approving a special permit or variance application The first part of this course covers legal and procedural requirements for conducting a public hearing and the ramifications of failure to follow procedural regulations in the decision-making process.
- Speaker: Adam J. Costa, Attorney, Mead, Talerman & Costa, LLC
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Conference Policies
- The 2025 CPTC Western MA Conference is an in-person event. Workshops will not be recorded.
- Continental breakfast is included in the registration fee. Please contact coordinator@masscptc.org with any dietary restrictions.
- Registration deadline is Friday, September 26, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
- Payment can be made by check or credit card. Checks can arrive after the registration deadline. Please make checks payable to CPTC and mail to: Citizen Planner Training Collaborative (CPTC), c/o Urban Harbors Institute, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125.
- Cancellation Policy: Registering for the conference is a commitment to attend. Payment is required unless a written cancellation request is received by the CPTC Coordinator at coordinator@masscptc.org by Friday, September 26, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. No refunds will be processed after this date.
- Please contact coordinator@masscptc.org with any questions.
Disclaimer
The use of the facilities of Greenfield Community College for this event does not constitute an endorsement by the Community College.