Municipal planning and zoning boards are on the frontline of decision-making. Given changing conditions posed by a changing climate, good planning and regulatory practices will become even more critical as communities plan and prepare for the future. “Drowning in Liability: Reducing climate change impacts through municipal planning and zoning” provides examples and recommendations for protecting residents, property, and natural resources and increasing community resilience. Legal concepts, such as “takings,” are explored with a resilience lens and best practices for planning, policy development, and decision-making are presented. This module was developed in partnership with Rhode Island Sea Grant, the Narragansett Bay Research Reserve, CT Sea Grant and UConn CLEAR’s ADAPT CT program with funds from USDA NIFA.
Objectives:
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Recognize planning and zoning interests related to flooding at the local level
- Describe actions you can take in your role as a thoughtful rule- and decision-maker to reduce liability related to planning and zoning decisions
- Identify resources to consult for further information
Video Time: 18 minutes, 40 seconds Audio: required
Speaker Notes
Speaker Bios:
Andrew Tietz, Esq., AICP, Partner with the law firm Ursillo, Teitz & Ritch, Ltd.
Andy Teitz is a partner in the law firm of Ursillo, Teitz & Ritch, Ltd. He is also certified as a Professional Planner by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Andy has been legal counsel to the Historic District Commissions in Bristol, South Kingstown, and East Greenwich for several years. He has also represented private clients, before other historic district commissions throughout the State. Andy has long provided training to local historic district commissions and other municipal land use boards on a pro bono basis and is a regular speaker at RI Historic Preservation Conferences.
Andy was instrumental in drafting new state-enabling legislation on zoning and land development and has drafted dozens of municipal land use ordinances. He has also been appointed as a Special Master by the Rhode Island Superior Court. His firm currently represents six municipalities in Rhode Island as Town or City Solicitor.
Andy represents a wide range of private clients including real estate developers, Fortune 100 corporations, universities, schools, churches, family-owned businesses, and individuals. He practices before town councils, zoning and planning boards, historic commissions, coastal zone agencies, and the like, throughout southern New England. He litigates cases in all Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and federal courts, and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.
Andy is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Trinity College, in Hartford, Connecticut, and received his J.D. from Columbia Law School in New York, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar.
Bruce Hyde, Land Use Academy Director, UConn Department of Extension & Center for Land Use Education and Research
Bruce Hyde is a Land Use Educator with the University of Connecticut and responsible for coordinating the CLEAR Land Use Academy which provides training for local land use commissioners. Through the Climate Adaptation Academy, in partnership with CT Sea Grant, he coordinates training, workshops, and educational outreach to assist communities with the challenges of climate change adaptation.
He co-founded the UConn Climate Corps, an undergraduate classroom and service-learning opportunity that consists of a 3-credit course (Fall semester) on the local impacts of climate change, followed by a 3-credit independent study (Spring semester) during which students work with Extension faculty to assist Connecticut communities in adapting to climate change.
He received a BS in Economics from Lehigh University and an MS in the Economics of Natural Resource Planning from the University of Vermont. Mr. Hyde is an AICP certified planner with over 30 years of experience in municipal planning and economic development in Vermont and Connecticut.
Juliana Barrett, PhD, Coastal Habitat Specialist & Extension Educator, Connecticut Sea Grant & UConn Department of Extension
Juliana Barrett is an Extension Educator and Coastal Habitat Specialist with the University of Connecticut Sea Grant College Program and the Department of Extension. Her work focuses on climate change adaptation and resilience and coastal habitat management and restoration partnering with Connecticut’s municipalities, NGO’s and state and federal partners. She teaches an undergraduate course on climate adaptation and co-directs an independent study with students called the Climate Corps.
Dr. Barrett received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Smith College in 1982. She also holds a master’s degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from The Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Prior to joining Sea Grant in 2006 she worked as a private consultant and for The Nature Conservancy as the Geoffrey C. Hughes Connecticut River Tidelands Program Director. Dr. Barrett is a co-author of the Vegetation of Connecticut and numerous other publications.
This module was developed in partnership with RI Sea Grant, Narragansett Bay Estuarine Research Reserve, and CT Sea Grant’s and UConn CLEAR’s ADAPT CT program, with funds from USDA NIFA.