Michigan Community Resources (formerly Community Legal Resources), a nonprofit professional services provider in downtown Detroit, seeks a part-time, Planning & Technical Program Associate to fill an immediate vacancy. Michigan Community Resources supports and empowers nonprofit community organizations in Michigan that serve low income individuals and communities, with an emphasis on community economic development, by providing pro bono legal services and technical assistance.

Michigan Community Resources’ Planning & Technical Program focuses on delivering community-based, resident-driven planning and technical products through community connections and technical expertise. The Program provides urban planning, mapping, and data analysis services to nonprofit organizations. The focus of the Program’s work over the past few years has been on working with communities and organizations to address vacant property challenges and to support vacant property systems improvement and development in the city of Detroit.

Michigan Community Resources is currently playing a supporting role to carry out civic engagement work of the Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning (DWPLTP) process. During this process, Michigan Community Resources work in partnership with the Detroit Collaborative Design Center (DCDC) to provide an opportunity for a wide and diverse range of people and stakeholders to participate in the DWPLTP process and help shape its outcomes, in addition to building a constituency of supporters for decisions about the future of the city.

Skill Requirements and Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree in a related discipline, required;
MS Access, including familiarity with SQL, required; • NVIVO or similar qualitative analysis software, and SPSS or similar quantitative analysis software, preferred;
GIS skills, required
Adobe Creative Suite skills, specifically Illustrator and Indesign, preferred;
Neighborhood planning experience; and experience with vacant housing/commercial/land mitigation and alternative land uses, preferred;
Work experience with community development organizations and nonprofits working in diverse and low-income neighborhoods, preferred;
Strong written and oral communication skills and ability to effectively communicate with a wide variety of audiences, required;
Ability to take initiative and work successfully in an individual and group setting, required.

Annual salary is dependent upon qualifications and is commensurate with experience and credentials.

Interviews begin immediately.

Additional information is available at www.clronline.org

Interested persons should send the following: 1) cover letter, 2) resume, 3) description of a sample project involving work with MS Access, 4) quantitative and/or qualitative analysis sample, 4) GIS-based map samples, and 5) contact information for three references.

via email (preferred) dlewinski@mi-community.org

Subject: RE: Planning & Technical Program Associate

POSITION: Director of Community Development and Planning
PAY RATE: Starting wage: $34.64/HR - $36.67/HR D.O.E.
STATUS: Regular, full-time, exempt

CLOSING DATE: MARCH 2, 2012


DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:
Under administrative direction of the Chief Administrative Officer, this position directs the day to day activities of Community Development and Planning.

PHYSICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS:
Duties are generally performed in an office environment where hazards and discomforts are controlled and modifiable. This position requires the ability to bend at the waist, kneel, reach over the head, talk, hear, and see. Must be able to move or lift documents and materials weighing up to 20 pounds. Position requires knowledge and use of typical office equipment including telephone, audio-visual equipment and personal computer. Position requires occasional contact with fellow employees and citizens. Position may require occasional travel to remote sites where conditions for access may not be modifiable.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: (The following are intended to illustrate typical duties. They are not meant to be all inclusive or restrictive.) Directs the day to day activities of the Planning Department, including land-use planning, subdivision review and permitting; administers land use regulation; reviews land use policies to ensure compliance with laws and regulations; reviews growth policy and recommends amendments; manages Open Lands and historic preservation activities; coordinates activities between the Department and other entities, including but not limited to County Commission, planning board, civic organizations, industry/trade organizations, and citizens; prepares and monitors implementation of annual budget; develops and administers staff work plans; assigns and schedules personnel; supervises and evaluates professional and support staff; monitors staff activities with respect to department work plans, goals and objectives; provides technical and professional advice to the planning board and the Board of County Commissioners; may perform field and site inspections; performs other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
Knowledge of Montana Code Annotated and County regulations pertaining to land use and land use planning; land use practice; Planning Department policies and procedures; Planning Department programs; County growth policy, subdivision rules, and land use regulations; public sector budgeting policies and procedures; supervisory techniques and personnel practices; Ability to use common office machines; understand and interpret statutes, regulations, policies, procedures and guidelines; operate computer systems and related software, including word processing and spreadsheet programs; communicate effectively orally and in writing; direct, supervise, train, and evaluate professional and support staff; establish effective working relationships with fellow employees, supervisors, elected officials, developers, and citizens.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The knowledge, skills, and abilities required for this position are typically acquired through a combination of education and experience equivalent to BA degree in planning, geography, business, public administration, or related field, plus five (5) years professional experience in planning, grant administration, policy development or related with two (2) years supervisory experience. Masters degree and public sector planning experience preferred.

AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

TO APPLY:

Submit a completed Lewis and Clark County application and cover letter thoroughly documenting relevant qualifications and experience, together with a current resume, to the Human Resource Office, 316 North Park, Room 346, Helena, Montana, 59623, no later than 5:00 P.M. March 2, 2012. For additional information, (406) 447-8316 or www.co.lewis-clark.mt.us. Faxes and electronic material will be not accepted. Incomplete application materials will not be processed. The County may use the following factors to determine whether an applicant meets the qualifications for this position: review of application materials, past work performance, reference checks, and structured oral interview.

Happy Birthday! It is a big and important one. I hope that you go out and do something fun...:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiyWXQyAJ44

Kitty WINS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZKvuSYIykY

"morning Ralph"
"morning Sam"

I love those old Wile E Coyote cartoons where he and the sheep dog exchange pleasantries each morning and at the end of their work shifts, but are going after each other hammer and tongs once the work whistle blows.

Brings to mind the question do you have this type of relationship with anyone you have frequent contact with? As planners, many of us deal with developers, attorneys, sign contractors, or citizen groups, etc. that by virtue of our jobs/respective roles compel us often to act as adversaries...but on a personal level actually like and respect each other?
Someone you could run into at the bar and say "Man, for a minute there I thought you were gonna cave on the whole proposed setback issue." "Yeah, I thought that was a pretty convincing performance, and your timing on bringing up the whole First Amendment issue was impeccable - like you were being nothing but cooperative and me a total obstructionist. Heck, I was waiting for you to say 'I guess our lawyers will have to discuss this', and then I'd have to end the meeting, [hahaha].")

This issue goes beyond just jobs and general civility is something sorely lacking in our culture. Our inability to separate people from their roles/interests/views is what promotes so much discord in our societies. We need a lot more Ralphs and Sams

Before there were trendy tapas bars on every metropolitan street corner there were appetizers. The word 'appetizer' itself is misleading (if you eat a bunch of fried cheese sticks/chips & salsa first it will increase your appetite for dinner...) but restaurants love to offer them because they are pure profit. Seems like the mark up on appetizers is typically higher than anything else on the menu (except possibly dessert,,, but that is as they say another thread;)). Servers love appetizers because they are quick to get out to customers and takes the edge off peckish diners who might otherwise peevishly grumble about the lengthy waits for their food, not to mention that increasing the overall tab generally increases overall tips.

I guess I'm not much of an appetizer kinda guy. I mean I like eating them, but am such a cheapskate at heart I seldom will order them. I like fried mozzarella sticks, or fried mushrooms, or fried jalapenos, but will mechanically graze on chips and salsa if placed before me just as readily

How about you, do you occasionally order appetizers, and if so what do you gravitate towards? Any restaurants in your area offer unusual appetizers? (there's a certain standardization among chains on appetizer offerings but this part of the menu more than others tends to be where more differences are found)

Reuse of a landfill? Seriously? That sounds like one of those UN Agenda 21 principles!

Hi, guys. Newby here...

I'm a planner for a very conservative Florida city. Tanning salons (along with tattoo and massage parlors) are not allowed as a primary use. Period. However, we have couple of big hotels/resorts that happen to have 2-3 tanning booths in their gyms, spas, etc.

Are they allowed to have those? Is that thing "accessory use, although accessory, has to be allowed as a primary use in any of the zoning districts" some kind of common planning rule or does it depend on the code language (ours is silent)?

Thanks!

I am in my 4th year of a Geography undergrad and I will be starting my masters in planning in the fall of 2012. Can anyone give me some advice in getting a summer job in the planning field ??? I live in Ontario, Canada and I am really eager to learn and get experience!! If someone can give me any advice I would really appreciate it!!!! :)

Okay, I got about a third of a large spiral ham leftover that we started with on Monday. Had meat/potato/two veggies the first two nights, and ham yaki soba last night. Ham sandwiches for lunch the last couple days. Now what?

I'm posing the Eternal Question first, but others can feel free to pose the same question and I promise I will reciprocate and add any suggestions I might have.

This article is pretty interesting to me.

The World's Biggest Debtor Nations
http://www.cnbc.com/id/30308959

The main reason being that you will see the countries with universal healthcare (with Canada being the exception) are largely debtor nations. We have all read about Greece and the collapse that they had/are having. And it is well known that there are been strikes and uprisings over austerity measures proposed and approved in France, Germany, etc. Many of these countries have MUCH better worker regulations in terms of vacation, pay, benefits, etc. Are these benefits and debt mutually exclusive? The United States ranks 20th. We obviously have a MUCH larger GDP and a much larger debt. Interesting that we own most of our own debt though, but that is an aside.

My question is this: Do you believe that you can provide services to people in a country within a budget that doesn't bankrupt a country? Can a country be both fiscally conservative and socially progressive? Obviously there is a middle ground somewhere... where is it?

So, who's with me? Who's the master of their domain? Who's willing to join the month-long Cyburbia Contest?

Hi all,

According to the Harvard website, "Grant funds are awarded on a two-tier system based on need. The Tier 1 grant is based solely on the student's financial information. In order to be considered for more substantial Tier 2 grant, students must provide parental information."

I don't have access to my father's information and am a little worried about the possibility of not receiving as much aid from schools. I was wondering if anyone knows what the difference between a Tier 1 and a Tier 2 grant is.

Thanks!

Happy Birthday TOFB !

Enjoy Your Day !

It's Groundhog Day. Had any of those been here before experiences recently? Should we have a Neverending Groundhog Day thread?