Scio Township innovates to preserve rural character
The conversion of a beautiful, historic barn in Michigan’s Scio Township into a special events hall drove the township to create a zoning category that provides a new and unique way to protect and preserve agricultural land.
Office hours: It’s all about the customer
“Customers aren’t just comparing you to your competitors anymore. They are comparing you to the best service they have ever received – from any company they do business with,” we read in Forbes. Community leaders are consumers, too, and want to give the same high level of service at city hall as they expect from […]
Here are the 10 most-viewed stories from our 2018 blog
The Carlisle/Wortman blog has shared planning information and ideas since 2010. The top stories from 2018 include some new content plus our greatest hits.
New Code Enforcement Services website
A new website brings attention to Code Enforcement Services, a subsidiary of Carlisle/Wortman Associates.
Local communities should control short term rentals, not Lansing
Dick Carlisle takes on two bills that would treat short term rentals as a permitted use in any zone and preempt communities’ ability to regulate them.
Your sign ordinance may be unconstitutional
A U.S. Supreme Court decision says that municipalities can’t regulate signs based on their content but location, composition and duration can still apply.
Economic development success begins with tough building plan reviews
How to avoid lawsuits, half-finished buildings, appeals, re-inspections, angry owners? Thorough, informed building plan reviews protect your reputation and your sanity.
Site Plan Review 101
Planning professionals and commissioners will appreciate this clear approach to reviewing a site plan. Best advice: Find a quiet place where you can spread out and work without interruptions.
Empower your zoning administrator
Managing and enforcing zoning should be the zoning administrator’s primary – or only – job.
A new economy calls for new economic development methods
Local governments must make themselves desirable places for knowledge workers, and that requires different tools than those with which we once chased smokestacks.