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Category: Webinars

Upcoming Webinar July 14: Zones, Groans, and Unknowns: A Deep Dive into Odd, Head-Scratching Discoveries in Zoning Audits

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Panelists: Robert P. Mitchell, FAICP; Emily Innes, AICP, LEED AP ND, Innes Land Strategies Group; Jeff Davis, AICP NCI, Horsley Witten Group; and Judi Barrett, Barrett Planning Group. 

Barrett Planning Group is offering a webinar on best and worst practices in drafting zoning ordinances and bylaws. All four panelists are seasoned zoning experts and will bring their experiences with zoning audits (zoning diagnostics) to this session, along with practical advice for city and town planners and other planning consultants. This webinar has been approved for 1.25 CMs. 

📅 Webinar Date: Tuesday, July 14, 2026

🕛 Time: 12:00noon-1:15pm EST

🔗 Register by: July 13, 2026 Click Here to register!

Webinars: Barnstable County Shared Regional Housing Services Program

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Barrett Planning Group, as Program Consultant for Barnstable County’s Shared Regional Housing Services Program (BCSRHS), recently hosted two virtual webinars focused on affordable housing tools. We appreciated the opportunity to share this information and look forward to hosting future webinars as part of the Shared Regional Housing Services program!

Webinar #1: Inclusionary Zoning on Cape Cod

Date: Wednesday May 27, 2026

Speakers: Chloe Schaefer (Chief Planner, Cape Cod Commission), Alexis Lanzillotta (Principal Planner, Barrett Planning Group), and Judi Barrett (President, Barrett Planning Group).

This webinar covers inclusionary zoning and other local regulatory tools that encourage the creation of affordable housing. Topics include:

  • An overview of the Cape Cod Regional Housing Strategy, which includes inclusionary zoning among its zoning best practices for affordable housing;
  • Examples of inclusionary housing strategies from across the region; and
  • Considerations for adopting, implementing, and refining a local inclusionary housing bylaw.

This webinar program briefly explores the relationship between local zoning and the state’s Subsidizing Housing Inventory, which is the primary focus of our second webinar – see Webinar #2 details below! 

👉 Watch the recording here: CLICK HERE

Webinar #2: Understanding Local Action Units (LAU)

Date: Wednesday June 3, 2026

Speakers: Alexis Lanzillotta (Principal Planner, Barrett Planning Group), and Elizabeth Rust (Director of the Concord-based Regional Housing Services Office serving ten communities in the MetroWest region).

This program focuses on Local Action Units (LAU), a component of the state’s Local Initiative Program (LIP) that enables communities to include affordable housing created without a comprehensive permit on the Subsidized Housing Inventory. Topics covered:

  • Connection to SHI: Overview of requirements for inclusion on the Chapter 40B Subsidizing Housing Inventory, the state’s list of low- or moderate-income housing units by community.
  • Project Types: Examples of local actions that can create LAUs, e.g. zoning incentives, special permit conditions, donation of Town-owned land, and local funds. 
  • Creating LAUs: Coordinating local milestones with the LAU application and approval process.
  • Monitoring LAUs: Roles and responsibilities for ongoing compliance.

👉 Watch the recording here: CLICK HERE

Webinar: What Watershed Associations Wish Municipalities Knew💧

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Webinar Topic: What Watershed Associations Wish Municipalities Knew

Date: May 7, 2026

Speakers: Jill Slankas (Principal Planner, Barrett Planning Group), Samantha Woods (North and South Rivers Watershed Association – NSRWA), Patrick Herron (Mystic River Watershed Association -MyRWA), and Dave McGlinchy (Massachusetts Rivers Alliance).

Together, the panel shares insights on what watershed organizations want municipalities to know, helping to deepen understanding of the factors affecting both the quantity and quality of our drinking water supplies, the implications for communities, and key considerations for addressing these challenges locally. Whether you’re a planner or municipal official, an advocate, or you just want to learn more, this webinar offers practical guidance and real-world perspectives you won’t want to miss.

👉 Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/Ca2CvLEsj6Q

👉Access the post-webinar Q&A here: Q&A Notes

Stay connected: Sign up at the bottom of our contact page to receive updates on future webinars and events: https://barrettplanningllc.com/contact/

Webinar: Why Inclusionary Zoning Matters – and How to Get it Right!

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Webinar Topic: Why Inclusionary Zoning Matters – and How to Get it Right!

Date: February 4, 2026

Speakers: Jennifer Raitt (Executive Director of the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments – NMCOG), George Proakis (AICP, City Manager, City of Watertown), Eric Halvorsen (AICP, Vice-President of RKG Associates), and Judi Barrett (President, Barrett Planning Group).

Barrett Planning Group’s Webinar Series for Planners dives into a timely and much-debated topic: inclusionary zoning. Titled “Why Inclusionary Zoning Matters—and How to Get It Right,” this webinar is sparked by a lawsuit seeking to overturn Cambridge, Massachusetts’s long-standing inclusionary zoning ordinance. The session is designed to help planners think through what makes inclusionary zoning effective, and how to design policies that support affordable housing without slowing the pace of much-needed housing production. While all four speakers are based in Massachusetts, the conversation is relevant to planners everywhere.

👉 Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/RejaWrUB5ms

Stay connected: Sign up on our contact page to receive updates on future webinars and events: https://barrettplanningllc.com/contact/

Webinar: Developing a Strong Local Preservation Program

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Webinar Topic: Developing a Strong Local Preservation Program

Date: September 29, 2025

Speaker: Jennifer Doherty (Preservation Planner, Barrett Planning Group)

Many aspects of community planning incorporate or are enhanced by historic preservation – economic development, tourism, zoning, housing, open space protection, and more. But local historic preservation efforts are often driven by a small group of volunteers rather than fully incorporated into the larger planning processes of the community. Local preservationists are often stuck being reactive to “preservation emergencies,” with little planning and forethought to how they can protect a community’s important historic and archaeological resources. In this webinar, Barrett Planning Group’s Preservation Planner, Jenn Doherty, will review the basics of preservation planning and provide actionable steps for developing a strong local preservation program. 

👉 Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/AdRuHSPoVTo

Stay connected: Sign up on our contact page to receive updates on future webinars and events: https://barrettplanningllc.com/contact/