January 28 - Land Use

Planning and Zoning 101

This presentation aims to serve as an introductory primer to various planning and zoning issues local governments routinely encounter. This presentation will provide some focus on drafting. Additional topics may be presented.

Speakers: Kim Mickelson & David Silverman

David Silverman has a thorough understanding of the zoning and entitlements process. His prior career as a professional planner informs his practice as an attorney, giving him an unprecedented understanding of the dynamics that influence the zoning and entitlement process. His multi-faceted professional background also provides public and private sector clients with advisory services that extend beyond legal representation to help them achieve their goals and objectives.

David is co-chair of Ancel Glink’s Zoning and Land Use Group and co-editor of the group’s e-newsletter, In the Zone. David also serves as moderator for the Zoning and Land Use Group’s Twitter site, @AncelGlinkLand.

David is involved with several organizations that promote better land use and development practices. David serves on the Executive Board of the Illinois Chapter of the American Planning Association as its Legislative Committee chair and serves as the Education and Outreach Chair for the Planning and Law Division of the American Planning Association. In addition, David is also a member of the Ely Chapter (Chicago) of Lambda Alpha International, Urban Land Institute, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Kimberly Mickelson is an attorney and planner with the City of Houston, TX and is the President of the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association, and the Editor of A Guide to Urban Planning in Texas Communities. Her practice is concentrated in the representation of governmental and non-profit corporations. She specializes in and represents cities across Texas and in Illinois on land use matters, including zoning and platting, economic development, airport law, special districts, development agreements, and cemetery law. She is licensed in both Texas and Illinois, and writes and speaks frequently on planning and land use law issues nationally. She is also Visiting Associate Professor of Practice in the Master’s Program, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Department in the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University. Ms. Mickelson is an honors graduate of the Plan II program at The University of Texas, and The University of Texas School of Law and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. She attended Schiller International University in Heidelberg, Germany, studied municipal and historic preservation at in Krakow, Poland during graduate school, and was a post-graduate research fellow at the University of Belgrade. She is a member of the Texas Bar Association and serves on the Government Law Section Council, the Texas City Attorney’s Association, the Houston Bar Association, the American Planning Association (APA), and the American Institute of Certified Planners. She serves on the University of Texas Libraries Council, and is a former board member of Preservation Texas and Preservation Chicago. In her spare time, she is active in neighborhood redevelopment and historical cemetery preservation issues, is a rabid Longhorn football fan, and an art quilter.