COLUMBUS, Ohio – Addressing topics from the mortgage crisis to energy, Ohio State University Extension will host its annual Ohio Land Use Conference on Nov. 17.
The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Dr., in Columbus. Registration is $55 and includes all meals and materials. The registration deadline is Nov. 10.
The theme of this year's program is "Land Use Policy in Turbulent Times."
"Our goal is to provide resources that will help communities deal with rapidly evolving new issues and find new solutions to traditional land use issues," said Peggy Hall, director of OSU Extension's agricultural and resource law program and chair of the land use conference planning committee.
The conference is targeted to county and township officials, planning and zoning officials, government agency personnel, OSU Extension educators, community organizations, and resource professionals.
One highlight of the conference will be a session on "Regional Approaches to Resource Protection," by Sean Logan, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Another session will be a luncheon address on "The Prosperity Agenda," by Marvin Hayes, Governor Ted Strickland's director of urban development and infrastructure. Other topics to be covered during the Ohio Land Use Conference include multi-jurisdictional agreements for land use; protecting community water supplies through land use; mortgage crisis impacts for rural land use; small town successful brown field redevelopment projects; and two sessions on rural zoning issues such as farming, livestock, wind turbines and oil and gas development. A diverse faculty of attorneys, planners, state and local officials and academics will present the sessions.
The event will conclude with a panel discussion on "Energy and Land Use in Ohio: Prospects, Promises and Problems," featuring Kimberly Gibson, assistant energy advisor to Ohio's Air Quality Development Authority; Matt Roberts, an OSU Extension economist with the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics; Larry Long, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio; and a representative from Green Energy Ohio.
"So many of the issues we're facing today—from the mortgage crisis to energy—are directly related to land use," said Hall. "It's important to understand the impacts and potential solutions for these issues."
For more information or to register, log on to http://comdev.osu.edu/landuse_conf08.html. For questions regarding registration call (614) 292-6232.