With phased reopening underway, planning and zoning departments across the country are trying to accommodate new methods of operation in a COVID-19 world, as well as how those changes will carry over once we are out of the pandemic. Many planners are now armed with new tools authorized by executive order. But are these planning tools enough? Are there legal barriers that could impede their success?

This program will focus on legal and planning issues which are likely to arise as businesses reopen and the pandemic concludes. Topics to be discussed will include legal issues with executive orders, virtual hearings (and whatever hybrid form they may soon take), relaxation of zoning regulations and local codes, expedited permitting processes, and actions that can be taken now to be better prepared for the next pandemic. The program will also address equity considerations related to these issues. Each panelist will offer a different perspective on this topic as a law professor, mayor, and land use attorneys representing private developers and municipalities. The discussion and best practices shared are intended to assist planners in other disaster situations.