Join the CREW Boston Housing and Community Development Committee for a brown bag discussion.  Our conversation will address some of the unique challenges of Massachusetts' zoning regulations, how they impact our development work, and current efforts to reform state zoning and subdivision laws, while expanding housing production in the state – an effort known as the Great Neighborhoods Campaign.
 
We will be joined by Marc Draisen, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.  MAPC is the Regional Planning Agency serving the people who live and work in Greater Boston.  Its mission is to encourage smart growth and regional collaboration.  With over 35 years of experience in Massachusetts land use planning, Marc previously served as Executive Director of Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), President & CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), and as an elected member of the state House of Representatives.  He brings to the zoning reform effort a deep perspective on past, current, and future land use trends in the Commonwealth. Marc received his Master’s Degree in City Planning from MIT in 1981.
 
Marc will be joined by MAPC’s Government Affairs Manager, Elizabeth Weyant. Lizzi previously served as Advocacy Director at Transportation for Massachusetts.  She brings a particular understanding of the connections between land use and transportation.  Lizzi received her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2005.  Both Marc and Lizzi are active in the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance, which leads the Great Neighborhoods Campaign.