The Short Course on Local Planning is an educational program created by the Planning Association of Washington (PAW) in 1975 and administered by the Washington State Office of Community Development (OCD). It presents a general overview of land use planning in Washington state to local officials, the development community and interested citizens.

This course, which is typically three hours long and held in the evening, is scheduled anywhere in the state, whenever it is requested by a local community. There is no charge to attend the course. Short Course speakers, usually three, are professionals in law and planning, who volunteer their time. Each speaker makes initial remarks to introduce his or her topic, then welcomes questions from the audience. At the end of the evening, there is an open forum for the discussion of any topic of interest to those attending.

Everyone who attends receives a complementary copy of the course manual, now in its third edition. The short course manual covers legal objectives, citizen participation, growth management, constitutional issues, development tools, environmental legislation, the Shoreline Management Act and county/tribal relations.

In addition to the basic Short Course, special courses focusing on specific planning topics can be arranged, such as planning for the Urban Growth Area surrounding an incorporated municipality. In 1992, the Northwest Renewable Resources Center developed a Short Course on Tribal/County Intergovernmental Coordination as a component to PAW's Short Course on Local Planning. Available as a three-hour presentation and as a 20-minute segment of every short course, the Short Course on Tribal/County Intergovernmental Coordination is intended to prepare Indian and non-Indian officials and staff for cooperative activities. It includes sections on federal Indian law and policy, the status of tribal/county coordination, Indians in the State of Washington, on- and off-reservation issues and examples of intergovernmental coordination. It is available to groups across the state in a variety of workshop formats and can be tailored to fit the needs of individual tribes, counties or other organizations. A section on coordinating with tribal governments was included in the third edition of the Short Course on Local Planning manual, published in May, 1994.

To receive more information on the Short Course, arrange a Short Course in your area or receive a copy of the Short Course Manual, please call Ted Gage, Short Course Coordinator, Growth Management Division, OCD at (360)586-8971 or e-mail him at tedg@cted.wa.gov. More information on the Short Course, including a schedule of upcoming Short Courses, is available from the Washington State Department of Community, Trade & Economic Development site.