The Highland Park Plan Commission was created in 1927 under a provision of State Law which empowers the Mayor and City Council to appoint City residents to oversee the preparation of regulations, plans and programs pertinent to development within the city.

The Plan Commission makes recommendations to the City Council concerning land use development plans and regulations. The Plan Commission:

• Prepares and periodically updates the Comprehensive Plan for the present and future development or redevelopment of the City. No amendment to the Comprehensive Plan can be adopted by the City Council unless it has first been submitted to the Plan Commission.

• Prepares and periodically updates the Zoning Map and Zoning Ordinance.

• Establishes reasonable standards of design for subdivisions and reviews all subdivision applications to ensure conformance with these standards.

• Establishes reasonable standards of design for planned unit developments and reviews all planned development applications to ensure conformance with these standards.

• Reviews applications for special use permits, special exceptions, Zoning Ordinance text and map amendments, and other proposals related to the development and use of land within the City of Highland Park.

Applications for subdivision, planned unit developments and special use permits are reviewed by the Plan Commission, and a recommendation is made to City Council for approval or denial. It is the City Council who takes final action. Occasionally, the City Council will return a matter to the Plan Commission for additional consideration.

The Plan Commission does not have authority to revise the Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Ordinance, or the Zoning Map. Rather, the Commission makes recommendations regarding such matters to the City Council who is authorized to make such revisions. It is important to note that the City Council is not bound to implement a Plan Commission recommendation; however, they do rely on the expertise and careful analysis of the Plan Commission.

Rules of Procedures
The Open Meeting Act requires the members of the Plan Commission discuss public business in an open, public forum. This law requires that, whenever a gathering of three or more Commissioners occurs during which public business is discussed, such meetings be advertised (through a posted agenda) and be open to the public.

In order to ensure Plan Commission matters are conducted in a fair and efficient manner, the Plan Commission has adopted rules of procedure which apply to all Plan Commission meetings. Robert's Rules of Order are used to supplement these procedures, and together these two sets of rules help the Plan Commission to conclude its business as promptly as possible, with all interested persons provided an opportunity to speak.

In order for the Commission to vote on an item, a quorum must be present. A quorum consists of four members of the seven member Commission. A matter is passed if a majority of Commissioners present vote in the affirmative.

Membership
The Plan Commission consists of eight (8) members, all of whom are appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the City Council. One of the 8 members is a non-voting ex-officio representative of the City Council. The seven other members are Highland Park residents and are appointed for terms of three or four years and may be reappointed for a second consecutive four year term. No commission member may serve for more than two full consecutive terms.

Current Membership List
Merle T. Cowin, Chairwoman	Term expires 2009
Debra S. Rubin	Term expires 2009
Adam Berman	Term expires 2011
Tim Cohen	Term expires 2008
William Dytrych, Vice-Chair	Term expires 2008
Nancy Rodkin Rotering	Term expires 2008
Elliott S. Wiczer	Term expires 2009
Scott Levenfeld	City Council Ex Officio
Linda Sloan	Staff Liaison