SENIOR CITY PLANNER - PLANNING & BUILDING

The City of Lafayette is seeking an experienced and innovative city planning professional to join the City’s planning team as a Senior City Planner. Although the role will involve both current and long-range planning projects, the current focus is on ongoing development reviews. This position will be responsible for reviewing a broad range of development applications and playing a key role in review and process improvements. The Planning Division has an ambitious set of projects currently underway, including a Land Development Code update, area planning, new project tracking and permitting software, and implementation of the housing plan and the City’s award-winning Legacy Lafayette Comprehensive Plan.

We are a small but very talented and dedicated group of professionals, and this position offers an exciting and challenging opportunity for an experienced planner with a wide variety of planning and urban design experience. This key team member will also need to be an excellent communicator, well organized, customer and employee focused, have the curiosity and ability to identify solutions, and engage effectively on interdisciplinary teams.

Current Planning

• Conducts building permit reviews for compliance with planning approvals.
• Reviews and processes sign permits.
• Responds to citizens’ requests for information and to inquiries from other governmental agencies and to professional inquiries.
• Answers inquiries about zoning code, subdivision regulations, procedures for Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustment hearings and all other current planning functions.
• Utilizes a city-wide network project database that records all contacts, decisions, permits, and other pertinent information related to projects.
• Maintains planning related files. 
• Host pre-application meetings with residents, business owners, and/or developers to discuss application processes and submittal requirements.
• Attend and present at meetings of the Planning Commission, City Council, the Zoning Board of Adjustment or other boards and commissions. 
• Performs staff review of subdivisions, special uses, site plan and architectural reviews, landscape and lighting plans, etc.
• Coordinates the review process, rezoning, or amendment process of project team members, reviews each team member’s comments to determine consistencies and address potential problems, issues, and concerns, and resolves conflicts.
• Works with a team of city personnel to review a customer’s project or request, determines which permits, licenses, approvals, standards, guidelines, ordinances, rules, and regulations a customer needs to obtain for a project or request to move forward.
• Works with customers to ensure plans and applications conform to applicable codes, rules, and regulations, the comprehensive plan, and other specialized city plans.
• Assists in maintaining City’s address data base and may be responsible for assigning new addresses. 
• May advise planning committees, neighborhood groups, City Council, and other stakeholders on planning issues, procedures, processes, historical preservation procedures, zoning issues, ordinance changes, and environmental regulations and requirements.
• Serves as a consultant to other city agencies and boards on routine zoning issues and explains the zoning code and rules and regulations to the public.

Long Range

• Analyzes data, formulates recommendations, and prepares reports.
• Represents the City on multi-agency/multi-jurisdictional planning efforts ranging from affordable housing, transportation, and other regional collaboration opportunities.  
• Assists in the preparation of technical and statistical information, such as existing conditions reports and general research.
• Prepares a variety of visual materials including advanced graphics, maps, and charts to synthesize and communicate technical and complex information to a variety of internal and external audiences.

Other

• Assists with data collection for annual reports and economic development projects.
• Provides maps for other departments upon request. 
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
• Identifies and participates in implementation of process and customer service improvements.
• Performs increasingly responsible duties as the employee gains experience and independence in performing planning duties.

Any one position may not include all of the duties listed. However, the allocation of positions will be determined by the amount of time spent in performing the essential duties listed above.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:   Works under the direct supervision of the Planning Manager and/or Director

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:  None

KNOWLEDGE: 

Knowledge of functions, principles, methods, and techniques of public planning including community planning, land use planning, and zoning. Knowledge of the principles and tools relevant to land use planning, development, regulations, and permitting.

SKILLS & ABILITY: 

Perform independent research on planning issues, investigate assigned planning and planning-related problems; maintain effective working relationships with supervisors, other employees and the public; work independently and complete assignments in a timely manner. 

Demonstrated skill in the operation of equipment necessary to perform the functions of the job including computers, spreadsheets, word processing, PowerPoint and ArcMap GIS programs. Experience in graphics design software, such as Adobe Creative Suite and Sketch-up is desired, but not required.

Interpersonal Skills – Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, cooperation, concern, and politeness to others and relates well to different people from varied backgrounds and different situations.

Oral Communication – Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively; taking into account the audience and nature of the information; makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues and responds appropriately.

Planning and Evaluating – Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.

Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

Reading – Understands and interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs, or tables; applies what is learned from written material to specific situations.

Writing – Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

TRAINING: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in planning or related field.

EXPERIENCE: Minimum three (3) years of municipal planning experience and AICP certification.

Or

Any equivalent combination of training and experience that provides evidence that the applicant possesses the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Possession of a current and valid Colorado Driver’s license or ability to obtain within thirty (30) days from date of hire.

These positions are primarily administrative in nature, working indoors completing tasks such as reading and reviewing reports, papers and other documents, writing reports, writing papers, correspondence and other documents.  This portion of the job will require acute mental skills, a lengthy attention span and involves sitting, walking, and standing.  Some outside field research is required.  Work requires a high degree of manual skill, the ability to hear, focus on close work, and use hands to fingers.  Environment involves occasional exposure to slippery or uneven walking surfaces, dust, dirt, heat, and cold.  The ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner both in writing and verbally is essential to this position.  Interaction with the public and co-workers is an everyday occurrence and requires the ability to direct, negotiate and mediate.

This position operates within the guidelines set forth by departmental policies and procedures.  Situations dictate that these positions must interpret those policies and procedures, or in the absence of any relevant policy or procedure, these positions may be called upon to make decisions and judgments based upon facts and circumstances presented.  This requires the ability to think independently and to use logic based on the known facts to render appropriate decisions and give direction in field and administrative matters.

The ability to properly operate or use the following equipment is necessary for this position:  telephone, copier, personal computer, various software and other office equipment.