Senior Planner - Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning - Flagstaff, Arizona
See the full posting and apply at the City of Flagstaff’s website
Actively supports and upholds the City’s stated mission and values by executing the City’s Heritage Preservation and Neighborhood Planning responsibilities. Under the general supervision of the Comprehensive Planning Manager, performs professional planning and heritage preservation duties. May lead or assist a team with the design, development, and implementation of neighborhood, and historic district plans. This position functions as the designated Historic Preservation Officer for the City and is the primary contact for historic preservation activities. The work focuses on the needs of a rapidly developing community, including outstanding community design and preservation of the community’s historic and cultural resources.
Employees of this class are expected to exercise general independence, initiative, and professional expertise, particularly in analysis and the formulation and implementation of programs for historic neighborhoods and resources. This position requires collaboration and leadership with persons, entities, and agencies at various levels in the private and public sectors.
ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES
Supervisory: This job does not have formal supervisory responsibilities but will regularly be responsible for leading and coordinating the work of professional and technical level staff and for advertising internship opportunities and managing volunteer workers and interns.
Budgetary: This job has partial responsibility for budgeting at the program level (assists with formulating and monitoring).
Strategic Planning: This job has partial responsibility for strategic planning at the program level (assists with developing, implementing, and managing long and short-term goals).
Policies/Procedures: This job has partial responsibility for policies and procedures at the program level (assists with developing, implementing, and interpreting).
Compliance: This job has partial responsibility at the program level for compliance (follows, assists in ensuring compliance with, and may enforce Federal, State, and Local laws, rules, and regulations as well as City policies and procedures).
Council Communications: This job has partial responsibility for Council communication at the program level (assists with making recommendations and presentations, writing staff summaries, ensuring performance measures are met, and balancing needs with Council’s adopted priorities and direction).
Reporting: This job has partial responsibility for reporting to Federal/State/Local agencies at the program level (gathers information, completes reports, and assists in addressing discrepancies in reporting) for the following reports/agencies: State Historic Preservation Office; National Trust for Historic Preservation; National Park Service; Regional Plan and strategic annual reporting for Flagstaff.
Examples of the Work Performed
EXAMPLES OF THE WORK PERFORMED (ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY)
Provides excellent customer service to both internal and external customers.
Serves as staff for the Historic Preservation Commission and the Community Development liaison to the neighborhood associations in historic areas.
Serves both as a catalyst and as a leader in identifying heritage resources, neighborhood planning needs, and in developing, implementing, and maintaining plans and programs to meet those needs.
Leads heritage preservation activities for the City of Flagstaff, including updates to plans, programs, policies, and codes with various departments within the City and within the Planning and Development Services Section.
Performs current and professional level mid-range planning functions associated with historic preservation, neighborhood plans, archeological reviews, and community design in a developing area including project management, GIS and data management, provides recommendations and comments for development applications, case management for landmark rezoning, public education and outreach.
Identifies potential historic districts, conducts inventories and evaluates the significance and integrity of historic properties through research and field work.
Develops plans and design guidelines for neighborhoods, historic districts, and other areas.
Knowledge of the principles and practices of zoning and zoning administration concerning historic preservation.
Demonstrated ability to exercise far more independent judgment, initiative, and problem solving.
Demonstrated ability to see the big picture, understand the council/community needs, and have an in-depth understanding of complex issues and the ramifications of the decisions they make.
Participation in the development of neighborhoods revitalization strategies.
Initiates, designs, schedules, and conducts public meetings and online public involvement, and generates citizen involvement in community planning and community design issues.
Actively participates in the research, development and writing of the City’s policies and Codes, including the Zoning Code.
Prepares and presents oral and written staff reports to the City Council, various citizen Commissions, the City Manager, and Divisions.
Leads and participates in agency, commission, staff, and community meetings relating to heritage preservation, neighborhood plans, and related design issues.
Provides staff training on Heritage Preservation programs and practices.
Works with the Comprehensive Planning Manager to ensure the compliance with the adopted Regional Plan.
Reviews development applications and building plans for heritage resources throughout the City, including providing interpretations for historic overlays and neighborhood plan compliance for both internal and external clients.
Conducts site inspections for the Historic Façade and Signs grant program and for Certificates issued by the HPO or the Commission.
Coordinates with the State Historic Preservation Office on heritage resource concerns.
Conducts Section 106 reviews under the National Historic Preservation Act.
Develops and manages grant programs and applications related to heritage resource.
Assists the Zoning Code Manager with the creation of regulations regarding architectural guidelines, landmark overlay, historic district overlays and character district overlays including graphic illustration.
Works with Public Works and Real Estate to ensure preservation and rehabilitation of historic structures in the City of Flagstaff’s property portfolio.
Manages the creation of maps and illustrations for neighborhood plans.
Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor’s Degree in historic preservation, architecture, architectural history, and urban planning, or a closely related field that provides appropriate background.
Three years of experience in cultural and historic preservation or neighborhood planning.
Current American Institute of Certified Planners certification, Arizona Architect’s license, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), or ability to obtain certification/license within one year.
Or any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the above Minimum Requirements.
DESIRED EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING
Master’s degree in historic preservation, architecture, architectural history, and urban planning, or a closely related field that provides appropriate background.
Basic skills related to the use of GIS planning and systems.
Basic AutoCAD or Sketch Up usage skills.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Must possess, or obtain upon employment, a valid Arizona driver’s license.
Regular attendance is an essential function of this job to ensure continuity.
Supplemental Information
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY)
Strong team building and process skills and ability to facilitate consensus within teams.
Knowledge of the principles and practices of zoning, land use, site planning, urban design, cultural and historic preservation, architectural history, and municipal and development economics.
Working knowledge or commitment to rapidly acquire working knowledge of the principles of Traditional Neighborhood Design and Form Based Codes.
Knowledge of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Antiquities Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and other related legislation.
Strong knowledge and experience of the principles of heritage preservation, community planning and design.
Knowledge of legislation, regulations, and incentives for historic preservation and neighborhood revitalization.
Ability to conduct original research and make sound administrative analysis relating to policy and management problems.
Ability to write professionally, particularly the ability to coordinate and write professional level plans (planning documents).
Ability to make professional level oral presentations.
Excellent plan and illustrative graphic skills.
Strong word-processing, spreadsheet, project, photographic software, and power point skills.
Ability to maintain project websites and manage traditional and social media related to specific and area plans.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to talk or hear; regularly required to stand and sit; and occasionally required to walk, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
Vision requirements for this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
Working conditions include occasional exposure to wet or humid conditions (non-weather), work near moving mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, outdoor weather conditions, and vibration.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.