Director of Development Services

Within administrative guidelines, the Director of Development Services leads the Development Services Department and oversees, supervises, manages, monitors, and evaluates the personnel and operations associated with building inspections and permitting, planning and zoning, long range planning, and food health inspections services for the City of Kaufman.

Responsibilities

• Directs, guides, manages, and supervises the daily and long-range tasks of the Development Services Department and its employees; facilitates the success of inspections, permitting, planning and zoning, project development, long range planning, engineering, and health permits and inspections functions.
• Conducts, participates in, and leads pre-application meetings and development review committee (DRC) meetings; performs consistent review and evaluation of plans being implemented, and monitors project progress, compliance, and completion.
• Manages field inspections and oversees all inspection work for ongoing, future, and current developments; identifies issues, permitting concerns, safety hazards or other; ensures the adherence to all regulations, laws, compliance policies, and protocols through the Building Official.
• Meets with local residents, businesses, developers, and development professionals in pre-development meetings, pre-construction meetings, and other meetings to discuss development proposals, site challenges, or regulations and processes, as needed.
• Coordinates with the Fire Department, Public Works Department, the City Manager’s Office, the Economic Development Corporation, and other departments as needed on the review of development applications and proposals through the Development Review Committee.
• Acts as the senior planner and manages annexation, zoning, specific use permit (SUP), plat, civil (construction) plan, and site plan applications, including reviewing plans, preparing and distributing staff review comments, processing and distributing resubmittals, coordinating and communicating with applicants, and preparing staff reports, particularly for major projects. Presents all development cases and other items to the Planning & Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, and City Council.
• Supervises the work of the Planner on development applications for smaller projects, as well as their work in handling Zoning Board of Adjustment cases.
• Works with the City Manager’s office, City Attorney, and developers and their attorneys and engineers in the review and processing of development agreements. Works with the City Engineer, City Attorney, and developers and their attorneys and engineers in the review and processing of facilities agreements.
• Coordinates with the City Engineer, Public Works, and City Manager’s office in conducting early grading meetings and pre-construction meetings with developers and their construction teams.
• Works with the Planner to prepare and distribute agenda packets for Planning & Zoning Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustment meetings. Works with the Planner and Building Official to prepare and distribute agenda packets for Building Standards Commission meetings. Works with the City Secretary, City Attorney, and City Manager’s Office to prepare items for inclusion in City Council agenda packets.
• Works closely with the Economic Development Director on commercial and industrial development activities, including revising City regulations to meet current market needs, reviewing façade improvement grant applications, sub-area planning, and providing other support to facilitate the attraction of new businesses and the retention of existing businesses.
• Works closely with the Code Enforcement Officer and Development Services staff on zoning, subdivision, and building code enforcement; ensuring proper adherence to regulations; and working with property owners to bring properties into compliance.
• Works with the City Manager’s Office, Finance Director, City Attorney, financial consultants, developers, and developers’ attorneys and financial consultants in the review of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) and Public Improvement District (PID) proposals, plans, and documents.
• Manages, directs, and oversees the maintenance of City zoning, plat, agreement, permit, and inspection records.
• Works with the Planner and City Secretary to ensure all required legal notices for public hearings for development cases are prepared and distributed; that all signatures are obtained on all legal documents; and that all plats, documents, and other agreements that are required to be filed in the County land records are done so in accordance with law and best practices.
• Remains current on relevant laws affecting development regulations and makes updates, amendments, and rewrites of zoning and subdivision regulations, as needed. Works with the Building Official to ensure regular updates and amendments to the City’s adopted building codes are made, as needed.
• Works on long-range planning initiatives, including sub-area planning, comprehensive planning, special projects, and updates to maps as needed.
• Works with the City Manager’s office, Public Works, and the City Engineer on parks & trails planning, parks and trails projects, and facilities planning.
• Answers, responds to, and manages development and zoning inquiries, requests, and complaints from the general public; handles and works to resolve issues that require a higher level of authority.
• Supervises, oversees, and manages the work of all staff within the department; delegates tasks, assigns work, monitors workflow, and evaluates performance; mentors, guides, and directs personnel, provides performance feedback, and recommends disciplinary action as necessary.
• Prepares, manages, and monitors the Development Services operating budget.
• Maintains and provides records of quarterly performance measures, weekly reports/updates, and tracking of projects of importance to the City Council’s strategic initiatives and priorities.
• Researches and stays current with all state and national planning practices, laws, and AICP standards; makes and recommends changes to policies, practices, and protocols for the success of short and long-range planning and Development Services activities.
• Protects, guards, and supports the community’s health, safety, and general welfare through the enforcement of City codes and Ordinances, building and health inspection, and the establishment and implementation of standards for development that further the City’s goals, objectives, and long-range plans.
• ETJ planning/platting review and enforcement, including coordination with County Development Services, Fire Marshal’s office, and Environmental Enforcement staff on development in and around the ETJ.
• Coordinates with the Planner and the County’s 911 GIS Addressing division on addressing and street names in the City.
• Serves as a direct liaison to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustments, and the Building Standards Commission.
• Prepares and updates maps and databases, maintains inventories of development projects, maintains housing/population counts and projections, and gives presentations on development-related matters to City Boards & Commissions, City Council, local organizations, and other groups as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years professional experience in municipal and urban planning and plan review, architecture, engineering, or landscape and design, with a preference for some supervisory experience; OR an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that meets the needs of the position.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Planning, Architecture, Geography, or related field, Master’s Degree preferred

License/Certificate:

• A valid Driver’s License is required. American Institute of Certified Planners, AICP Certification preferred