Known as the "City of the Arts," the City of Costa Mesa is one of California's most eclectic and vibrant cities. Located just one mile from the Pacific Ocean and in the heart of Orange County, Costa Mesa is home to a diverse population of over 111,000 residents. The City boasts 32 neighborhood and community parks, two municipal golf courses, a skate park, a LEED Gold certified community center, and Fairview Park, a 209-acre natural habitat and wetlands park. Costa Mesa is home to 25 public schools and three public libraries.

Costa Mesa's Economic and Development Services Department is responsible for long-range community planning, guiding and permitting new development, promoting economic development City-wide, administering grant funded housing programs, ensuring building safety, and upholding quality of life standards in the community. These functions are carried out by over 54 full-time professional staff who are responsible for providing excellent customer service to our residents and businesses. The Department serves 5,000 customers each year. The Planning Division is responsible for implementing the City's Zoning Code and General Plan, guiding land use and administering other land use related to City Council goals and objectives; including the Council goal to, diversify, stabilize and increase housing to reflect community needs, and to advance environmental sustainability and climate resiliency.

The Planning and Sustainable Development Manager will function as one of two Division Managers for the Department's Planning Division. This position is responsible for oversight of the administrative and professional work of 10 planners in the Current Planning section, and will help organize and direct the Division's programs, services, and day-to-day operations. This position will report to the Department's Assistant Development Services Director and may function as liaison to the City's Planning Commission.

Upcoming Projects:

The Planning Division oversees diverse ranges of development projects and programs including, but not limited to, small, medium, and large-scale residential projects, hotels, subdivisions; multi-million dollar upgrades to commercial improvements; assistance to new and existing businesses; outdoor dining; implementation of the City's retail cannabis program; and updating the City's zoning ordinance, to name a few. In addition, the City's Housing Element was adopted in 2022 and includes 47 housing programs to be implemented over the next eight years, including accommodating 11,760 residential units. These programs include the local adoption of objective design standards; re-zoning of some of the City's commercial and industrial corridors to allow for housing and mixed-use housing development; and modification of the City's parking. The Current Planning section is responsible for facilitating development of units anticipated by the Housing Element. The City uses "TESSA", the City's award-winning online application and permitting system to streamline development review and improve customer service.

Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate is a strong leader, an effective communicator with critical thinking skills and good judgement, has excellent writing skills, and can thrive in a fast-paced environment where expectations are high, and creativity is valued. The successful candidate will have broad experience in all areas of planning, technical expertise in zoning and development review, and a proven track record managing and mentoring staff and creating an organizational structure with a sense of team and purpose. As the manager interacts with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, exceptional interpersonal skills and political acumen are of the utmost importance, along with relatability to the public and layperson. The successful candidate will have a proven track record of creating efficiencies, implementing organizational systems and best practices, establishing clear procedures and policies, modeling professionalism and responsiveness, and promoting a positive team environment.

SALARY RANGE - $146,292 – $196,056 Annually.

A 3.75% increase will be effective July 2025 and a 3.5% increase effective July 2026.

Please follow this link to view the Planning & Sustainable Development Manager Brochure. To apply for this exciting career opportunity, please send a compelling cover letter and your detailed resume electronically to: apply@bobhallandassociates.com by April 14, 2025. Please contact Kristine Ridge at (714) 493-8506 should you have any questions regarding this position or the recruitment process.