Associate Planner

ASSOCIATE PLANNER

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

This assignment is for staff augmentation in the high desert.

Under general supervision, performs a variety of duties related to the collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of technical land use, environmental, zoning and other city planning data; and ensures compliance with the assigned city’s development standards. Working knowledge of current planning within a municipal government environment with some exposure to and/or experience in advanced urban planning and environmental planning projects and assignments.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Associate Planner - Employees at this level generally receive basic instructions or assistance as required in new or unusual situations until they are fully aware of the operating procedures and policies within the work unit.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

1. Gather and maintain demographic data and other related statistics

2. Participate in the research, analysis, and interpretation of social, economic, population and land use data and trends

3. Review and approve or deny plan checks for building projects

4. Compile information and make recommendations on special studies; prepare technical

reports

5. For the assigned city, make presentations to the City Council, Planning Commission, standing and ad hoc committees, developers, community groups and outside agencies

6. Review development proposals and other requests made to the overseeing City Department for conformance with appropriate regulations; prepare monthly reports and make recommendations

7. Check commercial, industrial, and residential development plans, including cannabis related projects, for zoning clearance; process permit applications

8. Advise and confer with architects, builders, attorneys, contractors, engineers, and the general public regarding assigned city’s development policies, standards, and guidelines

9. Perform inspections and related field work

10. Take phone calls and inquiries from the public and other agencies; provide assistance to walk-in customers at the counter

11. Prepare staff reports and graphic displays

12. Research and draft ordinances for review

13. Attend a variety of meetings, including Planning Commission meetings and predevelopment meetings

14. Interpret project compliance with assigned city’s plans, ordinances, and codes

15. Attend and participate in professional group meetings; maintain awareness of new trends and developments in the field of municipal planning; incorporate new developments as appropriate into programs

16. Perform environmental assessments, providing detailed written comments on mitigated negative declarations and special studies performed by outside consultants and for outside agencies

17. Processing commercial cannabis program applications, CUPs and entitlements, within a municipal government environment; familiarity with California Proposition 64 cannabis legislation is a plus

18. Perform related duties as required

QUALIFICATIONS

The following generally describes the level of knowledge and ability required to enter the job, and/or be trained within a short period of time, in order to successfully perform the assigned duties.

Knowledge of:

• Principles, methods, and procedures of assigned city’s planning, State and local laws; codes and ordinances related to planning, zoning and environmental analysis.
• The relationship and responsibilities of Federal, State, regional and local government agencies in the planning and regulation of land.
• The intake process of development plans, how to read and interpret them, and experience in routing to various departments for plan review.
• Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), commercial cannabis program, building permitting, and entitlement applications.
• Municipal Planning Department operations; interface practices with Building and Safety, Code Enforcement, Housing, Public Safety, and/or Public Works department personnel.
• Office equipment operations including personal computers and laptops and applicable software applications such as Microsoft Word processing, Excel spreadsheets, and databases.
• COVID-19 public safety protocols and best practices.
• Virtual meeting and communications methods such as Teams, Webex, Zoom, and webinars

Ability to:

• Interpret and explain statistical analysis applied to land use, transportation, communications and public utility systems.
• Prepare documents such as staff reports, memorandums, analyses, and meeting minutes
• Understand the relationship and responsibilities of Federal, State, regional and local government agencies in the planning and regulation of land.
• Perform research and follow investigative procedures.
• Prepare and/or present graphic presentations such as PowerPoint, presentation boards, public notices, informational flyers, surveys, and questionnaires.
• Work effectively under pressure with minimal supervision.
• Provide excellent customer service to all members of the public as well as city and other public agency personnel.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Speak, read and write Spanish – at a level sufficient to communicate with the public through face-to-face interaction (public counter, meetings), written notices and communications, and telephone and other voice over and telecommunications methods – although not mandatory, will be highly rated.

Education and Experience Guidelines:

Any combination of education and practical experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education/Training:

A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in urban planning, environmental science, engineering, geography, social science, architecture, or a related field.

Experience:

Two years of responsible professional planning experience equivalent to that of an Assistant Planner working in a municipal setting.

License or Certificate: Possession of an appropriate, valid driver’s license.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Environment:

Work is performed primarily in a standard office setting with some outdoor exposure and travel from site to site; exposure to all types of weather and temperature conditions; work schedule to include occasional overtime, attendance at evening and occasional weekend meetings, and occasional travel out of town to attend workshops, conferences, and seminars.

Physical:

Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate a vehicle to travel from site to site; to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination including use of a computer keyboard; and to verbally communicate to exchange information.

Vision: Ability to see in the normal visual range with or without correction.

Hearing: Ability to hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.

Job Types: Full-time, Contract

Pay: $35.01 - $45.00 per hour

Schedule:

• Day shift

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Work Location: One location