Cityscape

Pride in Public Service
Every year the City of Healdsburg has to report to the State and its electric utility customers the power mix from the previous calendar year.  The power mix is a demonstration of the City’s sources of energy, specifically how much its energy content is renewable.  We take great pride in the fact that, for the 2011 calendar year, the City’s California Certified Renewable Energy reached 43 percent of annual sales.  
The Fall/Winter 2012 Recreation Guide has been released.   It is available at select locations in town, city facilities and can be downloaded from the City’s website. The guide covers programming offered from September through February 2013.
Planning and Building: A New Direction
The City’s Planning Department works with the community to create plans that provide choices, provide the right balance of new development, provide for essential services, protect the environment, protect cultural resources, and accommodate changes that the community wants. Some of the plans currently in progress are the Central Healdsburg Avenue Special Study Area Plan, Bike and Pedestrian Plan, and Climate Change Mitigation Plan and amendments to City ordinances related to the Urban Growth Boundary and the Growth Management Ordinance which will guide the City’s growth over time. The Planning Department provides information and assistance to our customers, and reviews and processes entitlement applications and approvals. The Department is also responsible for complying with Federal, State, and regional planning requirements including environmental review requirements.
It has always been true that our Planning & Building Department works hard to provide an exceptional level of service related to planning, land use, housing, design, building and code enforcement services.  There have, however, been several changes in the department.  In addition to the implementation of our “get to yes” philosophy we have an entirely new planning staff.  It now seems fitting that I introduce you to the people behind the success of planning and building.
Barbara Nelson, AICP, is the Planning and Building Department Director. Barbara has extensive experience as a professional planner and has served as a planning and building director for cities in California, Texas and Washington.  Barbara earned a BA degree from California State University Fullerton and a Master of Urban Planning degree from San Jose State University.  She has also completed graduate coursework in public administration and additional coursework in historic preservation at the University of Southern California.
Jeff Fisher, Assistant Planner, earned a BA degree in Geography from the University of California Santa Barbara. Jeff also has extensive professional planning experience working in both the public and private sectors. He has worked as a planner for San Joaquin and Sacramento Counties, and with private consulting firms in Auburn and Eureka. He has a very diverse portfolio of work experience including project management, the preparation of CEQA documents, State and Federal permitting, master and specific plans, and land use entitlements.
Planning Intern Rebecca Leda, is a Sonoma County native and a proud graduate of Healdsburg High School.  Rebecca received a BA in Anthropology and Urban Studies at San Francisco State University and recently graduated with a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from University of California Irvine. Rebecca completed internships in a southern California city and in private development firms during her graduate school education.
Anne Mackenzie provides administrative and customer service support to the Planning and Building Department. Anne joined the City of Healdsburg in 2005. During the seven years that she has worked for the City she has held positions in the City Manager’s office, Police and Public Works Departments. Anne’s experience working with other City departments is a great asset in serving our customers.  
There is a saying within the building inspection profession, “If we do our jobs right – nothing happens.” Building Department services help keep Healdsburg safe. Building codes require our buildings and structures to be constructed so that they are safe for all of us to occupy.
The City’s certified building official is Scott Ward, CBO.  Scott grew up in northern California and earned a degree in Building Inspection Technology from Butte College.  Scott began his career in building services in 1988 in Mendocino County and joined the City of Healdsburg in 2000. Scott maintains a number of certifications from the International Code Council as a building official, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and residential and combination inspector.  Scott conducts plan reviews for certain types of projects and performs inspection services to ensure that all projects are constructed in accordance with required codes and approved plans.  
The Planning and Building staff provides assistance to Community Development Center customers regarding permits, approvals, and technical code compliance.  Department staff participates in the one-stop program that provides preliminary information to prospective residential and business customers and identifies potential issues so that solutions and options can be identified early in the project saving our customers time and expense.  Our responsibilities also include working with residents and business owners to maintain compliance with City codes in order to preserve the quality of our residential neighborhoods and the vitality of our business districts.
Planning and building services contribute to keeping Healdsburg a safe, healthy, prosperous and attractive community.  Healdsburg is a great place to live, work, shop and visit and we take pride in providing exceptional public service.
Marjie Pettus is the Healdsburg City Manager. To submit ideas or questions for this column, email ci*******@ci.us.