Job Information
City of Bellingham Planner 2 in Bellingham, Washington
Planner 2
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Planner 2
Salary
$85,668.00 - $103,788.00 Annually
Location
City of Bellingham, WA
Job Type
Full Time
Job Number
24-Planner 2
Department
Planning and Community Development
Opening Date
06/28/2024
Closing Date
7/15/2024 8:30 AM Pacific
FLSA
Exempt
Bargaining Unit
231
Description
Benefits
Questions
Nature of Work
Are you an experienced urban Planner wanting to join a dedicated, creative, customer-oriented team that helps guide projects through the development review process? If so, the city of Bellingham Planning and Community Development Department is looking for you! This is an exciting opportunity to work in a fast-paced department dealing with a wide-range of current planning projects, including design review, subdivisions, critical area regulations, urban village and infill development, conditional use and land use review of building permits.
The Planner II position is responsible for the full range of urban planning duties and responsibilities on projects and assignments of considerable complexity. May have specialty areas of assignment based on education, training, expertise, or current departmental work program needs. Also, participates in interdepartmental teams and presents reports to decision making bodies. If you have experience with complex current planning projects – come join our team!
SALARY AND BENEFITS INFORMATION:
The current full salary range for this position is $7,139/month - $8,649/month.
Research has demonstrated that salary negotiation can further inequality due to bias across gender and race. To prevent negotiation bias, the City places new employees within the published salary range based on qualifications and professional experience as listed on the application material, in accordance with City policy. This is in line with the City's commitment to accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Candidates who exceed the minimum experience requirements shall be given credit for advanced step placement at the rate of one additional pay step for each two full years of directly related or equivalent professional experience beyond the minimum requirements. Candidates who meet minimum qualifications or have experience that is not directly related or in a lower-level position will be placed at step one in the salary range. For positions that require a bachelor’s degree, one additional step may be granted for applicants with a master’s degree in a related field when the master’s degree is not required to meet minimum qualifications. The City's HR Department regularly evaluates minimum qualifications to provide equitable employment opportunities.
For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures.
This position is represented by a union. Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the Teamsters (Supervisory and Professional Unit) Collective Bargaining Agreement (https://cob.org/about/employment/labor-agreements-pay-schedule) and City policy.
City of Bellingham employees receive medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as life insurance and long-term disability. Additional benefits include flexible spending accounts, a medical insurance opt-out program, and access to our employee assistance program. All eligible City employees are enrolled in a Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (https://www.drs.wa.gov/) pension plan. Additionally, employees may elect to participate in the City’s 457 deferred compensation retirement savings plan.
Employees will receive 12 paid holidays in addition to one paid floating holiday each year. At the time of hire, employees will accrue 8 hours of sick leave and 10 hours of vacation per month. Vacation accruals increase based on years of service. Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require employees to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.
For additional information regarding benefits and compensation Information please visit the following:
Labor Agreements, Pay Schedules and E-Team Employee Handbook - City of Bellingham (cob.org) (https://cob.org/about/employment/labor-agreements-pay-schedule)
Employment Benefits - City of Bellingham (cob.org)
Closing Date/Time: Tues. 07/15/24 8:30 AM Pacific Time
The Planner II is responsible for the full range of urban planning duties. Includes development of short and long-range plans as well as review, analysis, and recommendations regarding development proposals, plans, and buildings. May have specialty areas of assignment based on education, training, expertise or current departmental work program needs.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Develops and drafts revisions, for supervisor review, of comprehensive plans, including neighborhood, institutional and urban village plans, and other long-range planning documents.
Reviews and recommends issuance of land use permits and tracks permit compliance. This may include determining actual and potential impacts of proposals, drafting permits, reviewing permits for compliance with the land use code and tracking the permit through to project completion.
Reviews and approves short subdivisions and lot line adjustments.
Analyzes and prepares staff reports for comprehensive plan amendments, rezones and land use changes and development regulation changes. Includes holding public meetings, evaluating consistency with adopted policies and plans, evaluating impacts on adjacent properties and the broader community and drafting recommendations for review by supervisor and Director. May also include drafting presentations and presenting materials to recommending and decision-making bodies.
Implements the requirements of federal, state and local zoning and environmental regulations and ensures compliance with codes. Determines when violations exist, prioritizing enforcement actions based on threats to health, safety and welfare of the public. Maintains accurate records. Uses enforcement tools to achieve compliance and restoration of damages.
Reviews and drafts, for State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Responsible Official, environmental threshold determinations and complex environmental documents for project and non-project actions. Coordinates with local, state and federal agencies. Ensures project compliance with SEPA mitigating conditions. Coordinates with other jurisdictions on programs/plans regarding shared resources and concerns.
Responds to public inquiries and assists the public with understanding state and local planning goals, policies, regulations, and implementation measures. Includes preparing written and oral correspondence and staff reports, answering zoning questions, consulting land use code, and conducting research. Prepares and delivers presentations to a variety of neighborhood, community, business and academic groups. Participates in issue- and development-specific neighborhood meetings. Develops informational materials for review and/or use by the public, Planning Commission, City Council, and other decision-makers, boards or commissions.
Manages the pre-application process to compile clear and uniform requirements for potential projects. This may include identifying site and project opportunities and constraints; applicable development, design, environmental and other code requirements; and potential review requirements by other agencies.
Reviews development proposals for consistency with architectural design standards & code provisions, including interpretation of code and discretionary standards as necessary.
Manages the review process for long and short-range plans, large building projects, preliminary and final plats, annexations, street vacations, and similarly complex projects. Monitors building projects and conducts site visits.
Prepares reports and recommendations for consideration by Senior Planners, Division Managers, the Department Director, Hearing Examiner, Planning Commission, City Council, and other decision-makers, boards or commissions.
Drafts findings, resolutions, ordinances, contracts, agreements, policies, financial sureties, and other legal documents to implement the comprehensive plan and meet federal, State, and local zoning requirements. Makes recommendations on and drafts, for review of Division Manager and Department Director, changes to development codes. Implements and monitors programs and initiatives such as the Multifamily Tax Exemption Program, Town and Gown, Infill Housing Toolkit, accessory dwelling units, habitat restoration technical assessment, and environmental regulations and programs.
Drafts design review and planned development permits for residential, commercial, and industrial development. Attends neighborhood meetings. Prepares conditions for permit issuance, including development standards and requirements for specific property, negotiating with applicants and providing recommendations to Senior Planners, Division Managers and the Department Director.
ADDITIONAL WORK PERFORMED:
Provides staff training on local planning codes, policies, practices, procedures, public interaction, land use regulations, permitting processes and other applicable topics, as assigned.
May document and photograph sites and buildings.
Performs related duties within the scope of the classification
WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
Work is primarily performed in an office environment. Extensive work at a computer work station. Requires frequent attendance and participation in evening meetings, field work and site visits to locations, including urban undeveloped and developed areas and open space, underdeveloped land parcels, and project development sites. Travel to professional seminars, meetings, and court attendance as needed. May interact with frustrated and difficult members of the public.
Experience and Training
Bachelor’s degree in urban planning or related field.
Three years’ experience in planning or related field.
Completion of an accredited Master’s degree in urban planning or related field may substitute for two years of the experience requirement.
A combination of experience and training that provides the applicant with the knowledge and skills to perform the job will be considered.
Necessary Special Requirements
Some positions in this classification may require a valid Washington State Driver’s License and good driving record. Candidates must submit a three-year driving abstract prior to hire.
Employment contingent on passing a criminal background check (See Fair Hiring Practices).
Willingness and ability to frequently attend and participate in evening meetings.
Selection Process
As part of the application process, a cover letter and resume is required.
Within the cover letter, please answer the following questions:
Please indicate why you are interested in this position, and why this position is the next right step for you in your career.
Provide a brief summary of your education, experience and qualifications for this position.
Please ensure your application is complete and all required information has been provided. Standard completeness means all application fields (contact information, personal information, education, work experience, references, and required supplemental questions). Provide as much detail as you believe will fully describe your experience and training.
Interviews for the most qualified candidates are tentatively scheduled for July 31, 2024. Invitations to participate in the Interview process will be sent via e-mail on or around July 23, 2017.
Please Note: Candidates will receive updates regarding application status via email. Please be sure to check your email frequently, including your spam folders for messages filtered by your email providers.
Equal Opportunity:
Our environment is characterized by respect for cultural backgrounds, belief systems, and ethnic diversity. The City of Bellingham is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its work force. We do not make decisions on the basis of an individual's race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, age (40+), disability, retaliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. All are encouraged to apply for employment.
Fair Hiring Practices
The City provides individuals who have been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense an equal and fair opportunity to obtain employment.
The City will not inquire about an applicant's criminal history until after a conditional job offer has been made.
The City will disregard the prior arrest and conviction record of an otherwise qualified individual unless the offense is directly related to the job position for which the individual has applied.
The City will notify an otherwise qualified applicant about a potentially disqualifying conviction and give the applicant an opportunity to submit information regarding the accuracy of the criminal records as well as evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation, as appropriate.
There are many good reasons for working at the City of Bellingham. The work is rewarding and you have an opportunity to serve your community. Another good reason is the great benefits that the City offers its employees. See our benefits section (https://www.cob.org/employment/pages/benefits.aspx) for additional information.
This position is represented by the Teamsters 231 bargaining unit. Specific benefit information including Holidays, Vacation Accruals, Health, Dental and Vision Plans with cost sharing and Deferred Compensation Match can be found in the Teamsters 231 labor agreement (https://www.cob.org/employment/Pages/labor-agreements-pay-schedule.aspx) .
This position is covered by the State of Washington Department of Retirement Systems PERS plan. PERS requires mandatory employee and City contributions. Please visit the DRS website (http://www.drs.wa.gov/) for more information on PERS.
01
The following documents are required to be submitted as part of the application:
Cover Letter that indicates why you are interested in this position, and why this position is the next right step for you in your career, and provide a brief summary of your education, experience and qualifications for this position. 2. Resume
Have you attached the requirements documents?
Yes, I have attached the required documents for review.
No, I have not attached the documents and I understand my application will not be considered.
02
Do you have or are you willing to obtain a Washington State drivers license and provide a 3-year driving history prior to hire if required by the position?
Yes
No
03
Do you have a Bachelor's degree in urban planning or a related field?
Yes
No
04
Do you have three years' experience in planning or related field? (Completion of an accredited Master's degree in urban planning or related field may substitute for two years of the experience requirement.)
Yes
No
05
If you answered no to the education and experience questions above, do you have a combination of experience and training that provides you with the knowledge and skills to perform the job? Please explain below, detailing years of experience that would be equivalent to education or vice versa.
06
Are you willing and able to frequently attend and participate in evening meetings?
Yes
No
07
Please describe your experience reviewing and applying land use and environmental regulations, subdivisions, design review and similarly complex projects, as well as review and monitoring building permits and conducting site visits.
Required Question
Agency
City of Bellingham
Address
104 West Magnolia Street Bellingham, Washington, 98225
Phone
360-778-8228
Website
http://www.cob.org/employment
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