Daily Plan It Office of Planning & Community Development

The Daily Plan It Blog

A OPCD Blog

Staff and Community Celebrate Diane Sugimura

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On Monday, March 21, City staff and community members gathered at the Bertha Knight Landes room in City Hall to celebrate Diane Sugimura’s retirement. Diane is retiring after 38 years with the City of Seattle.

Former Seattle Mayors Norm Rice and Greg Nickels, as well as current Mayor Murray were in attendance. All three shared their kind words for her years of service. Words of gratitude were also shared by attorneys, former colleages and members of the community.

Diane was given a few parting gifts, notably a “Sugimura St.” sign from the Dept. of Transportation. Thank you Diane for your service and dedication, especially in your efforts around equity.

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New Seattle planning chief thinks outside the box with global perspective

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Sam Assefa working with Journey School kids on planning for the Boulder Civic Area Parks Plan in Boulder, Colorado in 2012.

You might not think that Addis Ababa, the capitol of Ethiopia, and Seattle would have much in common. But then you’re not Sam Assefa, the next director of Seattle’s Office of Planning and Community Development.

Source: The Seattle Times

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Mayor nominates Sam Assefa to lead Office of Planning and Community Development

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Mayor Ed Murray announced he is nominating Sam Assefa – the senior urban designer for the City of Boulder, Colorado – as the next director of Seattle’s Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD).

Prior to Boulder, Assefa served as Director of Land Use and Planning Policy for the City of Chicago, and as a deputy chief of staff to former Mayor Richard Daley.

“Sam Assefa brings leadership and a holistic approach to urban planning that integrates land use, transportation, design and sustainability,” Mayor Murray said. “Throughout his career, Sam has shown a passion for placemaking and a commitment to working with all communities to solve the challenges of growth. His experience will be invaluable to implementing our shared vision for building neighborhoods that are affordable, livable and equitable.”

OPCD was created to better integrate strategic planning across departments, while coordinating public investments in transportation, parks, housing and other areas.

Sam Assefa speaks at the Mayor's press conference.

Sam Assefa speaks at a press conference regarding Mayor Murray’s nomination as new Seattle OPCD director, March 9, 2016.

“I have always admired the City of Seattle for its natural beauty, innovative spirit and strong commitment to social justice,” Assefa said. “I am thrilled at this opportunity to help implement Mayor Murray’s vision for building thriving and vibrant communities through an integrated and equitable approach to city planning and community development.”

Since 2010, Assefa has worked for Boulder’s Department of Community Planning and Sustainability, where he was responsible for urban and building design policies and directed the City’s Sustainable Streets and Centers Program.

Prior to Chicago, he served the City of San Francisco as director of Special Projects for the Department of Planning and Development. He was responsible for the implementation of various urban design policies and redevelopment plans, including the Hunters Point Shipyard, the Trans Bay Center, Rincon Hill, and the Better Neighborhoods Program.

[Read more…]

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She is a civil servant and a servant for civil rights

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The retiring director of Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development talks about her tenure and growing up as a Japanese-American in post World War II Seattle.

Source: Puget Sound Business Journal

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Welcome to the Daily Plan It!

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Welcome to the Daily Plan It!

Welcome to our blog! We are the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD). We lead long-range and community planning. We were previously part of Seattle DPD, now called the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (Seattle DCI). Seattle DCI continues core regulatory work, like development permits and code compliance. You may be familiar with Seattle DCI’s blog, Building Connections.

In 2015, Mayor Murray created OPCD to bring together planning work across City departments to help ensure that we coordinate and implement our plans toward a cohesive vision. Seattle is growing rapidly, and we expect that growth to continue – by 2035, we expect 120,000 new residents and 115,000 new jobs. The Mayor’s vision is that we work collaboratively to build thriving communities that support growth in an equitable way; with a mix of amenities, open space, transportation, utilities, affordable housing, and economic opportunity.

If you want to stay in-the-know about long-range planning and community development work in Seattle, you’ve come to the right place. Led by interim director Diane Sugimura, OPCD’s work includes comprehensive planning, community research and analysis, community planning, transit-oriented development implementation, and housing policies.

For more information about our new office, see this OPCD FAQ provided by the Office of the Mayor.

 

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