A community development director is in charge of a community’s planning and zoning activities, which is usually a city. The job typically entails deciding how to best zone various areas of the city, making recommendations to a zoning board regarding requests for changes, and overseeing businesses and residences to ensure they are in compliance. If they don’t comply, the community development director may be responsible for levying fines or referring the case to law enforcement, who will then be in charge of enforcement.
A community development director frequently spends a significant amount of time determining what is most appropriate for a specific location in the city. The city could become an unorganized collection of residences, businesses, and manufacturers if proper zoning laws and administration are not in place. Planning various functions for various areas helps to keep the city appealing and improves the quality of life for residents.
When zoning areas, a community development director takes into account several major designations. The name of the primary use, such as residential, industrial, or commercial, is frequently used in designations. The community development director may also offer subdivisions within these major designations, such as light industrial or heavy industrial, single-family residential or high-density residential, to name a few. Depending on the needs of the city, the designations may be changed in some cases.
A community development director may investigate if a property owner wants to use it for something other than what it is zoned for. If the use would have a minor impact on the owners, the director may recommend a variance that would only apply to that one property for that one case. A variance can be open-ended, with no expiration date, or it can be renewed on a regular basis.
The community development director may be responsible for enforcement issues if the property owner does not have a variance and is using the property for an unauthorized use. A complaint from another resident is frequently the catalyst for enforcement action, but it could also be discovered the director or another city employee. Typically, the community development director will write the owner a letter explaining the violation and giving him or her time to correct it. Fines or other enforcement actions may be imposed if this does not occur.
In most cases, the director also serves as a liaison between the zoning board and the city. Frequently, the director will present the problem to the board of directors, along with a list of possible solutions. The board might accept one of these, or it might come up with its own solution, or it might ask the director for more information. Typically, these meetings take place once or twice a month.