The city of Fort Worth is hiring for the newly created position of chief planning officer in an effort to bring “clarity, coordination, and strategic foresight” to how the nation’s 11th-largest city plans and invests as it continues to grow.
The position, which will fall under the city manager’s office and report to an assistant city manager, will guide the city’s planning strategy and coordination across departments and agencies, according to a recruitment brochure for the job.
The chief planning officer will be instrumental in advancing the city’s 2050 Comprehensive Plan, a planning document intended to provide a roadmap for the city’s land use, budget priorities and annexation plans through 2050. The hire will do so by “setting cross-cutting priorities, influencing policy, and fostering accountability for long-term, sustainable growth.”
“This is your opportunity to step into a high-impact leadership role where your voice will directly influence how one of America’s most vibrant cities grows — physically, economically and equitably,” the brochure states.
A job posting for the position is available online and will remain open until the position is filled. The position’s salary is advertised as $145,000 to $195,000. CPS HR Consulting, a human resources consulting firm based in California, is leading the recruitment process.
Sana Syed, the city’s interim chief communications officer, did not return a request for comment on the position, why it is needed and how it will benefit Fort Worth. Abby Ackers, CPS HR Consulting recruiter leading the job search, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Local business leaders and planning experts told the Fort Worth Report the new position is “a natural next step” for Fort Worth as the city continues to rapidly grow and approaches the position of 10th-largest city in the nation.
“I applaud the city’s decision to create this position,” Steve Montgomery, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “It shows great responsiveness to the market our rapidly growing community finds ourselves in.”
Ann Zadeh, a former City Council member and executive director of the planning- and design-focused nonprofit Community Design Fort Worth, said she’s excited to see the chief planning officer help “build bridges and break down silos” — both inside and outside of City Hall. She foresees such a position, particularly with the high-level authority of a city management position, streamlining communications and coordination between city officials, various city departments, external agencies and city residents.
“Because we are at that inflection point with a new city manager and a mayor whose “Go Time” slogan focuses on how fast we’re growing, I think there is a desire from the city to not just kind of have growth come and impact us, but actually have some plans in place with robust community engagement, so that we’re not constantly just hearing from citizens that are upset about the plans,” Zadeh said.
She and other Community Design staff worked collaboratively with Fort Worth staff to refine the job description and recruitment materials. She said she hopes to see “somebody visionary” hired for the role and empowered by city management to spearhead change and overcome the city’s reputation of reactive rather than proactive planning.
Carlo Capua, former chief of strategy and innovation for the city, said the average Fort Worth resident doesn’t witness the majority of planning and oversight that happens behind the scenes to keep the city running smoothly — things like road infrastructure and maintenance and transit access and efficiency. The chief planning officer will oversee such issues and more to ensure the best resident experience possible across the city.
“I don’t expect anything less from Fort Worth,” Capua said. “We are such a fast-growing and forward-thinking city with a dynamic mayor and an incredibly experienced city manager and city management team. I think this is just a natural next step.”
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.