ONLY APPLICANTS WHO ARE REACHABLE ON THE CURRENT CITY PLANNER LIST AND/OR HAVE PASSED CITY PLANNER EXAM #5045 MAY BE CONSIDERED FOR AN INTERVIEW AT THIS TIME

THE AGENCY:
The Department of City Planning (DCP), through extensive community engagement, plans for the strategic growth and development of the City, develops citywide and neighborhood land use policies and zoning regulations, and shares its perspectives on growth and community needs with NYC city agencies in collaboration with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Central to its mission, DCP supports the City Planning Commission’s City Charter mandated responsibilities to ensure the orderly growth and development of the City, which include reviewing land use applications requiring public review, holding public hearings, and assessing their environmental and social impacts before making judgements and voting on them.
The New York City Department of City Planning is a great place to work – cultivating intellectual inspiration, professional development, and creativity. Visit our website at www.nyc.gov/planning to access the full listing of job opportunities and to learn more about our great agency.

BOROUGH OFFICES:
Staten Island is home to half a million people, and is characterized by its unique geography, including the Serpentine Ridge that traverses much of the island, and natural features such as coastal wetlands and large wooded areas. While the smallest of the five New York City boroughs, the planning issues facing the borough are like those facing other mid-sized cities throughout the country, including growth management, infrastructure, transportation, and affordable housing. The zoning for the borough is comprised of several distinct special districts, including three that, together, cover most of the island and place a large focus on the preservation of natural features.

The Staten Island Office is responsible for the full range of borough planning activities, including: developing borough-wide and local plans with a focus on growth management, affordable housing, resiliency, natural resource preservation, and transit-oriented development; reviewing and processing land use applications; leading community outreach; planning for resiliency and climate change; and providing technical and policy guidance and direction on all land use and zoning related matters to the City Planning Commission, local Community Boards, elected officials, and the public at large.

The Borough Offices (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island) are responsible for a wide range of planning, urban design and zoning activities, and work in close consultation with the Agency’s Strategic Divisions on borough-specific and citywide issues. There are five borough offices, one in each borough to provide services and information to residents, applicants, local elected officials, community boards and civic groups. Borough staff are responsible for building and maintaining the trust of local stakeholders to best understand community needs and be able to provide advice to Agency leadership, other public agencies and City leaders. Borough staff are responsible for crafting local area plans to provide policy guidance on all land use and zoning related matters and identify agency work plan priorities.

Proposals to change zoning regulations must be publicly reviewed, following the City’s Uniform Land Use Reform Procedure (ULURP). Borough Offices are responsible for providing guidance to applicants on City and Agency land use policies when shaping their proposals and advising applicants on the technical requirements for preparing land use applications. Borough Offices ensure that all land use applications coming before the City Planning Commission meet the requirements for public review; provide technical assistance and manage the public review of these applications to ensure that informed decisions can be made by all stakeholders, including Community Boards, elected officials and civic groups.

THE ROLE
DCP’s Borough Offices seek a talented Assistant Borough Planner to lead the internal agency review of public and private land use applications and manage their formal public review. The position is a unique opportunity to work closely with a team of planners, led by a Planning Team Leader, focusing on projects located throughout multiple neighborhoods across New York City, but focused in a specific borough. Each of DCP’s borough offices consistently manage between 50-150 active land use applications. This requires a full complement of planning staff to ensure projects are advanced on reasonable timelines consistent with the agency’s Charter-mandated role in the land use approval process. The position involves the project management of land use applications, including cross-divisional review and coordination of projects, to ensure they meet zoning requirements and agency policies and best practices. Under supervision of the Urban Design Team Leader, this Assistant Borough Planner would provide guidance to colleagues and applicants regarding the technical and zoning compliance of architectural drawings and other application components. The position requires public presentations of land use applications, including some evening meetings at Community Boards to monitor public input. This position would also support other Borough Office initiatives where there are heavy project workloads.

The candidate should possess strong project management and communication skills, knowledge of planning practices and a desire to contribute and collaborate in an engaging teamwork environment. The ideal candidate will have exceptional technical planning skills and a strong grasp of land use and public policy issues of primary importance to the department, including zoning, urban design, affordable housing, and economic development. The candidates should also have a positive attitude toward public service, as well as a desire to contribute to an engaging, team-based work environment.

Under Supervision of division management and a Team Leader, the Assistant Borough Planner will perform work including – but not limited to – the following:

- Review, analyze, and make recommendations on applications submitted to the Department pursuant to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) and coordinate this work with technical divisions of the department, other city agencies, community boards, elected officials, and the public.


- Analyze site plans and development proposals to determine compliance with the City’s land use regulations, NYC Zoning Resolution, DCP’s policy guidance, and best practices in urban design.

- Organize and prepare graphic and written materials related to land use applications, and present to the City Planning Commission and Community Boards as part of the public review process of these proposals. Develop technical documents and presentation materials including reports, maps, graphics, memos, and other forms of correspondence.

- Maintain a working knowledge of the NYC Zoning Resolution.

- Support Borough liaisons to community boards.

- Candidate should be able to attend some evening and weekend meetings to present and monitor the public discussion of land use applications.

- Coordinate with other agency representatives on Department studies and projects.

- Perform other related tasks and projects.

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and two years of satisfactory full-time experience in city planning; or

2. A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience that is equivalent to “1"" above. Graduate
education in city planning, urban planning, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, transportation engineering, public administration, economic development or related fields may be substituted for experience on the basis of 30 graduate semester credits from an accredited college for one year of experience. However, all candidates must have a baccalaureate degree.

Special Qualification Requirements

Assignment Level III
To be eligible for placement in Assignment Level III, individuals must have, after meeting the minimum requirements, one additional year of professional experience as described in "2" above.

Assignment Level IV
To be eligible for placement in Assignment Level IV, individuals must have, after meeting the minimum requirements, two additional years of professional experience as described in "2" above.

- Excellent communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills with ability to interact with a diverse range of individuals both in person and over the phone, applying tact and discretion as situations demand. - Familiarity with reviewing architectural site plans, surveys, and design proposals. - Experience with urban design and streetscape design practices. - Ability to self-manage, as well as project management skills, including the ability to complete tasks in a timely fashion with minimal supervision and managing several projects simultaneously. - Ability to work well in teams with a diverse mix of community stakeholders, staff, elected and appointed officials. - Ability to lead meetings effectively and inclusively. - Proficiency with ArcGIS mapping and analysis is strongly preferred. - Proficiency with specialized software including Adobe Creative Suite and SketchUp is preferred as well as other computer-based 3D modeling programs. - Familiarity with zoning practices and principles. - Must have excellent organizational, time management, and follow-up skills.

This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.