Planner III (5291)

Under direction, the Planner III in the Environmental Planning Division performs difficult and responsible environmental review work, participating in all phases of environmental review including analysis of environmental impacts and mitigation measures; coordinates difficult environmental review cases; performs complex initial environmental studies; provides information to the public on environmental review procedures; evaluates projects for compliance with applicable environmental laws, regulations, and policies; and coordinates with project sponsors, consultants, regulatory agencies, and other City departments on environmental review matters; and performs related duties as required.

The Planner III may also perform complex and responsible planning work in areas such as land use, zoning, urban design, economic development, housing development, open space and recreation, code enforcement, historic preservation, real estate, waterfront planning, airport planning, park planning, natural resource management, emergency planning, or other related planning fields.

Important and Essential Duties

Essential duties of the position include but are not limited to the following:

• Performs difficult environmental impact evaluations of projects including review of technical portions of environmental impact reports (EIRs) involving mathematical modeling, surveys, analyses, and forecasts as applied to a range of environmental matters such as air pollution, water, energy, waste and endangered species

• Reviews EIRs for compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations;

• Coordinates environmental impact reviews for major public and private projects, including preliminary conferences, consultations with consulting specialists, coordination with other involved agencies and Planning Department staff.

• Prepares and presents environmental review findings, recommendations, staff reports, technical reports, correspondence, and other documents for the City Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, and other decision-making bodies.

• Supervises, designs, and prepares graphic presentations including maps, reports, plans, PowerPoint (or similar) presentations, charts, models, sketches and graphs to illustrate and analyze environmental, planning and development concepts

• Reviews and/or coordinates the Federal, State, and Local permitting processes, including coordinating various stakeholders and integrating required data and documents and obtaining other regulatory approvals for projects;

• Supervises and reviews the work of subordinates engaged in the performance of professional and sub-professional level planning work; oversees consultant planning work.

• Prepares clearly written, concise staff reports and documents that are understandable to the general public; prepares (or assists in the preparation of) reports and planning studies; provides information on planning policies, practices and procedures.

• Coordinates with other city, regulatory and governmental agencies on planning matters; reviews documents prepared by other government agencies, such as technical reports, policies, legislation and plans.

• Represents the Department/Agency to government officials, community groups, developers, business organizations and the general public.

• Interprets and explains legal, technical and procedural aspects of planning work to agencies, commissioners, government officials and members of the public.

• Reviews project plans and supporting technical materials, including architectural, site, landscape, engineering, and other project documents (e.g., site plans, floor plans, exterior elevations; structural plans; etc.) for consistency with applicable environmental and planning requirements.

Planner III’s may be required to attend meetings or participate in work-related activities outside of normal working hours (evenings and weekends) at local boards and commissions and in various community locations. Some positions may require possession of a valid driver license and may require specialized experience in order to perform department-specific planning duties.