Thomas Rogers

About Thomas Rogers

Specialties: Land use planning, geographic information systems (GIS), planning and environmental law, urban design

Experience

1. Principal Planner

   City Of Menlo Park

   Aug 2015 — Present

   Planning Commission Liaison- Review, edit, and approve all staff reports- Attend all meetings, managing live video feed and other logistics- Ensure compliance with public notice, Brown Act, and related meeting requirements- Respond to a variety of in-meeting questions and address individual Commissioner inquiries at other times- Conduct orientation for new CommissionersProject Manager- Oversee discretionary review process for a range of projects, from modest architectural update and single-family residential applications, to multi-acre mixed-use development proposals; in particular, successfully managed permitting process for a 138-room hotel conversion project- Coordinate project review with relevant City departments and applicable external agencies- Prepare staff reports (including associated Ordinances, Resolutions, and findings); address complex information in sufficient detail while ensuring readability/brevity- Make presentations at Planning Commission and City Council- Address inquiries from members of the public- For more complex projects, manage consultant services for CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act), fiscal, and associated technical reviewAssociated Responsibilities- Oversee between three to five planners, providing management and task guidance- Grand Boulevard Initiative (GBI)- Working Committee Member- Menlo Park Leadership Academy - Facilitator - Primary web page and email list creator/editor for Planning Division- Develop/update handouts and process improvements- Lead for Development Review Team (DRT), an interdepartmental pre-application review group- Member of interdepartmental teams for GIS, database, and related technical topics[Principal Planner time period includes four months in Interim capacity, August-December 2015]

Education

• Princeton University

  AB, Architecture

• University of California, Berkeley

  MCP, City and Regional Planning

  2003 — 2005

Skills

• Affordable Housing
• Comprehensive Planning
• Regional Planning
• Local Government
• Sustainability
• Transit-Oriented Development
• Public Policy
• Mixed-Use
• Bicycle Planning
• Urban Regeneration
• New Urbanism
• Pedestrian Planning
• Urban
• Land Use Planning
• Real Estate Development
• Ceqa
• Gis
• Zoning
• Policy Analysis
• Neighborhood Planning
• Land Use
• Public Transport
• Redevelopment
• Parking
• Placemaking
• Policy
• Urban Infill
• Entitlements
• Transportation Engineering
• Transportation Planning
• Urban Planning
• Site Plans
• Community Development
• Arcgis
• Traffic Engineering
• Urban Design
• Sustainable Development
• Environmental Awareness
• Environmental Planning
• Project Planning