Planning & Development Services Director Jacob Lindsey to Leave Post Dec. 3

Planning and Development Services Director Jacob Lindsey announced today that he will leave the City of Boulder and step down from his director position effective Dec. 3.

Lindsey has been offered an opportunity to lead a major initiative with a private-sector employer, in a position created for him by a national organization. His future employer is expected to release more information soon.

Lindsey, who joined the city a year ago, called the decision to make this change in his career “gut-wrenching,” but said it made the most sense for his family.

“I am leaving with such regret,” he said. “It is clear to me that Boulder, as a local government, has what it takes to make a significant difference in sustainable and progressive planning: a talented staff team dedicated to continuous improvement, a respectful and knowledgeable council willing to forge compromise, and an informed, impassioned community that advocates for its convictions.”

The past 12 months have been challenging – and fulfilling – for Lindsey and his department. He is most proud of the following accomplishments:

• Significant process improvements, including the design of a new intake and inquiry system and other business-oriented innovations brought on or expedited by the global pandemic;
  
• Successful annexation of CU South to provide for flood mitigation as well as robust subcommunity planning efforts, still underway, to create a vibrant and sustainable East Boulder;
  
• Support for a colleagues who have demonstrated resilience, creativity, perseverance and a commitment to the city’s values, including the customer experience, during unimaginably challenging times.

“While I am deeply saddened to see Jacob go, I am grateful for his leadership of a department that has achieved extraordinary things in the past year,” City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde said. “The transformations that are occurring in Planning and Development Services have been impressive and will position the community and the city organization well as we look toward the future.”

Rivera-Vandermyde will work with Lindsey to put in place interim leadership while she conducts a search and makes a more permanent hiring decision.

Planning and Development Services was already facing some important hires slated for early 2022, including replacing the Chief Building Official, filling a lead vacancy in the Comprehensive Planning division, and bringing on a deputy director approved as part of the recently adopted budget. The city has pledged to ensure that this important work area is resourced appropriately and looks forward to assembling a new leadership team for this department in a strategic and holistic way.

“We understand the important role this department and all the individuals who serve within it play in Boulder,” Rivera-Vandermyde said. “Jacob’s departure will leave a void, but we will leverage this opportunity to meet the current and emerging needs of our carefully-balanced and forward-thinking community.”