If you haven’t already heard Ken Bowers’ recent announcement, allow me to fill you in! We are excited to have two new assistant directors in the Department of City Planning. Part of a new organizational plan that was developed this past summer, the new positions will each serve unique roles within the department.
Travis Crane, one of our new assistant directors, assumed the position on October 5th and oversees the Zoning and Long Range Planning Divisions. These divisions maintain the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Ordinance (UDO); provide the official interpretation of the UDO; enforce the UDO; and provide support to the Board of Adjustment, Planning Commission and City Council. They also conduct area plans and process requests for rezoning, annexation, variance, special use permits, comprehensive plan amendments and UDO amendments (see Planning Projects webpage for more information).
Travis has spent sixteen years working in the Planning field, most recently serving as a planning and zoning administrator for the City of Raleigh where he was involved in the creation of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan and the Unified Development Ordinance, each of which was the recipient of a Marvin Collins award for planning in a large jurisdiction. Prior to joining the City of Raleigh, he was a city planner in the Denver-metro area, where he was involved in annexation, zoning, site planning, area planning and transportation planning. Mr. Crane obtained his bachelor of science in urban planning from East Carolina University.
This week, Roberta Fox, a registered architect, assumed her new position as assistant director. Roberta will lead the City’s Urban Design Center (UDC), Real Estate Services and Historic Preservation Divisions, and Civic Design and Implementation functions. Roberta has been with the City since 2009, most recently serving as a planning manager in our UDC where she administered several large, high profile ongoing projects including the Raleigh Union Station, Southern Gateway Area Study, the Private Use of Public Spaces update, Downtown Plan implementation, and Moore Square Transit Station updates.
Roberta has a multi-disciplinary background with a professional degree in architecture from The Catholic University of America and a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University. In all, Roberta has over 17 years of experience practicing as an urban designer in both the private and public sectors, implementing projects involving transportation planning, transit architecture, and transit oriented design. Her professional focus and research seeks to integrate land use and transit decisions into cohesive places made for people.
As the City of Raleigh continues to grow and we contemplate the implementation of our guiding documents (such as the Wake County Transit Plan, Comprehensive Plan, UDO, and Strategic Plan), we know that it will take a team of thoughtful and dedicated people. Please join me in congratulating Travis and Roberta as they help lead the way!
