Pleasanton Names New Community Development Director

Pleasanton has a new Community Development Director.

City Manager Nelson Fialho today announced that Gerry Beaudin will join the city in that capacity.

After an exhaustive and lengthy selection process, Beaudin, who is replacing Brian Dolan after his appointment as Assistant City Manager, will take the helm of the Department, effective July 27th.

In his role as Community Development Director, he will be responsible for overseeing all of the planning and development activities within Pleasanton’s boundaries. The Community Development Department is comprised of: planning, engineering, traffic engineering, and building and safety services (including inspections). Additionally, the Department includes a code enforcement officer and a permit center manager.

“We’re very excited to have Gerry join the team,” Fialho said. “In a crowded field of highly competitive candidates, Gerry distinguished himself to be a bright, creative and balanced thinker to match his impressive track record in city planning and community development. He was also recognized for having a reputation as a great communicator who encourages a collaborative, teamwork approach to problem solving.”

“Community Development Directors,” continued City Manager Fialho, “need to possess the requisite skills to handle both neighborhood issues and complex commercial efforts. Gerry has had experience in both, and his depth and breadth of knowledge and experience will serve our community well.”

Beaudin has served in a planning capacity in other Bay Area cities of similar scope and size, as well as in Canada. In his most recent position as Zoning Administrator in Mountain View, the functional equivalent of the Planning Commission, Mr. Beaudin was tasked with making final land use decisions and recommendations to the Council, and was responsible for the “look and feel” of the community. His experience with projects large and small, from private residential development to creating a long-range master plan for biotech giant Genentech’s 200-acre campus, Beaudin possesses the requisite skills to lead Pleasanton’s planning and building enforcement efforts.

“For most of my 15 years in community development, I have been fortunate to manage a variety of projects and make a positive impact in my communities, the past 11 of which have been in and around the Bay Area,” Beaudin said.

Prior to his work in Mountain View, Beaudin served as the Principal Planner for South San Francisco, Assistant Planner for Los Altos, Assistant Planner in Toronto, Canada, and as a private planning consultant. Beaudin has a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Toronto and a BA in Geography from Queens University, Canada.

He holds an American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) accreditation, a U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation and is a graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.

Some current and upcoming issues that Beaudin will oversee include updating the Downtown Specific Plan, which guides planning for Pleasanton’s historic downtown and creating an Economic Development Zone, utilizing 35 acres of prime commercial real estate near the Stoneridge Mall and Interstate 680 to attract and promote business opportunities to benefit the community.

In addition to administering the Department’s budget of roughly $10 million, Beaudin will supervise approximately 42 full-time employees, as well as manage outside consultants.