Arlington County Hires New Planning Director

Arlington County has hired Robert J. Duffy as its new planning director. He starts work Sept. 10.

Duffy brings with him a long list of community-based planning bona fides.

He was recently planning supervisor with the Prince George's County Planning Department. There, he helped transform "an auto-oriented corridor into a 'complete street' with a transit village" as part of a light rail project, according to a county news release.

His professional career has taken him to Brookline, Mass., where he led planning efforts focused on growth in the town's transit corridor and establishing strategies for neighborhood conservation, affordable housing and business district improvement; to Louisville, Ky., where he contributed to the "transformation" of a deteriorated West Main Street into a "vibrant" commercial, residential and entertainment district; and to Southampton, N.Y., and Sanibel, Fla., the release states.

“Bob Duffy has a long and varied career in local government planning and leadership positions,” Robert Brosnan, director of Arlington’s Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, said in a statement. “He is exactly what the Planning Department needs right now as we move into implementation for some of our major planning projects to create more affordable housing and continue our smart growth, transit-oriented development.”

Duffy has been nationally recognized for his work, and is "committed" to concepts like smart growth, neighborhood conservation and place-making, the release states.

In a statement, Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan said, "I was looking for someone who was experienced in dealing with planning challenges in an urban community, and a demonstrated ability to develop our highly creative planning staff, and Bob Duffy has a proven track record of delivering these types of results.”

Duffy and his wife currently live in Alexandria. They enjoy hiking, cycling and kayaking, the release states.

Arlington County's last planning director, Peter Katz, . At the time, he said he and the county didn't "fit."