The Historic Preservation Lead Planner position at the City of Tucson's Planning and Development Services Department is responsible for supporting a variety of land use planning projects, reviewing proposed developments for compliance with codes and policies, coordinating projects, gathering technical information, and assisting the public regarding zoning, land use, and historic preservation.

Work is performed under the supervision of the Historic Preservation officer. This position leads and instructs the daily operational work of planning personnel.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Conducts review of applications for historic preservation and special districts cases. Reviews for application completeness, as well as compliance with applicable plans, and codes. Provides feedback and comments to applicants on the application process for projects in historic and special districts ensuring Secretary of the Interior's Standards and the Historic Preservation Zone (HPZ) guidelines.
• Writes reports, documents findings, drafts ordinances and related materials. Reviews pre-submittal applications, development packages, construction documents, and other plans for compliance with historic preservation and special district standards.
• Coordinates review of applications by Boards, Committees and Commissions (BCCs). Reviews public notifications, and compiles comments. Presents cases to HPZ Advisory Boards, Tucson Pima County Historic Commission (TPCHC), Infill Incentive District (IID), Main Gate District (MGD), District Design Review Committees (DRC), and Design Review Board (DRB). Reviews the progress of projects in the online system. Closes cases, files and assists with record management.
• Ensures that development activity within the City of Tucson complies with all federal, state, and local guidelines for the protection of cultural resources. Manages cultural resource consultants, and coordinates with city departments, the State Historic Preservation Office, tribal governments, and other entities. Supports the cultural compliance and clearance work of the Historic Preservation Office as needed.
• Engages with the community to help educate on historic and special districts. Assists with set up and coordination of public meetings. Attends public meetings to share information with the public and collect input.
• Provides customer service at Tucson Development Center information counter. Responds to inquiries from the public and applicants regarding land use, zoning, historic preservation, special districts, and approval process.
• Participates in planning projects including historic surveys, general plan updates, neighborhood and corridor plans, and code updates. Assists with technical analysis, helps identify community needs and suggests policy solutions.
• Provides regular guidance to assigned staff, prioritizes and assigns work, provides training and assures work quality and timely completion of assigned duties, and acts as a subject matter expert for employees assigned to the related class. Attends trainings to maintain and guide others of current trends, related issues, and best practices.
• Performs all other duties and tasks as assigned.